Germany - Hohenzollern Castle

Burg Hohenzollern or Hohenzollern Castle.

Sent by Sabine, a postcrosser from Germany.

Hohenzollern Castle is a castle about 50 kilometers (31 mi) south of Stuttgart, Germany. It is considered the ancestral seat of the Hohenzollern family, which emerged in the Middle Ages and eventually became German Emperors.

The castle is located on top of Berg (Mount) Hohenzollern at an elevation of 855 meters (2,805 ft) above sea level, 234 m (768 ft) above surrounding Hechingen and nearby Bisingen to the south, both located at the foothills of the Schwäbische Alb. It was first constructed in the first part of the 11th century.

When the family split into two branches, the castle remained the property of the Swabian branch, the dynastic seniors of the Franconian/Brandenburg branch which later acquired an imperial throne. The castle was completely destroyed after a 10-month siege in 1423 by the imperial cities of Swabia. A second, larger and more sturdy castle was constructed from 1454 to 1461 and served as a refuge for the Catholic Swabian Hohenzollerns during wartime, including during the Thirty Years' War. By the end of the 18th century, however, the castle was thought to have lost its strategic importance and gradually fell into disrepair, leading to the demolition of several dilapidated buildings. Today, only the chapel remains from the medieval castle.

The third version of the castle, which stands today, was constructed for Frederick William IV of Prussia between 1846 and 1867, under the direction of Friedrich August Stüler, who based his design on English Neo-Gothic style as well as the castles of the Loire Valley. Because the castle was built as a family memorial, no member of the Hohenzollern family took residence in this third castle until 1945, when it became home to the last Prussian Crown Prince Wilhelm who is buried there with his wife, Crown Princess Cecilie.

Among the historical artifacts of Prussian history contained in the castle today are the Crown of Wilhelm II and some of the personal effects of Frederick the Great and a letter from US President George Washington thanking Baron von Steuben, a scion of the House of Hohenzollern, for his service in the American Revolutionary War. The castle is today a popular tourist destination. (Source)

Germany - University Town of Tübingen

University Town of Tübingen.

Sent by Anne, a postcrosser from Germany.

Eberhard Karls University, Tübingen (German: Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen) is one of Germany's 11 federally designated Elite Universities. The university is located in the city of Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg. It is one of Germany's most famous and oldest universities, internationally noted in medicine, theology, natural sciences and the humanities. Currently, around 28,000 students are enrolled.

Tübingen is one of five classical "university towns" in Germany; the other four being Marburg, Göttingen, Freiburg and Heidelberg. The 17 hospitals in Tübingen affiliated with the university's faculty of medicine have 1,500 patient beds, and cater to 66,000 in-patients and 200,000 out-patients on an annual basis.

Germany - Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps

Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

Sent by Michaela, a postcrosser from Germany.

This serial property of 111 small individual sites encompasses the remains of prehistoric pile-dwelling (or stilt house) settlements in and around the Alps built from around 5000 to 500 B.C. on the edges of lakes, rivers or wetlands. Excavations, only conducted in some of the sites, have yielded evidence that provides insight into life in prehistoric times during the Neolithic and Bronze Age in Alpine Europe and the way communities interacted with their environment. Fifty-six of the sites are located in Switzerland. The settlements are a unique group of exceptionally well-preserved and culturally rich archaeological sites, which constitute one of the most important sources for the study of early agrarian societies in the region. (Source)

Germany - Map of Heidelberg

A map of Heidelberg.

Sent by Katharina, a postcrosser from Germany.

This is from Wikipedia : Heidelberg is a city in south-west Germany. The fifth-largest city in the State of Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, Mannheim, Karlsruhe and Freiburg im Breisgau, Heidelberg is part of the densely populated Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region. In 2009, over 145,000 people lived in the city. Heidelberg lies on the River Neckar in a steep valley in the Odenwald.

A former residence of the Electorate of the Palatinate, Heidelberg is the location of the University of Heidelberg, well known far beyond Germany's borders. Heidelberg is a popular tourist destination due to its romantic and picturesque cityscape, including Heidelberg Castle and the baroque style Old Town.

Germany - Stuttgart (Mapcard)

A mapcard of Stuttgart.

Sent by Stefanie, a postcrosser from Stuttgart, Germany.

Germany - Schauinsland

FREIBURG
Schauinsland, Bergstation.

Sent by Sabine, a WiP partner from Germany.

This is from Wikipedia : The Schauinsland (literally "look into the country"; near Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany), is a mountain in the Black Forest with an elevation of 1,284 m (4213 ft) above sea level.

The area is suitable for a number of outdoor adventurous activities including hiking, skiing and mountain biking. There is also a solar observatory nearby, a Global Atmosphere Watch monitoring station, and the Eugen-Keidel Tower. Especially in autumn, during temperature inversion, there is a nice view of the Vosges mountains from the top of the Schauinsland. Under appropriate weather conditions there is an excellent view of a large portion of the Swiss Alps.

The summit of the mountain can be reached on the Schauinslandbahn, a gondola lift that ascends from Horben. The lower station of this can be reached by bus route 21 from the terminus of Freiburg city tram route 2 at Günterstal. All three lines are operated by VAG Freiburg, the city transport operator for Freiburg.

There is also a 12 km (7.5 mile) long, twisty road leading up the mountain, which has been used for hillclimbing races. In some years, it also hosted the Großer Bergpreis von Deutschland, for example on September 27 1936 when it was won by Bernd Rosemeyer.

On 17 April 1936 a group of English pupils and their teacher Kenneth Keast were caught in a snow storm. They got lost, and five of them died. In 1938 the Engländerdenkmal of architect Hermann Alker (Karlsruhe) was erected by the Hitler Youth in commemoration.

For over 700 years lead, silver and zinc were mined in the area. Production ceased in 1954, but a museum and narrow gauge railway remain.

Germany - Mudau

View of Mudau.

Sent by Eva-Maria, a postcrosser from Germany.

This is from Wikipedia : Mudau is a municipality in the Neckar-Odenwald district, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. As of 2004 it has 5,099 inhabitants.

Mudau lies in the southeastern Odenwald mountains between the Neckar and Main rivers, 75 km southeast of Frankfurt am Main and 40 km northeast of Heidelberg. The area is heavily forested, resting on colored sandstone plateaus at 285 to 576 meters elevation, sloping downward to the Bauland region. Many streams originate in the area around Mudau, owing to its location on the Neckar-Main watershed; some have cut canyons as much as 200 meters deep into the sandstone. Streams considered significant are the Gabelbach, Mudbach, and Steinbächlein which flow into the Main, and the Reisenbach, Trienzbach, and Elz which flow into the Neckar.

Mudau is an officially recognized resort in the Naturpark-Neckartal-Odenwald.

Germany - Black Forest Cucko Clock

Original Schwarzwälder Kuckucksuhr or Cucko Clock of Black Forest. It is the real home of the cuckoo clock in the Black Forest of Germany.

Sent by Sabine, a WiP partner from Germany.

Germany - Judengasse

Judengasse or Jews Alley in Weinheim, Germany.

Sent by Sabine, a WiP partner from Germany.

Germany - Mannheim

MANNHEIM

Sent by Beverley, a postcrosser from Germany.

This is from Wikipedia : Mannheim is a city in southwestern Germany. With about 311,350 inhabitants, Mannheim is the second-largest city in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, following the capital city of Stuttgart.

Mannheim is located at the confluence of the Rhine River and the Neckar River in the northwestern corner of Baden-Württemberg. The Rhine separates Mannheim from the city of Ludwigshafen, just to the west of it in Rhineland-Palatinate. The border of Baden-Württemberg with the Bundesland of Hesse is just north of Mannheim, and Mannheim is just downstream along the Neckar from the city of Heidelberg. Mannheim is the largest city of the Rhine Neckar Area, a metropolitan area with about 2.4 million inhabitants.

Mannheim is rather unusual among German cities in that the streets and avenues of Mannheim's central area are laid out in a grid pattern, just like most North American and Australian cities and towns are. Because of this, the city's nickname is "die Quadratestadt" (the German word for "city of the squares"). One main route through the streets and avenues runs by a large 18th century palace, the Mannheim Palace. This former home of the rulers of the Palatinate now houses part of the University of Mannheim.

The civic symbol of Mannheim is der Wasserturm (the water tower), an old tower that is located just east of the city's center.

Mannheim is also the location of both the start and the finish of Bertha Benz Memorial Route.

Germany - Schwarzwälder Trachten

Schwarzwälder Trachten or Black Forest traditional costumes.

Sent by Maite, a French postcrosser from Germany.

This is from Wikipedia : The Black Forest (German: Schwarzwald) is a wooded mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany. It is bordered by the Rhine valley to the west and south. The highest peak is the Feldberg with an elevation of 1,493 metres (4,898 ft). The region is almost rectangular with a length of 200 km (120 mi) and breadth of 60 km (37 mi). Hence it has an area of approximately 12,000 km2 (4,600 sq mi). The name Schwarzwald, i.e. Black Forest, goes back to the Romans who referred to the thickly forested mountains there as Silva Nigra , i.e. "Black Forest," because the dense growth of conifers in the forest blocked out most of the light inside the forest.

Germany - Stuttgart

Various places in the city of Stuttgart in Germany.

Sent by Eric, a TravBuddy friend from Germany.

Stuttgart (/ˈʃtʊtɡɑrt/; German pronunciation: [ˈʃtʊtɡaʁt] , Alemannic: Schduagert) is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 613,392 (December 2011) while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million (2008). With over 5 million inhabitants, the greater Stuttgart Metropolitan Region is the fourth-biggest in Germany after the Rhine-Ruhr area, Berlin/Brandenburg and Frankfurt/Rhine-Main. The city lies at the centre of a densely populated area, surrounded by a ring of smaller towns. This area called Stuttgart Region has a population of 2.7 million. Stuttgart's urban area has a population of roughly 1.8 million, making it Germany's seventh largest.

Stuttgart is spread across a variety of hills (many of them vineyards), valleys and parks – unusual for a German city and often a source of surprise to visitors who primarily associate the city with its industrial reputation as the 'cradle of the automobile'. Stuttgart has the status of Stadtkreis, a type of self-administrating urban county. It is also the seat of the state legislature, the regional parliament, the local council and the Protestant State Church in Württemberg as well as one of the two co-seats of the bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart.

The city of Stuttgart ranked 30th globally in Mercer's 2010 liveability rankings, and 7th in Germany behind top-ranked cities such as Frankfurt, Düsseldorf and Munich. For economic and social innovation, the city was ranked 11th globally, second in Germany after Hamburg and 7th in Europe in 2009 out of 256 cities. (read further)

Germany - Allgäu Mapcard

A map postcard of Allgäu. Sent by Elvira, a postcrosser from Bavaria in Germany.

This is from Wikipedia : Allgäu (pronounced [ˈaːlɡɔʏ]) is a German region in the southwest of Bavaria also extending some kilometres into southeastern Baden-Württemberg. The region stretches from the prealpine lands up to the Alps. The main rivers flowing through the Allgäu are the Lech and Iller rivers.

It is sub-divided into the following regions:

* Oberallgäu
* Unterallgäu
* Ostallgäu
* Westallgäu

The area, notable for its beautiful landscape, and its Hirtenkäse ("herder's cheese"), is popular for vacations and convalescences. The alpine regions of Allgäu, which exceed 2,000 metres of altitude, offer good skiing facilities. The legendary Neuschwanstein Castle is located in the eastern part of Allgäu. Despite its advantages, the land is not overcrowded by tourists.

Germany - Köngen

Views of Köngen.

Sent by Gerlinde who lives in south Germany - not far away from Stuttgart where Porsche and Mercedes cars are produced.

Köngen is a town in the district of Esslingen in Baden-Württemberg in Germany.