- Devil's Table Rock
- Bastei bridge in Saxony
- Stone Sea in Odenwald
- Wadden Sea in Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein
- Cold water geyser Andernach in Rhineland-Palatinate
- Lange Anna rock on Helgoland island
- Spreewald in Brandenburg
There are many interesting places to visit in Germany: the green capital Berlin, the fantastically beautiful Bavaria and its austere and restrained main city of Munich, the coasts of the North and Baltic seas, the mysterious evergreen Black Forest and others. Any city or village in Germany, nature park, lake, mountain, castle will appeal to even the most demanding and jaded tourist. But in this country in the center of Europe there are sights that even many Germans have not seen. Unusual places in Germany should be marked on the map in order to later include them in your travel itinerary.
Our list of the most amazing places in Germany contains just a few man-made masterpieces. The rest of the wonders are of natural origin: bizarre, wind-thinned rocks that resemble a Martian landscape, the sea receding for a short period, a dense forest cut by canals, along which boats move, a cold geyser - the highest in the world.
To find a corner that is not yet so popular with tourists, you need to use our recommendations and just turn off the traditional classic routes.
Devil's Table Rock
Oddly shaped red rocks are found not only in Australia. There is one such formation, which resembles a giant table, in Rhineland-Palatinate, a land that is located in southwestern Germany. Locals gave it the name Devil's Table.
The rock is located on a densely forested mountain peak 312 meters high, which stands near the commune of Hinterweidenthal. In the dark, it is effectively illuminated, so it can be seen from the nearest track. During the day, it can be seen with the naked eye, since it is much taller than the trees growing in the neighborhood.
There is a convenient staircase to the Devil's Table. The car can be parked below on a special platform and climb to the rock formation on foot. There is a good cafe and a playground near the parking lot.
This rock is not the creation of human hands. Nature joked so bizarrely, carving a huge table out of solid sandstone on one thin leg. The weight of the top slab, 3 meters thick, is 284 tons. It rests on a pillar 11 meters high.
An interesting legend is connected with the appearance of the Devil's Table. It is believed that a long time ago the Devil passed here, who was looking for a place to rest. There was only an impenetrable forest around, so the Devil took two stones, put them on top of each other and had a hearty lunch, and then disappeared.
The next day, people noticed the strange statue and were alarmed. Only one youth was so reckless that he volunteered to dine with the Devil. Nothing good came of this venture: in the morning the inhabitants of the nearest villages did not find the desperate young man. After that, the Devil was no longer seen in the Palatinate.
It is interesting that in the Palatinate forest there are more than 20 stone formations similar to the Devil's Table, however, they are smaller in size.
How to get there: Trains run to the town of Hinterweidenthal. From here you need to walk about 800 meters to the Erlebnispark Teufelstisch, where a three-hour walking tour begins, during which the Devil's Table is shown.
Bastei bridge in Saxony
Picturesque rock formations, beautiful views of the Elbe - all this can be found in the Saxon Switzerland National Park, in the German part of the Elbe Sandstone Mountains, 24 km from Dresden. The most popular among tourists is the mountainous area called Bastei. There is a bridge of the same name - a crossing between two rock ledges, from which a wonderful view of the surroundings opens.
The creative people of Europe learned about the picturesque places on the right bank of the Elbe at the beginning of the 19th century. And suddenly the Bastei Mountains turned into a place of pilgrimage for artists. For travelers following the "path of painters", in 1824 a wooden bridge was built over the 40-meter Mardertelle gorge, which was replaced 27 years later with a semi-arch stone bridge. Its length is 76.5 meters.
You can get to the Bastei Bridge on foot along the numerous hiking trails or by bus that runs between the town of Ratewalde and the hotel located near the bridge.
There are several interesting sights near the bridge that you can visit:
- the remains of Neuraten Castle, from where you can see the right bank of the Elbe;
- open-air theater at the foot of the cliffs. It can accommodate 2,000 people at a time. Dozens of different performances and concerts take place here every year;
- The Amselsee is a small lake located in a river valley near the town of Rathen. It can be reached by going down from the Bastei bridge along the path towards the Elbe.
How to get there: The road to the Bastei bridge can be divided into several stages: first you need to get by train or train to the German city of Bad Schandau (trains run here from Prague (it will take 1 hour 45 minutes), Dresden (45 minutes) and some other cities); from Bad Schendau there are electric trains and buses to the village of Kurort Rathen. Travel time is about 20 minutes. The ticket costs 2-3 euros; at the Rathen Resort you need to take a ferry and cross to the other side of the Elbe River (another 20 minutes and 3, 6 euros). From there, a hike to the bridge begins.
Stone Sea in Odenwald
Odenwald, which can be translated as Odin's forest, in the state of Hesse - one of the central regions of Germany - is a must-see place during your trip around the country. The popular Nibelungen hiking trail runs through the forest, which approaches the village of Reichenbach. There is an unusual Stone Sea near this village.
It seems that a stream of huge stones fell from the cliff into the valley. Legend has it that the sea of stones in the municipality of Lautertal was created by two giants. They threw stones at each other until one of the giants was buried under the boulders. Sometimes you can hear it roaring from under the rubble of rocks made of diorite, a stone widely used in the construction of houses and furnishings.
The ancient Romans knew about the Stone Sea. Their development of the local diorite deposit is evidenced by about 300 unfinished decorative details - the remains of columns, blanks for sarcophagi, etc. For some reason, these elements have remained here for millennia and are now sights against which tourists are willingly photographed.
If you go down the boulders, you can see the information center, where you will be provided with maps of the region and will tell you about nearby tourist sites.
Nearby is the source of Siegfried, which is mentioned in the Song of the Nibelungs.
How to get there: first you need to take a train to Bensheim, then find bus number 5560, which will take you to the village of Reichenbach, stop Marktplatz. From here, the Stone Sea can be reached in 20 minutes.
Wadden Sea in Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein
To see another German natural wonder, you need to go to the north of the country. The Wadden Sea, which is part of the North Sea, covers an area of about 9 thousand square kilometers. Since 2009, this sea has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Wadden Sea is a series of shallow lagoons that either become deep when the tide comes in, or shallow at low tide to the point where you can walk, ride in carts or horses. This is exactly what many tourists are doing. On the shore, information sheets are posted for them, which clearly indicate the time for swimming (after high tide) and the time for ankle-deep walks in the mud (after low tide). The most important thing is not to forget about the time so as not to end up in the sea, when the water swiftly floods the shallow water.
For those who have moved far from the coast and do not have time to return, special towers have been built in the sea. You need to sit on them and wait for the rescuers on the boat. Every unlucky tourist who is removed from the tower will have to pay 7 thousand euros for his salvation. It is dangerous to be at sea and at low tide. Then the water mass can drag even a physically strong person with it.
Walking in shallow water is very entertaining. Swampy lagoons, overgrown with grasses, are home to many migratory birds heading from Africa to the northern regions of the planet. In summer, seals can be seen on the shores of the Wadden Sea. In order not to miss the most interesting, it is better to book an excursion along the coast.
How to get there: You can see the Wadden Sea in the Schleswig-Holstein Watt National Park. From Hamburg, you need to drive by car to the town of Tenning, where the information center is located, where you can get hold of maps and background information about the reserve.
Cold water geyser Andernach in Rhineland-Palatinate
The world's tallest cold water geyser is located in the Laacher See Geopark on the Rhine. Every two hours, for about 8 minutes, the geyser throws out a powerful jet of water to a height of 60 meters.
The Andernach geyser was first discovered in 1903, when water began to show through to the surface through a crevice in the soil. There was a coal mine nearby, whose owners immediately realized what benefits could be derived from the extraction and sale of mineral water. They made the image of the geyser the emblem of their company.
The geyser worked for 50 years, and then it was abandoned. After a long hiatus, in 2005, access to it was re-opened. The territory where the geyser is located is strictly guarded. Pedantic Germans bring tourists just in time for the eruption.
The excursion to the Andernach geyser consists of several stages:
- first, tourists are invited to visit the geyser center - an interactive museum, the exposition of which in a playful way explains the functioning of a geyser with chilled water. Here you can trace the path of a molecule of carbon dioxide from the volcanic depths to the surface of the Earth;
- then a boat trip along the Rhine awaits travelers. Several local attractions have been built on the banks of the river - an old 8-meter crane from the 16th century, Marienburg Castle.
- visiting the geyser during the eruption. From the pier to the Andernach geyser, you will have to walk through the reserve, where rare plants grow and several species of birds live. The guide will tell you that the geyser water has a high calcium content. She can ruin any washing machine.
An excursion to the Andernach geyser will take 2, 5-3 hours.
How to get there: there is a train from Cologne to the city of Andernach, from where excursions to the geyser begin. The journey will take about 5 minutes, the fare is 12-27 euros.
Lange Anna rock on Helgoland island
She has defied the high winds and high waves of the North Sea for many years, although she is constantly predicted that she will not last long. Lange Anna, which means "Long Anna" in German, is a 47-meter detached rock, consisting of red sandstone, on the northwestern tip of Helgoland Island. Its weight is about 25 thousand tons. Several species of seabirds nest on it.
Until 1860 Lange Anna, which used to have other names (Guardian, Horse), was connected to the coast of the island by a natural stone bridge. In 1976 Lange Anna got a younger "sister". As a result of the collapse of the nearest rock 50 meters east of Long Anna, Short Anna was formed.
From 1903 to 1927, a 1.3-kilometer breakwater was built along the western coast of Heligoland Island to stop further destruction of the coastline. However, Lange Anna received her protective wall only when a pier for the naval port was built.
You can admire the Lange Anna rock from the shore or from the water. It is impossible to go down and, even more so, to climb it. Climbing the rock was made only once - in October 1965. After that, any attempts to climb the fragile stones were stopped. In 1969, the rock formation received the status of a natural monument.
At the moment, there is a threat of the rock collapsing, so it is better to hurry up to see it with your own eyes, and not in old photographs.
How to get there: catamarans go to Helgoland Island from Cuxhaven and Hamburg (the journey by sea takes from 2 hours to 3 hours 45 minutes) and planes fly (20-40 minutes in the sky), which are received by the airport located on the neighboring island of Dune.
Spreewald in Brandenburg
Not only in Venice, you can ride along the picturesque canals. The same entertainment is offered to tourists in the Spreewald nature reserve, which is located just 100 km from Berlin, in the Spree delta.
The current conservation area was formed during the last ice age. Then the Spree began to resemble a labyrinth of small streams, which were later turned by the inhabitants of the surrounding cities into navigable canals. As many years ago, so now life in the Spreewald takes place by the water and on the water.
Currently, out of 1550 km of waterways, 250 km are accessible for boat travel. Quiet, narrow streams flow under the roots of age-old trees in a dense, shady forest, where the sun's rays rarely penetrate. Tourists gliding in boats on the water feel like they are in a fairy tale.
Old boats in the Spreewald are operated by gondoliers, who can, if necessary, conduct a meaningful excursion, show rare plant species, draw the attention of tourists to birds in the branches of trees.
Any traveler can rent a boat and go alone to explore the Spree canals. There are boat rentals in several towns in the Spreewald, for example, in Lubben, Burg, Schlepzig.
The unofficial capital of the Spreewald is the historic town of Lubbenau, founded at the beginning of the 14th century. The castle, several historical streets with medieval buildings have been preserved here.
How to get there: trains run from Berlin to Lubbenau, which is sometimes called the Spreewald Gate. Passengers will be on site one hour after the train departs.
