North Rhine-Westphalia
Art, Archaeology & History Sites & Museums

The moated castle set within a Baroque English style park is one of the most beautiful castles of its kind in Münsterland. Although the earliest recorded mention dates back to the 12th century, it was around 1700 that the fortified castle was turned into a lavish stately residence for Prince Nikolaus of Salm-Salm. Today the castle houses a substantial art collection of some 700 masterpieces, including paintings by such artists as Rembrandt, Jan Brueghel the Elder and Holbein. Part of the castle is a four star hotel.

There have been various buildings on this site since at least 400 AD. It was long believed that this is the site of the mass burial of 11,000 virgins associated with the legend of St Ursula. In fact, this is the site of Roman necropolis; sarcophagi are present. The current building, although added to over the century, was started in 1135. In the 17th century, the many relics – supposedly of the 11,000 virgins – were placed in the Golden Chamber, one of the must-see sites of Cologne. The church was damage during WWI, and has been restored since,

The Reichsburg Cochem on a hill above the river Mosel is thought to have been built by Graf Ezzo around the year 1000 and only became an imperial castle in 1151. Under the occupation by Louis XIV in 1689, it was burned down and reduced to ruins. When the rich Berlin merchant Louis Ravené bought the remains of the castle in 1868, he reconstructed it with a new gothic style, while preserving it’s late gothic core. Since 1978 the castle has been owned by the city Cochem with regular tours on offer. Even dogs are allowed inside the rooms.

Once the provincial Roman capital of Germania Inferior, Cologne today is the fourth largest city in Germany. Cologne is home to the tallest cathedral in the world and Germany’s most visited landmark, the unmissable, in every sense of the word, Cologne Cathedral with its shrine to the three kings. Despite having been severely destroyed during World War Two, the restored old town has retained its medieval charm where the old rubs up against the new. Cologne was a free imperial city of the Holy Roman Empire and one of the major members of the Hanseatic League (Westphalian Quarter).

Colonia was always an important town for the Romans; the capital of the province of Germania Inferior and later the capital of Germania Secunda. The regional headquarters of the military in the region was based here. There are a number of features to see in the city, including sections of the wall and towers. The Roman museum, exhibitions are currently in a temporary location, was built on the foundations of a townhouse and displays its mosaic floor of Dionysius.

Construction of the cathedral began in 1248 and was completed in 1880. Despite the passing of seven centuries, the building stayed true to the original plans. Besides being known for its majestic qualities, it is the 3rd largest church in the world, the cathedral is also home to exceptional examples of Christian art, including numerous altars, the Shrine of the Magi, which is the largest reliquary shrine in Europe, and the 14th century stained glass windows. Visitors can enter the treasury, climb the towers and see the bell chambers. A number of themed guided tours are offered.

In 1002 AD Emperor Otto III and Archbishop Heribert established a Benedictine monastery on the remains of the Roman fort of Divitia. Heribert was buried in the Romanesque church – hence the name Alt St Heribert. His bones are now in a shrine in Neu St Heribert, a nearby catholic church. Both the monastery and the church were destroyed many times in their histories. The monastery was dissolved during the Deutsche Mediatisierung, 1802 – 1814. Fully restored following WWII but retaining its Romanesque cellars; the abbey is now an old age home and the church is used by the Greek Orthodox community in Cologne.

At the beginning of the 4th century AD, Emperor Constantine built a fort on the right bank of the Rhine, opposite Colonia. Part of the Roman Limes, it was intended to strengthen the Empire’s border. A textbook example of a late Roman fort, it is well known as a result of numerous excavations, despite there being very little to see. The preserved walls of the east gate are visible. Where possible, the outline of the fort is marked in the pavement. In 1002 AD Deutz Abbey was built on the remains, and much later a Prussian fortification incorporated the NW Roman tower. The western half was destroyed during the construction of a 19th century river embankment.

A bronze memorial in Cologne to Edith Stein, murdered in Auschwitz-Birkenau on 9 August 1942 and sanctified on 11 October 1988. The memorial portrays the saint with three figures: the young, doubting Jewess resting her head on the Star of David, the philosopher, inwardly torn in the search for answers about her faith and the Carmelite nun, who lost her life as a Jewish woman in the concentration camp. The pile of shoes, and the footprints leading to them, are suggestive of her journey to Auschwitz.

Just off the main square in the centre of Cologne is the Heinzelmännchenbrunnen; a fountain based on a local myth about pixies. Legend has it that during the night pixies would do artisans’ work for them. Until they were discovered by a tailor’s wife. The fountain is a tribute to August Kopisch, who in 1836 immortalised the legend in a poem called ‘Die Heinzelmännchen zu Köln’. Conservation of the fountain is sponsored by the adjacent Früh Brewery – a great place to enjoy a kölsch and traditional, local dishes while sightseeing.

The archaeological park on the edge of the medieval town of Xanten was built on the ruins of the Roman settlement Colonia Ulpia Traiana, on the banks of the Lower Rhine. Founded in 70 AD, the Roman town was the second most important commercial post in Germania Inferior, after Cologne. In 275 AD it was completely destroyed by Germanic tribes, and rebuilt as Tricensimae. That too was destroyed by local tribes. A number of features have been reconstructed in the park, including an amphitheatre, bath house and defensive wall.

A memorial set up on a street corner in Cologne titled ‘Homage to the Soldiers who Refused to Shoot’. It was designed by Ruedi Bauer, Denis Coueignoux, Vera Kockot and Karim Sabano, and set up 1 September 2009. The monument serves to remember the soldiers who resisted the Nazi’s war of agression, whether as deserters, militzary seidtionists, conscientious objectors, war traitors or civilian resisters. Over 30,000 soldiers and civilians were sentenced to death by the Nazi military judiciary. Of these 20,000 were executed.

From 1935 to 1945 EL-DE Haus was the headquarters of the Secret State Police for the administrative district of Cologne. It was from here that the Nazis orchestrated their reign of terror on the city. A permanent exhibition outlines the history of Cologne during the National Socialist era. In the cellar is the ‘Gestapo Prison’; with more than 1,800 wall inscriptions that bear witness to persecution, torture and murder, this is one of the best preserved detention sites of the Nazi era. The NS Documentation centre is Germany’s largest regional memorial site for the victims of Nazism.

Vogelsang International Place, the site in the Eifel National Park was originally built by the Nazis as a training facility for potential leaders and the Hitler Youth. Features included a hotel with over 2,000 beds, a ‘house of knowledge’ (not completed), a Thingplatz, houses for numerous pupils and sports facilities. After the war the Belgians developed the area for military training, reconstructing buildings damaged in WWII. In 2006 the area was returned to civil us, with some buildings transformed into exhibition venues. Permanent exhibitions focus on the young men and the training they received here – how ordinary people were conditioned to believing they were the master race.

As part of the nation’s preparedness strategy during the Cold War, the Bundesbank and state banks set up a series of safe locations. Here money was stored to ensure economic and financial security in the event of war. The North Rhine-Westphalia underground complex was built between 1966 and 1969, with 72 rooms covering an area of 2500 square metres. In 1990, the bunker was handed to the City of Mechernich. A school was built on top of the bunker, and in 2011 a group of volunteers prepared the bunker for public tours. The historic facility was opened in 2012, with visits by appointment or on scheduled dates.