Historic Towns & Cities in Germany
Officially, and as of 1 January 2024, there are 2,056 towns and cities (stadt, plural städte) in Germany. Most, if not all of these, have some historic interest. But in narrowing down the focus for recommending historic towns and cities to visit, we have identified four elements of Germany’s past that we feel single out a town or city as having particular interest to history lovers. These are Roman towns, Free Imperial cities, Residenzstädte (seat of a monarch or nobility) and Hanseatic cities. Choose one of these to explore those cities further. Or, use our map of historical towns and cities to focus on a region of the country you would like to visit to explore the heritage of towns with different historical dimensions.Â
About This Guide
This page, part of our Germany Travel Guide, provides details of the best historic towns and cities to visit in Germany; best as in more enchanting, interesting or remarkable. Those who have an account can create their own travel lists and itineraries. To benefit fully from this website’s travel planning features, see the User’s Guide. This carefully curated resource has been put together by Thomas Dowson and other members of the Archaeology Travel team, based on both personal visits and research.
Map of Selected Historic Towns & Cities
The following are the towns and cities that meet our criteria for being truly ‘historic’. That is, they were either founded during the Roman period, were in the Hanseatic League, were afford Imperial immediacy and were thus a Free and Imperial City, or they were the seat of Royal and/or noble power – a Residenzstadt.
Members of are logged in to their accounts can see an interactive map and use the features to create their own itineraries. This map shows only the locations of the towns and cities. For a map showing places of interest in and around a towns/city, use the map in the relevant region (linked to below the map).Â
Below the map you can also follow links to pages that focus on each of the four types of historical city, namely Roman cities, Hanseatic cities, Residenzstädte and Free Imperial Cities.
Roman Towns
From Kempten (Bavaria) in the south to Xanten (North Rhine-Westphalia) in the north, there are a number of well established towns and cities in Germany that have their beginnings in during the Roman era. The origins and development of these towns is varied, and tells us a lot about the history of the Romans in this part of Europe. Some were founded as colonia (Cologne, Xanten), others started out as military camps along the Rhine River, the Roman border the late 1st century BC, including Neuss (Novaesium), Bonne (Bonna) and Mainz (Moguntiacum). In some of these cities, such as Trier (Rhineland- Palatinate) and Mainz (also, Rhineland-Palatinate), substantial remains from the Roman period have survived. While in others, Cologne (North Rhine-Westphalia) and Regensburg (Bavaria), there are very few remnants, but are worth visiting nonetheless. What visitors to Cologne will find, is one of the finest museums, with a vast and diverse collection of Roman artefacts.Â
One Roman City …
If I were to recommend just one Roman city to visit, it would be Trier, Augusta Treverorum. Founded around 16 BC, it is one of the oldest cities in Germany, but it is the number and quality of the surviving Roman structures that makes this a good place to start exploring the Romans in Germany. These monuments include the Porta Nigra – one of the best preserved city gates north of the Alps; the bridge across the Moselle – the oldest bridge in Germany; the amphitheatre with a seating capacity of around 20,000; the Barbara and Imperial baths; and the extraordinary Basilica of Constantine – a building with the largest known interior from Roman times. Nowhere else will you find such a concentration of significant buildings in Germany.
The Rhineland State Museum has an extensive permanent exhibition covering the Roman era. The highlight of this is the multimedia presentation ‘In the Realm of Shadows’. Twice a day, state-of-the-art technology turns a gallery into a film set for 45 minutes, showing original artefacts in a bright, new light. This experience is itself the reason to visit the museum.
In the 3rd century AD Trier became the largest city north of the Alps, and one of the most important. It became one of the capitals of the Tetrarchy, and was often referred the to as the second Rome, and today it is sometimes called the Rome of the North. As a favoured imperial city in the Roman Empire, it retained its importance following the fall of Rome when it became one of the seven original electorates of the Holy Roman Empire. The basilica became the possession of the bishops of Trier and formed the focus of the new bishop’s residence, the Electoral Palace. Trier remained a Residenzstadt until 1803
Residenzstädte
Free Imperial Cities
Hanseatic Cities
More Towns & Cities to Consider
There are towns that have none of the four historical facets outlined above that I have used to identify historical towns and cities of particular interest. Leipzig, for example, was never a Roman town or a Hansastadt, nor was it ever declared a Free Imperial City. The city was never the seat of a monarch or noble dynasty, and no timber-framed buildings of note have survived there. But surely no one would argue that Leipzig is not worth visiting. The city was at the cross roads of two major medieval trading routes, and today it has the largest train station in Europe. One of the oldest universities in Europe is in Leipzig, and there are a number of interesting , important museums here. Demonstrations that started in Leipzig in 1989 played a significant role in bringing about the fall of the Iron Curtain in Europe.
In addition to the four groups of towns and cities outlined above, I list below those towns and cities that I have visited and feel are well worth visiting. It is a small list now, but it will surely grow as I visit more.Â
Flensburg
Flensburg was a major trade port in the Kingdom of Denmark throughout the Middle Ages. Following the Danish Prussian War of 1864, it transferred to the Kingdom of Prussia. During the 1920 vote on the Danish-German border, the people of the city chose by a large majority to remain in Germany. Today Flensburg, at the head of an inlet off the Baltic Sea, is 7 km from the Danish border. The town was spared destruction during WWII, retaining its medieval character. In 1945 the Flensburg Government, led by Admiral Karl Dönitz, governed Germany for about a week following Hitler’s death.
Friedrichstadt
Friedrichstadt was founded in 1621 by Frederick III, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp in an attempt to set up a trading port between Spain and the East Indies via routes though Russia. He offered religious and cultural freedom to Dutch groups facing religious persecution in their homeland. The Dutch presence in the 17th and 18th century accounts for the characteristic Dutch architecture. The Dutch soon returned to the Netherlands, and the town never quite achieved the status hoped for. Today it is a popular summer attraction.
Leipzig
At the intersection of two major medieval trade routes, Via Regia and Via Imperii, Leipzig has been an important economic centre since the Holy Roman Empire. The annual trade fair dates to at least 1190. Home to one of the oldest universities in Europe, the city was a centre for both publishing and music. Notable composers from the city include Back, Mendelssohn and Wagner, the Thomanerchor was founded in 1212. Demonstrations here, which started at the historic St Nicholas Church, were instrumental in the fall of communism in central Europe.
