Germany, Czech Republic & Austria: Gems of Central Europe

Yet there is hardly a city that affected – and was affected by – 20th century history more than Berlin. After the peaceful reuni­fica­tion Berlin became a world city of culture, politics, media and science. In the 21st century the city has become a magnet for entrepreneurs, crea­tive people and immigrants. Berlin’s archi­tec­ture, festivals, nightlife and crea­tive alterna­tive scenes attract millions of visitors to the city.

After it survived the 30-year war, it burned to the ground in 1685. The city of the Saxon Elector was then rebuilt in glorious fashion and given a uniform baroque townscape which earned her the name “Florence of the North”. In February 1945 the hitherto scarcely damaged city was razed to the ground in one night by a devastating bomb attack. For decades the ruins of the Frauenkirche were a memo­rial to the horrors of war. The glorious resto­ra­tion of the Frauenkirche in 2005 unleashed the ambi­tion of the city to reconnect with its former splendor and beauty before the 2nd World War. The old town between the Zwinger (palace) and Kreuzkirche (Church of the Holy Cross) has been restored to its former glory and many other sites in the city are being rebuilt.

Since 1992 the entire histor­ical old town has been declared a World Heritage Site. The region has been densely popu­lated since prehistoric times. In the 6th century the Slavs settled there first. German and Jewish merchants made the city one of the main trading centers of Central Europe in the 10th century. The real heyday of Prague began in the 14th century with Charles IV. who became King of Bohemia in 1346. The Charles Bridge and Charles Univer­sity, which is the oldest univer­sity north of the Alps, bear his name. Until World War II the city was inhabited by Czechs, Germans and Jews. Espe­cially for the German culture the city has contributed substan­tially, as evidenced in names such as Albert Einstein, Franz Kafka or Rainer Maria Rilke.

Along this stretch the Danube flows through a narrow valley sandwiched between the Bohemian Massif and the Dunkelsteiner Forest, lined with terraced vine­yards and dotted with histor­ical towns and medieval villages. High night-day temper­a­ture fluctu­a­tions contribute to the special aroma of the wines and this is where Austria's most famous wines, including Grüner Velt­liner, are produced.

For many centuries Vienna was the center of a powerful empire covering much of south­east Europe, the seat of the powerful Habsburg Monarchy which ruled from the Middle Ages to the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918.The city's illus­trious past is reflected in its stately palaces and other majestic landmarks along the ring surrounding the old town, such as the Staatsoper (state opera) and the ducal Hofburg. Today Vienna, former capital of the former multi­na­tional state, is a modern, cosmopol­itan city with a touch of nostalgia for the glorious days of old. It is still the mecca of clas­sical music with the world's largest music conser­vatory, the most famous concert halls with count­less music events each year.

The closest Alpine peak – the 1,972 m Unter­sberg – is only a few kilome­ters from the city center. The inner city, or old town, is dominated by baroque towers and churches. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is Salzburg's most famous son. The houses where he was born and also lived in are popular tourist attrac­tions and there are many monu­ments remem­bering the “Wolferl” in the city. His family is buried in a small church grave­yard in the old town.

Because of its strategic loca­tion at a bridge and also at the inter­sec­tion of two trade routes, the city soon became the resi­dence of the Wittelsbach family who reigned as dukes, electors and kings of Bavaria. The city expe­r­i­enced a boom in the Baroque era and finally also in the 20th century. Munich became the capital of Art Nouveau – but also of the National Socialist move­ment. In 1919 Hitler already tested the demonic effect of his speeches in the Hofbräukeller. Although Munich is a high-tech loca­tion today, the Bavarian folklore is lovingly cared for, espe­cially in the last week of September when the Okto­berfest beer festival takes place.