Top World Heritage Sites in Germany

The western German city's magnificent cathedral dates to the Carolingian Renaissance and was Germany's first UNESCO World Heritage Site (1978). It was Charlemagne's Palatine Chapel and the church of coronation for six centuries of German kings. Today, it is one of the world's most significant pilgrimage sites for Christians. This year marks the 1,200th anniversary of Charlemagne's death.

This park stands for reconciliation among peoples. It was added to UNESCO's list jointly as part of both German and Polish cultural heritage. One third of the park is in Germany, while the majority is in Poland. The palace in Bad Muskau forms the center of the nature park, which Prince Hermann von Pückler-Muskau established in 1815.

The Sanssouci Palace and its parks in Potsdam, near Berlin, are world famous. Frederick the Great commissioned the construction of terraced vineyards and a palace in Rococo style in 1745. He used the palace as a summer residence. The many parks and palaces in Potsdam and Berlin make up a vast area that counts as the largest World Heritage site in Germany.

Five museums on a small island in the Spree River are the home to art, research facilities and various collections - all in the heart of Berlin. Visitors can go on a journey through Western art from antiquity to modernity, presented in the halls of buildings that are themselves historic artifacts. They stand for the development of modern museum culture since the early 19th century.

The town of Quedlinburg sits just north of the Harz mountain range, where it houses a whole ensemble of World Heritage relics: its old city with its timber-framed houses, its palace as well as the Quedlinburg Abbey and its collections. Quedlinburg was the site of Ottonian ruler Henry the Fowler's favorite palace. In the 10th century, it played host to courtly rituals and synods.

In the 18th century, nobles in Kassel set about creating this vast sloped landscape park - the largest of its kind in Europe at the time. Its central element remains a hulking statue of Hercules and various water works. Water cascades down from 238 meters at the highest point in the park into the valley. The flow of water relies solely on inclines - a masterful example of engineering.

It was once the largest black coal mine in the world. For 135 years, the Zeche Zollverein facility in Essen was used to excavate and process coal. Today, the site is a highly praised example of structural adaptation. The industrial monument and its associated museums offer visitors glimpses into a world of work from the past and provide information about the complexities of mining.

The Wartburg Castle is a kind of archetype of the German medieval castle. Its residential quarters from the 12th century suggest the finery and luxury of the feudal epoch's rulers, while its festival hall is a jewel of late Romantic architecture. A certain monk also took refuge behind its walls: in a simple room within the castle, reformer Martin Luther translated the New Testament in 1521-22.

This Baroque theater was commissioned by Margravine Wilhelmine von Brandenburg-Kulmbach-Bayreuth. She was a culture-oriented ruler, who also acted as a composer, actress and author of works for the stage. With this opera house, which was finished in 1750, she made Bayreuth a glittering host for musical culture. Today, it's the best-preserved theater of its period in Germany.

Corvey Abbey with its famous Carolingian Westwork and the medieval town remains known as the Civitas Corvey, is the most recently listed and therefore 39th World Heritage Site in Germany. The main building with its landmark matching towers is the oldest and only intact Westwork or West Front anywhere. It serves as an annex to the church to the west. In the 16th century the tower spires were added.