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say goodbye to the automobile and hello to the slow lane as you embark on a journey of discovery that will enrich you personally while also lowering your carbon footprint. Hiddensee, a tiny island on the Baltic Sea, for instance, is an entirely car-free zone, making bicycle the best way to get around. At the other end of the country, Oberstdorf in the Allgäu has also banned cars, as have most of the East Frisian Islands. Germany is criss-crossed with long-distance hiking trails, including the Rennsteig in the Thuringian Forest, one of the oldest and most famous trails in the country. The Rheinhöhenweg, along the Romantic Rhine, and the Rotweinwanderweg, through the Ahr Valley, also open up lots of fantastic views and have the added benefit of traversing wine regions. If you prefer to two-wheel it, there are plenty of long-distance cycle trails. The nicest of them parallel bodies of water, such as the epic Elberadweg, along the Elbe, and the romantic Neckartal-Radweg, along the Neckar River. The Bodensee-Radweg around Lake Constance is another popular route. The ultimate in slow travel, though, is canoeing. There’s some fantastic terrain to explore along the spidery waterways of the Spreewald, while, further south, the whimsically eroded canyon of the Altmühltal provides an even more evocative setting for extended nature explorations afloat.

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WORLD HERITAGE SITES

Germany has 33 sites recognised by Unesco for their historical, cultural or natural importance. The latest addition, in 2009, was the Wattenmeer (Wadden Sea; ) in Lower Saxony. Of historical importance is Trier, famous for its well-preserved Roman ruins. Several medieval towns have also got the nod, including Quedlinburg, Goslar, Bamberg, Lübeck and Regensburg. Take in the lifestyles of the rich and powerful at the baroque palaces of Schloss Sanssouci in Potsdam and Schloss Augustusburg in Brühl, and the medieval castles along the Romantic Rhine. The bulging coffers of the Church financed the cathedrals of Aachen, Cologne, Hildesheim and Speyer, the monastery on Reichenau Island, the prince-bishops’ Residenz in Würzburg and the Wieskirche in Steingaden. Sites honouring Protestant reformer Martin Luther include the Wartburg in Eisenach and memorials in Lutherstadt Eisleben and Lutherstadt Wittenberg. Weimar drew a who’s who of German thinkers in the 18th century and is the birthplace of the Bauhaus. The Dessau-Rosslau’s Bauhaus buildings are also on Unesco’s list, as is the grand Museumsinsel in Berlin.

For a change of pace visit Essen’s Zollverein colliery and the Völklinger Hütte in Völklingen in the Saarland, both considered outstanding ‘cathedrals of industry’.

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History

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TRIBES & THE ROMANS

THE FRANKISH REICH

EARLY MIDDLE AGES

THE HOUSE OF HABSBURG

A QUESTION OF FAITH

THE ENLIGHTENMENT TO THE INDUSTRIAL AGE

‘HONEST OTTO’ VON BISMARCK

THE GREAT WAR

WEIMAR & THE RISE OF HITLER

Nazis in Power

WWII

Early Years

The Final Solution

DEFEAT & OCCUPATION

THE BIG CHILL

A NEW EAST & WEST GERMANY

THE 1950S

THE WALL

ON THE WESTERN SIDE

REUNIFICATION

THE NEW MILLENNIUM

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Germany’s colourful history begins in a land of forests, windswept coasts and mountains inhabited by Celts and Germanic tribes, who fought the legions of the Roman Empire. By the 9th century, regions east of the Rhine developed their own identity and, for the first time, it became possible to talk about ‘German’ rulers. But the fortunes of Germany long remained in the hands of feudal rulers, who pursued their own interests at the expense of a unified state. The Middle Ages were a bleak, barbaric time characterised by squabbling princes, religious wars, plague and cultural darkness. Once a federal state did take shape in the 19th century, Germany trod a tumultuous path from unification to war, from democracy to fascism and into WWII, and from there to chilly Cold War division, peaceful reunification and the country that we know today.

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Two Lives of Charlemagne edited by Betty Radice