Germany Now Has 33 UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Germany is full of beautiful and memorable places. Some of these places are so special that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has honored them as world heritage sites.

While other countries might have just one or two of these sites, Germany has 33 (!) stunning world heritage sites, with new sites being added regularly.

As you look into the year ahead and your travels in Germany, why not plan to visit some of the 33 locations listed below? I’ve included all of them with the date they became a recognized site, as it’s an excellent New Year’s Resolution to try and see each one! ;-)

1. Aachen Cathedral in Aachen — 1978
2. Speyer Cathedral in Speyer — 1981
3. Würzburg Residence in Würzburg, with the Court Gardens and Residence Square — 1981
4. Pilgrimage Church of Wies in Steingaden — 1983
5. Castles of Augustusburg and Falkenlust in Brühl — 1984
6. St. Mary’s Cathedral and St. Michael’s Church at Hildesheim — 1985
7. Roman monuments, Cathedral of St Peter and Church of Our Lady in Trier, Germany’s oldest city — 1986
8. Hanseatic City of Lübeck — 1987
9. Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin (including Schloß Sanssouci) — 1990, 1992, 1999
10. Abbey and Altenmünster of Lorsch (in the Bergstraße district — 1991
11. Mines of Rammelsberg and Historic Town of Goslar — 1992
12. Town of Bamberg — 1993
13. Maulbronn Monastery Complex — 1993
14. Collegiate Church, Castle and Old Town of Quedlinburg — 1994
15. Ironworks in Völklingen — 1994
16. Messel Pit Fossil site — 1995
17. Bauhaus and its sites in Weimar and Dessau — 1996
18. Cologne Cathedral — 1996
19. Luther Memorials in Eisleben and Wittenberg — 1996
20. Classical Weimar — 1998
21. Museum Island (Museumsinsel), Berlin — 1999
22. Wartburg Castle overlooking Eisenach — 1999
23. Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz — 2000
24. Monastic Island of Reichenau — 2000
25. Zeche Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in Essen — 2001
26. Historic Centers of Stralsund and Wismar — 2002
27. Upper Middle Rhine Valley, the Rhine Gorge — 2002
28. Town Hall and Roland on the Marketplace of Bremen — 2004
29. Muskauer Park in Weißwasser on both sides of the Neisse River — 2004
30. Frontiers of the Roman Empire: Upper German & Rhaetian Limes — 2005
31. Old Town of Regensburg with Stadtamhof — 2006
32. Modernist Housing Estates in Berlin — 2008
33. Wadden Sea in Schleswig-Holstein — 2009

Now the decision of which ones to pick…

—Marcus