Germany's most popular tourist attractions 2016

The Zwinger Palace in Dresden with its museums is one of the city's most important baroque buildings. The Saxon state capital, because of the very visible dome of the Frauenkirche church, is also known as Florence on the Elbe River.

Cologne Cathedral has slipped from being ranked among the top three destinations. The Cathedral, which was regarded as the world's largest construction when it was completed in 1880, remains a tourist magnet with some 6 million annual visitors. Since 1996 it has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

New among the top 10 is Ulm Minster. With a steeple measuring just under 162 meters (530 ft), known locally as "God's Finger", it is the tallest church in the world.

Also new among the top 10 is Mannheim Palace. With over 500 splendidly furnished rooms it is one of Germany's biggest baroque palace complexes. In 2007 the palace, which was severely damaged during the Second World War, was fully restored.

Parks on the flower island Mainau, UNESCO World Heritage listed churches on the monastic island of Reichenau. Added to that the enchanting towns and villages with their Mediterranean flair. All of this makes Lake Constance a consistently popular tourist destination – including in the DZT'S top 10 online rankings.

Anyone strolling through the old town center will feel as though they are travelling back through time - in no other German town are there so many well preserved towers, fountains, and fortifications from the Middle Ages. Rothenburg ob der Tauber has managed to climb up in the ranking from last year's 6th place.

The fairytale castle in Bavaria has again confirmed its position among the top ten in the Tourist Board ranking. Ludwig II of Bavaria commissioned the Romanesque Revival palace for which he squeezed the people for some six million German marks to pay for its construction. Today his knight's castle is one of Germany's most popular tourist destinations.

Last year's winner has slipped down to third place. With 13 roller-coasters, a 4D cinema and over 100 other attractions and shows the Europa Park is Germany's biggest theme parks. It attracts over five million visitors annually.

For the past few years Heidelberg has always been ranked among the favorites and in 2016 it has gained in popularity moving it from fourth to second place. The town on the shores of the Nekar is regarded as the epitome of German Romanticism - not least because of the famous castle ruins, the crumbling walls of which attract so many tourists from around the world.

In the past few years this wasn't ranked among the top 10 and yet this newcomer has managed to grab the top spot – the Miniatur Wunderland Hamburg. The world's largest model railway includes countries like Scandinavia and the United States which with their landscapes and cities have been carefully recreated to scale.