Königssee lake is a mountain lake located at the eastern foot of the Watzmann. Rothenburg ob der Tauber

More about Lake Königssee and the tourism region Berchtes- new ones. Worthwhile stops include Wittenberg and Wartburg gadener Land can be found in issue 04/2017 starting on page 46 castle. For more information, go to and online at www.bavarian-times.com. www.alleenstrasse.com (English).

3. Romantic Road 6. Volcano road The oldest and most famous holiday route in leads from Lava no longer flows through the Eifel, but traces Würzburg to Füssen. Since 1950, it has shaped the Americans’ of the eruptions of yesteryear can still be seen and Japanese’s image of Germany. The half-timbered houses everywhere. For more than 280 kilometers, the of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, the Rococo splendor of the Wi- volcanic road follows cinder cones, craters and geysers. Starting eskirche, the castles Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein - point is the Laacher Lake, a water-filled crater and the remnant of that's the embodiment of Germany for most visitors. a huge eruption 13.000 years ago. The lava dome in Mendig and the volcano museum in Daun are proof of the primal forces that Note: You can read more about Schloss Neuschwanstein and were once raging in the Eifel - including a multimedia-staged out- Munich in issue 02/2018 starting on page 40 and online at www. break. Taking a longer break at one of the many maaren is also bavarian-times.com. worth your while. The troughs were once created by the explod- ing water vapor when the magma hit water. Many have become That’s why a large number of buses follow the brown signs from pretty lakes like the Ulmener Maar, Gemany’s youngest volcano. the Main to the Alps. If you want to enjoy the beauty of the Tauber For more information, go to www.deutsche-vulkanstrasse.com. Valley, the Nördlinger Ries or the Lechrains, you can either take the 460 kilometer cycle path D 9, or walk along the equally long 7. German fairytale road hiking trail. For more information, go to www.romantischestrasse. This 600 kilometer-long road follows the life and fairy tales of the de (English). Brothers Grimm. It starts in Hanau, the birthplace of the brothers, or more precisely at the National Monument in front of Neustadt's 4. Route town hall, and it ends in Bremerhaven. Located along the route Nowadays, there a lot of wine roads. The original route starts at are Marburg, where the brothers studied, and Kassel, where they the German Wine Gate in Schweigen-Rechtenbach and runs for collected many of their fairy tales and where a museum commem- more than 85 kilometers through the hills of the Vorderpfalz to the orates their work. In the historic town hall of Hessisch Lichtenau, House of the German Wine Route in Bockenheim. On the way, the story of Frau Holle is told, and in Hamelin, the mechanical you can look at castles like or Wachtenburg Pied Piper Theater squeals and trills. For more information, go to castle. Or you can stop at one of the many wine festivals. From www.deutsche-maerchenstrasse.com (English). spring to fall you can rest assured that a festival is celebrated somewhere. 8. Saxon-Bohemian Silver Road In the Erzgebirge mountains, they like “big names.” "Grace of The wine festival calendar tells you exactly where people are cel- God" and "Hercules-Fresh-Happiness" are the names of two of ebrating. The famous Riesling or white, gray and Pinot Noir from the numerous mines along the 275 kilometer-long Silver Route. more than 300 vineyards is served in a so-called Dubbe glass, Between Zwickau and Dresden, it leads to mining museums, min- a half-liter wine glass. It’s not a bad idea to prepare yourself with eral collections and nature trails. Along the way, you will find a meal of Saumagen (stuffed pig stomach, a local food specialty) mountain towns like Schwarzenberg and Schlettau. A branch of and liver dumplings. For more information, go to www.deutsche- the Silver Route leads to the Bohemian side of the Erzgebirge weinstrasse.de. mountains, to the winter sports resort of Boží Dar with its mines and to Ostrov, where a castle gives an idea of past riches. For 5. German alley road more information, go to www.silberstrasse.de (English). This superlative vacation route is a network of alleys spanning more than 2.900 kilometers and more than ten federal states. 9. Nordic UNESCO World Heritage Route Vacationers travel in the shade of the foliage roof from Rügen to Numerous attractions of the UNESCO World Heritage list of a cul- Lake Constance. Since 2009, a branch of the road leads through tural and scenic nature are located along the 557 kilometer-long the Teutoburg Forest, the Münsterland and the Bergische Land route through Northern Germany. along the coast. Highlights in- regions. clude the World Heritage Wadden Sea, the culture of the Han- seatic cities Lübeck, Wismar and Stralsund and various unique The alley road consortium founded the road after the reunifica- national parks and natural landscapes.

Photo Credit: Berchtesgadener Land Tourismus GmbH Land Berchtesgadener Tourismus Credit: Photo tion of Germany to preserve the trees along the route and to plant | by Editor Service, Pfitzinger Tourismus R othenburg Credit: Photo

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