Germany - North Rhine-Westphalia / Hesse - Romantic Rhine Region

Various places in the "Romantic Rhine" region in Germany.

Sent by Jennifer from Kaiserslautern, Germany.

The eminent 18th century German writer and naturalist Johann Wolfgang von Goethe knew all about the beauty of the Rhine Valley and travelled throughout its unique cultural landscape. The Rhine was one of Germany’s first tourist destinations. Today it offers an enormous variety of cultural attractions, leisure pursuits and recreational activities.

Even under the current exceptional circumstances, a holiday on the Romantic Rhine is still worthwhile: Hike along the Rheinsteig and RheinBurgenWeg trails, cycle along the Rhine Cycle Route or relax and watch the world go by on one of the riverboats. There are more than 60 castles, fortresses and palaces just waiting to be discovered. And you can round off your day with a glass of Riesling and a view of the Rhine (read more).

Germany - Hesse - Frankfurt Airport

Collage of images, including the Franfurt Airport, the city skyline, and the historic Römerberg area.

Sent by Aline who works at Franfurt Airport.

Frankfurt Airport (German: Flughafen Frankfurt Main [ˈfluːkhaːfn̩ ˈfʁaŋkfʊʁt ˈmaɪn]) (IATA: FRA, ICAO: EDDF) is Germany's busiest international airport by passenger numbers, located in Frankfurt, Germany's fifth-largest city. Its official name according to the German Aeronautical Information Publication is Frankfurt Main Airport. The airport is operated by Fraport and serves as the main hub for Lufthansa, including Lufthansa City Airlines, Lufthansa CityLine, Discover Airlines and Lufthansa Cargo as well as Condor and AeroLogic. It covers an area of 2,300 hectares (5,683 acres) of land and features two passenger terminals with capacity for approximately 65 million passengers per year; four runways; and extensive logistics and maintenance facilities.

Frankfurt Airport is the busiest airport by passenger traffic in Germany as well as the 6th busiest in Europe after Istanbul Airport, London–Heathrow, Paris–Charles de Gaulle, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport. The airport is also the 22nd busiest worldwide by total number of passengers in 2024, with 61,564,957 passengers using the airport in 2024. It also had a freight throughput of 2.076 million tonnes in 2015 and is the busiest airport in Europe by cargo traffic. As of 2022, Frankfurt Airport serves 330 destinations on five continents, making it the airport with the most direct routes in the world.

The southern side of the airport ground was home to the Rhein-Main Air Base, which served as a major air base for the United States from 1947 until 2005, when the air base was closed and the property was acquired by Fraport (now occupied by Terminal 3). The airport celebrated its 80th anniversary in July 2016 (read more).

Germany - Hesse - Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe

Hercules Monument and the cascading water features in Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe, a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Kassel, Germany.

Sent by Romy from Hesse, Germany.

Descending a long hill dominated by a giant statue of Hercules, the monumental water displays of Wilhelmshöhe were begun by Landgrave Carl of Hesse-Kassel in 1689 around an east-west axis and were developed further into the 19th century. Reservoirs and channels behind the Hercules Monument supply water to a complex system of hydro-pneumatic devices that supply the site’s large Baroque water theatre, grotto, fountains and 350-metre long Grand Cascade. Beyond this, channels and waterways wind across the axis, feeding a series of dramatic waterfalls and wild rapids, the geyser-like Grand Fountain which leaps 50m high, the lake and secluded ponds that enliven the Romantic garden created in the 18th century by Carl’s great-grandson, Elector Wilhelm I. The great size of the park and its waterworks along with the towering Hercules statue constitute an expression of the ideals of absolutist Monarchy while the ensemble is a remarkable testimony to the aesthetics of the Baroque and Romantic periods (read more).

Germany - Hesse - Witzenhausen

Various views of Witzenhausen, a town in Germany.

Sent by Kerstin from Hesse, Germany.

Witzenhausen (German pronunciation: [vɪtsn̩ˈhaʊzn̩]) is a small town in the Werra-Meißner-Kreis in northeastern Hesse, Germany.

It was granted town rights in 1225, and until 1974 was a district seat.

The University of Kassel maintains a satellite campus in Witzenhausen, which offers an ecological agricultural sciences programme, putting Witzenhausen among Germany's smallest university towns. There is also a teaching institute (DEULA) for environment and technology, agriculture, horticulture and landscaping. The town is nationally known for the invention of the Biotonne biological refuse container, and is an important cherry-growing area, with a yearly Kesperkirmes or “Cherry Fair” (Kesper is a regional name for the cherry), at which a Cherry Queen (Kirschenkönigin) is chosen.

Witzenhausen lies on the northeast slope of the Kaufunger Wald, which is surrounded by the Meißner-Kaufunger Wald Nature Park. The town is found at the mouth of the Gelster, where it empties into the Werra some 30 km east of Kassel, 16 km east-southeast of Hann. Münden, 25 km south of Göttingen and 23 km northwest of Eschwege (read more).

Germany - Middle Rhein Valley (Mittelrhein)

Various scenic locations in Middle Rhein Valley (Mittelrhein) in Germany. 

Sent by Katrin from Potsdam in Brandenburg, Germany.

Middle Rhine (German: Mittelrhein, pronounced [ˈmɪtl̩ˌʁaɪn]; kilometres 529 to 660 of the Rhine) is the section of the Rhine between Bingen and Bonn in Germany. It flows through the Rhine Gorge (Oberes Mittelrheintal), a formation created by erosion, which happened at about the same rate as an uplift in the region, leaving the river at about its original level, and the surrounding lands raised. This gorge is quite deep, about 130 metres (430 ft) from the top of the rocks down to the average water-line.

The Middle Rhine is one of four sections of the Rhine between Lake Constance and the North Sea (the others being the High Rhine, Upper Rhine and Lower Rhine). The upper half of the Middle Rhine (Rhine Gorge) from Bingen (Rhine-kilometer 526) to Koblenz (Rhine-kilometer 593) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a striking cultural landscape with more than 40 castles and fortresses from the Middle Ages, unique terraced vineyards, and many wine villages. The lower half, from Koblenz (Rhine-kilometer 593) to Bonn (Rhine-kilometer 655), is famous for the formerly volcanic Siebengebirge, with the Drachenfels volcano. Both parts together are known as "the romantic Rhine" (read more).

Germany - Hesse - Asfeld

500 Years of Alsfeld Town Hall (1512 - 2012)

Sent by Edda from Hesse, Germany.

Alsfeld (German pronunciation: [ˈalsfɛlt]) is a town in the center of Hesse, in Germany.

Located about 100 km (62 mi) north of Frankfurt, Alsfeld is part of the densely populated Frankfurt Rhine-Main Metropolitan Region, with nearby Lauterbach (about 15 km (9.3 mi) east), one of the two centre cities of the Vogelsbergkreis district.

Alsfeld is best described as a blend of a historic bourgeois European town and its rural-agricultural environs and shaped by typical Lutheran-Pietist characteristics, such as austerity and a Protestant work ethic. It is well known for its well-preserved old town with hundreds of picturesque timber-frame houses, and part of the German Timber-Frame Road (read more).

Germany - Hesse - Eder Dam

Waldeck, Eder Dam
The Eder Dam is one of the largest dams in Europe. Built between 1908 - 1914. Water volume 202.4 million cubic metres, height of the dam wall 48 metres, length 400 metres, width 33 metres, length of the lake 27km. The Eder Dam is surrounded by high forest-covered hills. The construction of the dam left three villages completely submerged and several partly submerged.

Sent by Bertha from Korbach in Hesse, Germany.

The Edersee Dam is a hydroelectric dam spanning the Eder river in northern Hesse, Germany. Constructed between 1908 and 1914, it lies near the small town of Waldeck at the northern edge of the Kellerwald. Breached by Allied bombs during World War II, it was rebuilt during the war, and today generates hydroelectric power and regulates water levels for shipping on the Weser river (read further).

Germany - Hesse - Wiesbaden

Multiviews of Wiesbaden.

Sent by Stephanie from Wiesbaden, Germany.

Wiesbaden (German pronunciation: [ˈviːsˌbaːdn̩]) is a city in southwest Germany and the capital of the federal state of Hesse. It has about 273,000 inhabitants, plus approximately 19,000 United States citizens (mostly associated with the United States Army). Wiesbaden, together with the cities of Frankfurt am Main, Darmstadt and Mainz, is part of the Frankfurt Rhine Main Region, a metropolitan area with a combined population of about 5.8 million people.

Wiesbaden is one of the oldest spa towns in Europe. Its name translates to "meadow baths," making reference to the hot springs. At one time, Wiesbaden boasted 26 hot springs. Fourteen of the springs are still flowing today. (read further)

Germany - Upper Middle Rhine Valley (3)

Stolzenfels Castle, part of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley.

Sent by Sabine, a WiP partner from Germany.

Note : The postcard was sent to the wrong address and thanks for the unnamed person who directed this postcard to my address.

Germany - Frankfurt (3)

The ruined city of Frankfurt in 1945 (after Second World War).

Sent by Yuen Man of Hong Kong who visited Franfurt.

Germany - Frankfurt (2)

Greetings From Frankfurt.

Sent by Dr. Desiree, a postcrosser from Frankfurt, Germany.

Germany - Upper Middle Rhine Valley (2)

The Upper Middle Rhine Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Sent by Anja, a postcrosser from Germany.

Germany - Abbey and Altenmünster of Lorsch

Carolingian Gatehouse, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Sent by Cuivre, a postcrosser from Germany.

This is from UNESCO : The religious complex represented by the former Lorsch Abbey with its 1,200-year-old gatehouse, which is unique and in excellent condition, comprises a rare architectural document of the Carolingian era with impressively preserved sculpture and painting of that period. It gives architectural evidence of the awakening of the West to the spirit of the early and high Middle Ages under the first king and emperor, Charlemagne.

In the small town of Lorsch, between Worms and Darmstadt, is the renowned Torhalle, one of the rare Carolingian buildings that has retained its original appearance. It is a reminder of the past grandeur of an abbey founded around 760-64. The first Abbot was the Bishop of Metz, Chrodegang (died 766). Sometime before 764 he brought monks from Gorze to live there and in 765 he donated the relics of St Nazarius, which he had acquired in Rome.

In 767, Thurincbert, one of the founder's brothers, donated new land in sand dunes safe from floods about 500 m from the original site. The monastery was placed under the Emperor's protection in 772. In 774, with Charlemagne in attendance, the Archbishop of Mainz consecrated the new church, dedicated to Saints Peter, Paul and Nazarius.

The Codex Laureshamensis, a chronicle of the abbey, lists the improvements made by three of the most important abbots, Helmerich, Richbod and Adelog, between 778 and 837. The monastery's zenith was probably in 876 when, on the death of Louis II the German (876) it became the burial place for the Carolingian kings of Germany. To be a worthy resting place for the remains of his father, Louis III the Young (876-82) had a crypt built, an ecclesia varia, where he was also buried, as were his son Hugo and Cunegonde, wife of Conrad I (the Duke of Franconia elected King of Germany at the death of the last of the German Carolingians, Louis IV the Child).

The monastery flourished throughout the 10th century, but in 1090 was ravaged by fire. In the 12th century a first reconstruction was carried out. In the 13th century, after Lorsch had been incorporated in the Electorate of Mainz (1232), it lost a large part of its privileges.

The Benedictines were replaced first by Cistercians and later by Premonstratensians. Moreover, the church had to be restored and reconstructed after yet another fire. The glorious Carolingian establishment slowly deteriorated under the impact of the vagaries of politics and war: Lorsch was attached to the Palatinate in 1461, returned to the Electorate of Mainz in 1623, and incorporated in the Electorate of Hesse in 1803. During the Thirty Years' War in 1620-21, the Spanish armies pillaged the monastic buildings, which had been in a state of abandon since the Reformation.

Only the Torhalle, part of the Romanesque church, insignificant vestiges of the medieval monastery, and classical buildings dating from the period when the Electors of Mainz administered the town still survive within its boundaries.

Germany - Upper Middle Rhine Valley (1)

Sent by Sabine, a WiP partner from Germany.

This is from UNESCO : As one of the most important transport routes in Europe, the Middle Rhine Valley has for two millennia facilitated the exchange of culture between the Mediterranean region and the north. It is an outstanding organic cultural landscape, the present-day character of which is determined both by its geomorphological and geological setting and by the human interventions such as settlements, transport infrastructure, and land use that it has undergone over 2,000 years. As a result, it is an outstanding example of an evolving traditional way of life and means of communication in a narrow river valley. The terracing of its steep slopes in particular has shaped the landscape in many ways for more than two millennia. However, this form of land use is under threat from today's socio-economic pressures.

The appearance of the Middle Rhine Valley is characterized by the interaction between its physical natural features, the human interventions, and its 'tourist' image. In the 65 km stretch of the valley the river breaks through the Rhenish Slate Mountains, connecting the broad floodplain of the Oberrheingraben with the lowland basin of the Lower Rhine.

At the 5 km long Bingen Gate (Bingen Pforte), widened in the 19th and 20th centuries, the Rhine enters the upper canyon stretch of the river. Just before the Gate there are two small towns: Bingen on the left bank noteworthy for 'political' symbols, Rüdesheim on the right dominated by the 12th-century Brömserberg fortress. The vineyards of the Rüdesheimer Berg are among the best in the Rheingau. After the Bingen Gate comes the 15 km long Bacharach valley, which is indented with smaller V-shaped side valleys. The small town of Lorch extends at right angles to the Rhine up the valley, lined with terraced vineyards. It is notable for its fine Gothic parish church of St Martin. Bacharach, at the entrance of the Steeger valley contains many timber-framed houses and retains its medieval appearance. Kaub and its environs contain a number of monuments, among them the Pfalzgrafenstein castle, the town wall of Kaub itself, and the terraced vineyards, created in the Middle Ages. Oberwesel has preserved a number of fine early houses, as well as two Gothic churches, the medieval Schönburg castle, and its medieval town wall.

The valley landscape begins to change at Oberwesel with the transition from soft clay-slates to hard sandstone. The result is a series of narrows, the most famous of which is the Loreley. This stretch of river was once hazardous for shipping and is reputed to be the place where the fabulous treasure of the Niebelungs lies hidden. Across the river on the right bank is St Goarshausen, with its castle of Neu-Katzenelnbogen. The third Katzenelnbogen fortress is Burg Reichenberg; its design suggests that it may have been inspired by Crusader fortresses in Syria and Palestine. Bad Salzig on the left bank marks the beginning of the section known as the Boppard Loops (Bopparder Schlingen). On the right bank is the twin town of Kamp Bornhofen.

Located at the start of a horseshoe loop in the river, Boppard originated as a Roman way-station, and was replaced in the 4th century by a military fort. Beyond Boppard is Osterspai with its timber-framed houses from the 16th-18th centuries and a ruined moated castle. Oberspay and Niederspay have fused into a single town and contain more timber-framed houses than anywhere else on the Middle Rhine: there is a particularly fine group on the waterfront. On the left bank, Rhens is where the German Emperors were enthroned after being elected in Frankfurt and crowned in Aachen Cathedral. The fortress of Marksburg, along with Pfalzgrafenstein the only surviving medieval fortifications on the Middle Rhine, towers above Braubach. Although much altered after the coming of the railway in 1860, Lahnstein preserves its imposing parish church of St John the Baptist. The castle of Stolzenfels, which belonged to the Elector of Trier, was restored in 1835 by the Prussians. Of the buildings in Koblenz that survived severe aerial bombardment during the Second World War mention should be made of the Romanesque basilicas of St Kastor, Our Lady, and St Florin, and the New Castle, the first and most important early classicist building in the Rhineland.

Germany - Frankfurt (1)

Multiviews of Frankfurt and its famous son, J.W. von Goethe.

Sent by Gabriela, a postcrosser from Germany.

This is from Wikipedia : Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (German pronunciation: [ˈjoːhan ˈvɔlfɡaŋ fɔn ˈɡøːtə] ( listen), 28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German writer and polymath.[1] Goethe is considered by many to be the most important writer in the German language and one of the most important thinkers in Western culture. Goethe's works span the fields of poetry, drama, literature, theology, philosophy, and science. His magnum opus, lauded as one of the peaks of world literature, is the drama Faust.[2] Goethe's other well-known literary works include his numerous poems, the Bildungsroman Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship, and the epistolary novel The Sorrows of Young Werther.

Goethe was one of the key figures of German literature and the movement of Weimar Classicism in the late 18th and early 19th centuries; this movement coincides with Enlightenment, Sentimentality (Empfindsamkeit), Sturm und Drang and Romanticism. The author of the scientific text Theory of Colours, his influential ideas on plant and animal morphology and homology were extended and developed by 19th century naturalists including Charles Darwin. He also served at length as the Privy Councilor of the duchy of Saxe-Weimar.

Goethe's influence spread across Europe, and for the next century his works were a major source of inspiration in music, drama, poetry and philosophy. Early in his career, however, he wondered whether painting might be his true vocation; late in his life, he expressed the expectation that he would ultimately be remembered above all for his work on colour.

Germany - Schloss Auerbach

Fortress Urberg - the most important castle building of the high count of Katzelbogen
Between the river Main to the north, the river Neckar in the south and the river Rhine to the east and about 50 km south of Frankfurt, between Darmstadt and Heidelberg, lies the castle Auerbach with its replicate high double towers situated on a 339,7 meter hill of the Oberrheinischen Tiefebene. In the north it is protected from rough northern winds by the highest hill of the Bergstraße, the Melibokus( 517,4 m).

Sent by Andre, a postcrosser from Bocholt in Germany. I blogged this one after two days late because I couldn't find the resource to this until Andre sent the link. Thanks Andre.

Castle Auerbach is located on above the climatic health resort Bensheim- Auerbach, amidst the warmest and sunniest area of Germany. Auerbach in Hessen and Auerbach on the Bergstraße were former names for the area. Earlier in medieval times it had been called "Urbach" with a different spelling.