Tourism news from Germany

Former Industrial Areas in Germany Re-Emerge as Hip and Cool Centers of Design and Innovation

Preparing for the 500th anniversary of the Martin Luther’s Reformation in 2017, Germany is already offering many diverse Luther-related products in the towns and cities’ where the famous reformer lived and worked. Luther hid from prosecution in 1530 for half a year in the fortress Veste of the small Franconian town of Coburg. It was in the fortress that he also started to translate the bible from Latin into German.

Today the Luther memorial rooms and the Luther chapel give a vivid impression of the Reformation era and display many artifacts and paintings including a full-length portrait of Luther by Lucas Cranach the Younger and the famous "Hedwigsbecher", a precious goblet made from topas-colored glass that was presented to Luther by Elector Johann Friedrich. In the vault of the fortress you can see a 15-minute-film in English about Martin Luther. Luther’s original letters are housed in the Veste and in Coburg’s Public Records Office, The State library of Coburg possesses about 700 of Luther’s documents from the 16th century as well as valuable Lutheran Bibles. There is also a realistic bust of Luther in St. Moriz church. The Veste Coburg itself is an impressive fortress from the 15th century overlooking the town Coburg. It houses an distinguished art collection with famous paintings by Albrecht Duerer.  www.coburg-tourist.de
   
 
        Theme: Former Working Class Districts Form New Areas for Art and Design   
       

The economic structural change from an industrialized into a service society has released space for the development for a modern and dynamic creative scene in Germany. Factory buildings have been turned into theater rooms and former working class districts have been transformed into innovative cultural centers. As a result a modern art scene has evolved, presenting itself as an attractive alternative in addition to the popular renowned museums and concert halls Germany has to offer, especially for young visitors. One prime example for demonstrating this positive trend is Europe’s capital of culture 2010: the Ruhr area. However, there are multiple other cities and regions that also have been transformed into exciting innovative centers.

The traditional Hanseatic and University town of Greifswald on the coast of the Baltic Sea is a dynamic center of research and performing arts. After Germany’s reunification in 1990, the city concentrated on the sector of new technology. Today it is renowned as an eminent center of research and education and simultaneously as the youngest city of eastern Germany: Every fourth inhabitant is between 18 and 30 years. A lively art and cultural scene has established itself in the scenic city. An example is the annual festival of modern dance, "Tanztendenzen" which has taken place since 1993. Its stage lures young choreographers from all over the world presenting their works to a broad public. www.tanztendenzen.de

Today the Saarland successfully focuses on bio and nanotechnology. Gentrified industrial buildings such as the Voelklingen Ironworks, (which had been closed on July 4, 1986), commemorate the industrial history of the region. The Voelklingen Ironworks were the first works from the heyday of heavy industrialization to become a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site in 1994. The Voelklingen Ironworks are the most significant surviving ironworks from the 19th and 20th centuries in the world, and the site has been named the European Centre for Art and Industrial Heritage. It offers innovative ways from the idea laboratory® and the ScienceCenter Ferrodrom ® to the "Paradies" to experience industrial culture in a new dimension. www.voelklinger-huette.org

Additional highlights of Germany’s industrial culture are located along so-called Regional Routes of Industrial Heritage. One of these routes run through Lusatia in the eastern part of Germany. The "Lusatian Industrial Heritage ENERGY Route" is a richly varied theme tour bringing together ten outstanding industrial sites. The spectrum ranges from the "horizontal Eiffel Tower" as the colossal F60 overburden conveyor bridge in Lichterfeld is called, and the sensational bio-towers of the former Lauchhammer coking plants to the impressive Lusatian mining museum in a former briquette factory in Knappenrode as well as one of the world’s most modern lignite power stations in Schwarze Pumpe, complete with operational opencast mine. An ideal starting point for the route is the IBA Terraces in Grossraeschen, where there is a display of all the IBA projects at the Internationale Bauausstellung (International Construction Exhibition) visitor center, and alternating exhibitions introducing visitors to the history and perspectives of the mining region of Lusatia. e www.erih.net

Another region where the economic structural change left its marks on Saxony-Anhalt, one of Europe’s most important industrial regions during the 20th century and nowadays the location of an additional route of industrial heritage. The so-called Central German Innovation Route links 17 industrial monuments between Magdeburg and Zeitz. An anchor point is the famous project "Ferropolis" that has been established on an island in the middle of a lake in the flooded opencast mine at Golpa-Nord. The "Town of Iron" is more than a museum; it consolidates an industrial monument, a steel sculpture, a concert venue and a theme park. Another highlight of the route is the old opencast brown coal mining site at Goitzsche - the world's largest land art project.  www.erih.net
   

        Feature: Weimar Opens Second Bauhaus Building with UNESCO Heritage Status   
       

The city of Weimar in the German state of Thuringia, about two hours southwest of Berlin, is a cultural gem and one of the places in the world with the highest density of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Home to cultural giants from Goethe to Bach and the founding place of the Bauhaus movement, it boasts in total 13 UNESCO World Heritage buildings. After the rebuilding and reopening of the Anna-Amalia-Library in 2007, now another architectural masterpiece has been freshly restored: The former School of Arts and Crafts, originally part of the first Bauhaus University designed by Henry Van de Velde.

Van de Velde is one of the founders of the Art Nouveau Style and a major influence to the Bauhaus movement. He appointed Martin Gropius in 1915 as his successor for the School of Arts and Crafts, who developed it into the Bauhaus University. The recent completion of the renovation work not only marks the return of a unique architectural landmark to Weimar, but also one of the city’s most significant UNESCO World Heritage Sites.  www.weimar.de

If you want discover Weimar by foot to experience the rich cultural heritage from Bauhaus to Goethe, Weimar Tourist Info now offers individual self-guided walking tours. Be thoroughly entertained by the two famous German writers, Goethe and Schiller as they, with the assistance of sound, music and pictures, accompany you personally on a stroll around their German home town. The iGuide PDA's can be rented from the tourist information. The tours are in English and cost $9 for 2 hours or $10 for 4 hours.  www.weimar.de
   
       


   
 
  
 
         Special Deals
     German Cities with Tradescotours
Explore the history of the impressive German cities: Berlin, Hamburg, Dresden, Bremen, Hameln and Frankfurt. This 6-day tour includes five overnight stays with breakfast buffet at first class hotels, transportation by modern air-conditioned motor coach, professional English speaking guids, city tours, excursions and a farewell dinner. Rates start from only $985 per person excluding airfare with departures until October 12th 2010.  www.tradescotours.com

Maritime Weekend in Steigenberger Kiel for $110
Enjoy a unique combination of city life with maritime atmosphere in the northern German city of Kiel at the Baltic Sea. The first-class hotel Steigenberger Conti Hansa Kiel is an oasis of peace, offering magnificent views of the Baltic Sea harbor and the impressive new cruise terminal which is just a stone’s throw away. This weekend special includes two overnights including a sumptuous breakfast buffet for only $ 110 per person.  www.steigenberger.com

First Class Hamburg with Kempinski
Discover Hamburg, the harbor metropolis at the river Elbe. The 1,200 year-old Hamburg offers impressive culture, great shopping as well as hip and cool neighborhoods. Enjoy some exciting days in Hamburg and experience the Hanseatic hospitality at the exclusive Kempinski Hotel Atlantic. The Hanse package includes 1 overnight stay including the sumptuous atlantic breakfast buffet, a welcome present, ticket for a sightseeing tour and harbor cruise, relaxing hours in the wellness area of the Energy Clinic with pool, sauna and solarium starting at $185 per person.  www.kempinski.com
         Events
     May 21 - 24
Carnival of Cultures, Berlin
The Carnival of Cultures is one of Europe’s largest street festivals and a reflection of Berlin‘s cultural diversity. It brings together professional artists and amateurs, young and old, and - furthermore - is a great opportunity for members of Berlin's ethnic communities to make their cultures visible to Berliners and visitors equally. Whether it's traditional or modern - every culture gets its chance to add their aesthetic vision to the capital‘s reputation as a vibrant and constantly changing metropolis.  www.berlin.de

June 11 - August 08, 2010
6th "berlin biennale"
One of the flagship events for c
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