# TM's hometown and travels



## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

*Limburg - Wall Street 1*

As promised, we'll now go on to the street following the alignment of the former fortifications, which froms the boundary between the old and new town today.


On this _very professionally_ made map, you can see the old town in the upper left surrounded by the former fortifications. The yellow line is the street today, while the red bits show what little of the fortifications still remain today. The orange dashes seperate the street into 3 sections for orientation purposes.



We'll start our tour on the red circle in the upper left.


This tower remains because it wasn't in the way, so now it's a tourist attraction.

Just across from it, a hip local new ice cream parlor opened:



The first section of the street after that is actually my least favourite, so I never really took many pictures of it, so you'll have to be satisfied with these:




In case you're wondering why the town looks so empty on some pictures like the one before, it's because I took some pictures on Sundays or public holidays where most people stay home as many shops are closed.


The first section has the most shitty modern infill of all of them but it's not too unpleasant overall. It ends in this intersection with a pretty colourful mix of styles:


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

*Limburg - Wall Street 2*

After this intersection, Grabenstraße turns into a more pedestrian friendly one way road with wide sidewalks and an attempt at shop-revitalization. It's quite pleasant.

Looking into the direction we're going in:


This charming little ensemble of brick buildings always felt a bit "British" to me:



In about the middle of this section is a crossing from one of Limburg's main pedestrian axis: The street between the Heumarkt (Grain Market) in the old town:


Over to the Neumarkt (Newmarket) and subsequently the train station in the New town 


Spoiler






But let's come back to the New Town later.


Looking back at the crossing from further down the street:


Nice historicist building:


This wonderful shot was also from there:


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

*Limburg - Wall Street 3*

To me personally, the last section is my favourite one. It's probably the least interesting from a shopper's perspective but it's got a lot of interesting architecture.

If you turn around 90° from the last shot, you can see the beginning of the last section:


In the background you can already see the belle epoque post office building. The architecture here is quite mixed, with some Fachwerk thrown in 


To the left of the post office is thise little square with access to the old town. If you go through there, you'll end up on Bischofsplatz, which I covered on the last post of my Altstadt series.




Detail of the post office:


Note: I'll edit these posts later on as I wanted to add some pictures here that I don't currently have available

Here we go into a little side street to look at the post office and neighbouring belle epoque building, creating a nice little "gate" effect



It gets a little funky in this alley:



The road then sort of exits the built-up area with this little house as a goodbye:


What you already saw there on the left is the last remaining section of "proper" wall:



Thanks for following along our Wall Street :lol:! I hope you enjoyed it. Next, I'll take you around the New Town!


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## Tolbert (Jan 5, 2012)

Thats are really beautifull picture series of Limburg so far. As i grew up there myself, i have a lot of memories looking at your pictures. Stroling to the old town with your girlfriend. Having dinner at the Italian restaurants at Fish Market or some coffe at the Cafés on Bishops-square or Newmarket and of course, having countless beer's at the irish pub in that "brithish looking" building row on "Wall-Street" 

I really look forward to your next series!


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

^^I didn't know you grew up there! As Limburg is so small, we all have some sort of collective memories as you said. I moved away just a few months ago but thinking of going Meloni with your gf, to café Kosmol with your parents or the Irish pub with your mates even brings out nostalgia in myself :lol: When did you live there?


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## Tolbert (Jan 5, 2012)

I lived there until is started studying in 2002. I left Limburg to study architecture just like you now :lol: 

Which actually brings me to the question to where your're going to study architecture?


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

Interesting parrallels :lol: Are you working as an architect now?

I'm studying in Berlin, Beuth University for Applied Science (that I ended up there is sort of an accident but that's another story). I'm at the the end of my first Semester now.


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## Tolbert (Jan 5, 2012)

No, i work as a project developer/manager. You earn way more money and you are the one who tells the architect what he has to do


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

^^ as long as you work for a company that develops nice buildings, that sound like anice job to do


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

*Limburg - New Town 1*

After the picturesque Old Town, let's move on to the New Town area.

The New Town isn't actually "new", it just describes the area that was built up after the fortifications were torn down in the early 1800s. As such it was initially dominated by several historicist styles but later redevelopement also added modern, postmodern and contempuary architecture into the mix.



I marked the area here in orange, the main focus will be on the pedestrianized area, which is the main center of activity, in blue on the map.

Let's start again from the intersection with _Grabenstraße_, coming from the old town, which you've already seen in one of the previous posts:










After passing by several cafes and shops, you reach the Neumarkt (New market)

The market places hosts farmers markets, flea markets and several events regularly. The main part of the local christmas market is here as well. 

Coming from this side, the left side is mostly dominated by historic buildings, while the right side is dominated by modernist ones. Here is a 360° panorama.

This is the right side:


Looking back towards the old town:


Here are some pictures of the left side:





This is probably my favourite building on this square:


The "end" of the square looking towards the railway station looks like this:


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

*Limburg - New Town 2*

After that square, let's turn right into the main shopping street in town:


This bit is very postwar-looking, but there's lots of activity for such a small town.


After this next intersection, there will be some more interesting architecture again:



I don't know why, but I always liked this post-modern bank building. On the left you can already spot a much bigger highlight, though:



Looking straight ahead, the _Karstadt_ department store unfortunately ruins the ensemble of historicist buildings on the left side.
What you see on the right is the fabulous older part of the town hall. Incorporating half timbered architecture, local red sandstone and a traditional slate roof, this is a true little historicist gem:



Here is some more detail on the town hall:


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

*Limburg - New Town 3*

Walking around the town hall, you'll get to a square with a sort of interesting modernist ensemble. I'm not really a fan of this architecture but a lot of effort was put into making it presentable, so it's not too unpleasant:


The fountain in is called "dandelion" because of the shape. On the right is the modernist addition to the city hall, on the left is a sort of community centre, with an assembly/theatre stage, restaurants, bars and a bowling alley.

From a balcony of an adjoining building:



The square from further back:


We're now past the center of activity but I'll show you some more architecture.

Exiting the pedestrianized zone past the older part of the townhall, you get a nice little belle epoque ensemble:


Looking back at the townhall:


There is a row of belle epoque and post-modernist infill here:



Limburg has had it's own e-car sharing system for a few years now.

I also like this post-modern building. I like that style sometimes:


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

*Limburg - New Town 4*

But now, let's turn back and head towards the station.

This is one street to go to the station but I want to go through the pedestrianized zone.


The other side of that street is dominated by nice historicist brick buildings and some decent infill:



The reason why I wanted to go through the pedestrianized zone is because we haven't seen this section heading to the station yet. My personal highlight is the fantastic Art Nouveau commercial building on the left. It almost already looks like Art Deco with it's verticality.



After passing through here, we reach the station square. On one end it has this very nice 1920s building:


Looking back towards the pedeetrian zone. On the left is the protestant/lutheran church:




The station building on the other hand is just... Meh:


It was unfortunately one of the few victims of WWII here. Pre-war building:

http://bf-l.zielbahnhof.de/limburg.htm
Sorry for the bad quality, it's really hard to find a picture online.


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## Tolbert (Jan 5, 2012)

Very nice pictures TM! 

Did you know, that the Station actually only was damaged during the war?
It was later demolished to built the new station we have today. 

On the picture below you see that the left side of the station had been damaged and later restored.










In comparison, the intact building bevore the bombing.











That Karstadt departement store actually looks way better than it once did. I dont know if you're to young to rember it looked like this before its renovation:

















Today it's still not good, but not as bad as it was!

The new Volksbank building is indeed one of the better "recently" built buildings in Limburg. The only thing that sadens me is, that they demolished a beautifull old restaurant building in the Hosptalstraße just right to the corner building to get more space:


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

I did know that it wasn't completely destroyed, as the current building was only completed in the 60s, so the old one must have been usable. I didn't know they actually restored the old one though. 

To me it's also interesting to see how completely not just the station building but also it's surroundings changed. Would be interesting to see it on a map to compare.


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## Tolbert (Jan 5, 2012)

Yes, the considerably altered the whole area with the built of the Schiede-tunnel. They demolished 40! buildings to make room for the projekt.


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

Thanks for the historical insight! I never had access to such sources. Did you get it from the city archives? I also didn't know they demolished so many buildings for the Schiede. Your contribution is much appreciated. I moved to Limburg around the time you moved away (as a small child) so I don't have any personal recollection of the past there.


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## Tolbert (Jan 5, 2012)

Most of it i got through internet research. But you'll probably get all of it at the city archives too. As long as i know, they have plenty of old fotos showing the city before its transformation. Most of my information i got from the site of the Landesamt für Denkmalfplege which is really great to visit. 

https://denkxweb.denkmalpflege-hessen.de/52959/


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

*Limburg - WerkStadt*

Now that I'm through exam season, let's move to the largest contemporary developement in my town. Limburg used to have a large train repair shop that closed in 2002. Most of the buildings got re-used and integrated into a new shopping center, called WERKstadt (which is a pun in German)

The entrance is right next to the train station.


Coming in, you're greeted by this passageway with the old industrial buildings on the left and some new construction on the right:



Typically wide variety of German bread


Foodcourt and shops in christmas get-up:




There is still a lot of industrial architecture visible. Some old machines are part of a small exhibition here:


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## rob in cal (Dec 1, 2014)

TM, great photos. My wife and I visited Germany last September, and we saw lots of beautiful buildings in Dresden, Leipzig, Erfurt, Bamberg and Munich. Finished up in Berlin also. What I like about what you've shown us of Limburg is the layers of history, and the great variety of architecture. I saw a little of that in Bamberg where there is the Grunderzeit era buildings between the train station and the older town core.


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## ukiyo (Aug 5, 2008)

Seriously those villages look fake to me! (In a good way)


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

Well, rumour has it that Walt Disney used German architecture as inspiration (most notably Schloss Neuschwanstein), so he might have accidentally made real things seem fake :lol:


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

*Amorbach - Going Hiking*

Amorbach is lacated in a valley the _Odenwald_ hills. We took the opportunity to go out hiking, which offered some great views of Amorbach:



On the peak of one the hills is this interesting ruin, which you can enter:



According to the evidence, it can be used as a party location :lol:





The structure also has a small tower you can climb for even better views:


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

*Amorbach - Center of Town*

After exploring those ruins, we headed back down into town. For such a small place, there are a number of stately buildings, probably due to the existence of an abbey (church institution).

The first notable building we see when we re-enter civilization is this small church:


The gorgeous red material is the locally found _Mainsandstein_, a type of sand stone that is common around the Main river. We'll see more of that in the future.

Front facade detail:


To the right of us is this complex:


The town opens up to this square:

We can already see that we're slowly transitioning out of _Fachwerk_ terretory, as other types of construction are more common here in parallel to Fachwerk

I don't know what this pole is for but it looks interesting, so here we go:


The town hall is also here:

The banner with the blue and white parallelograms is the state flag of Bavaria.

Looking back in the other direction:


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

*Amorbach - The Abbey*

We are now walking towards the biggest building in town, the abbey. It's a large complex with a church, a palace and some surrounding infrastructure like stables.

The tower in the background belongs to it:


We're getting closer. On the left are the former stables.


The church has a wonderful baroque facade in the georgous red sandstone:


Once you walk around, you get to this side where you can see the palace on the right:


We proceed to have a bavarian meal in the vicinity:


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

*Amorbach - Evening Walk*

In the evening, we return to Amorbach for dinner. It was a really nice summer evening, so the atmosphere was super relaxed.

Here are some more shots in the evening light:


The town has a stream flowing through it, which is called Amorbach like the town but for some reason is called "Mud" on Google Maps :lol:


Here is a rare "normal" house built of solid stone:


Who doesn't enjoy a charming roofline with some spires in the background?




This vending machine sells sausage, cuz`Bavaria :lol:


And last but not least a view again from the market square with the unidentified pole and the church in the background. The facade is getting illuminated at night:


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

*Michelstadt - Faunatown*

When our trip was over, we decided to stop by the town of Michelstadt just over the Hessian border. 
Michelstadt has about 16,000 inhabitants and used to be known for its craftsmen. One notable example of this is ivory carvings.

Michelstadt presents itself with lots of greenery even in the historic center, which is often not the case due to the space constraints of city walls.


Flowers were also common. You can also notice other details such as the traditional cobblestone ground pavement.


More flowers and painted decorations around windows:


Here we are nearly on the central square:


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

*Michelstadt - Main sights*

Once turn around on that square, we find the town's most famous attraction: The townhall


It was built in 1484 but was actually clad with shindels from the 1700s until 1903. Of course, its prominence comes from its raised construction, possible due to the Fachwerk technique and the roofline.

This is the so calles _Elefantenhaus_ (Elephant's house), an hommage to the towns history in the ivory trade.


At this point I just start exploring aimlessly. These alleys feel very homely.


This town is mostly really exemplary well kept, even many store signs and advertisements are in traditional style.


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

*Michelstadt - Defensive Infrastructure*

This is the interiour courtyard of a defensive castle. These buildings are mostly from the 16th century, but they are not actually the original core of thecastle as that was destroyed.


From here, we have access to the surprrisingly large parts of the city's fortifications that are still preserved.



Here you can see the castle and the wall with a ditch in front from the outside:


The name of this tower is _Diebsturm_ (thief's tower) and was once used as a prison.


That's all from this trip! I hope you enjoyed it! There's a lot more to see and this town is actualy cojoined with another historical town just to the south, so it's definitely worth a visit if you're in the area. Next time, we'll see a city again.


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

*Heidelberg*

Let me return with another university town - the city of Heidelberg! The university of Heidelberg was founded in 1386 and is thus the oldest one within Germany.

Heidelberg

has a population of around 160,000 and is situated on the river Neckar in southwestern Germany. It is part of the larger Rhine-Neckar region with the cities of Mannheim and Ludwigshafen and a population of over a million. It's considered a very prosperous region, major economic players from around here are the world's biggest chemical company (BASF), Germany's biggest softaware company (SAP) and one of the world's largest concrete and cement manufacturers (HeidelbergCement)



Heidelberg is blessed with a beautiful natural setting. The old core is sandwiched between the river and the hills, topped by the citie's most famous landmark, the ruins of the Heidelberg palace.











https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:Heidelberg_corr.jpg


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

*Heidelberg - Town*

I'm not a native to the area, so my bckground knowledge is limited. Let me just share some impressions from this beautiful place.

This is at Bismarckplatz, named after the first German chancellor Otto von Bismarck and lined with Gründerzeit buildings! It is the main hub of local public transport.


I visited Heidelberg in the winter, which is a bit of a shame since photos look much better in sunny wheather, however many people were still out and about and the city did a nice job decorating!



Interestingly enough, there are no Fachwerk houses in this city, even though the region is full of them.


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

*Heidelberg - Town 2*

Red sandstone is still going strong, though.




This building gave me a bit of a Parisian vibe :lol:



Of course, winter in Germany also means christmas markets!
Here is one with a nice view of the palace.


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

*Heidelberg - Castle*

Of course, the most famous attraction is the castle. While it's exact date of construction is unknown, it was destroyed in battle during the early 1600s und subsequently suffered from looting and quarrying until the 19th century when the first reconstructive efforts were undertaken.

It is connected to the town by a furnicular railway, the lower section of which was finished in 1890. I didn't think to take pictures, but it might interest the railfans amongst you.

Once you're on the upper level, you get this wonderful view over the town:

I wish the wheather was better but oh well 


The old town bridge seen in this picture was recently featured in the commercial for Porsche's first electric car, the Taycan. I'm not much of a car guy but it was enjoyable to watch just for the architecture :lol:

Other than the pretty view, there's lots of ruins to explore:




Parts of the castle live on in other buildings in and around Heidelberg as people scavanged it for parts after if fell into disuse.


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

*Heidelberg - Castle 2*

This gate leads the way into a courtyard, which is the best preserved part of the castle.




This building was actually entirely restored in the 19th century:


It's all pretty lit up in the dark:


It can easily be spotted amongst the ruins from the other side of the river as well:








https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:Heidelberg-Schloß.JPG

Nontheless, we're still surrounded by ruinous charme:


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

*Heidelberg - Nightly walk*

After sundown, we headed back down into town, where all the christmas decorations were lit up. It creates a special kind of atmosphere:



I'll just pretend like the blurryiness of the picture is a cool photography trick and not just a result of my camera not liking darkness :lol:

We also headed back to the christmas market, which looks a lot more spectacular at night:


We also wanted to enjoy the view from the old town bridge, so we walked through town a bit:




And here it is again, the bridge from the Taycan commercial:


From which you have this romantic night-time view:


Of course, Heidelberg actually has a _lot_ more to offer than that, but that's unfortunately all I have. I hope you liked it!


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Great, very nice updates once again :cheers:


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## Dr.Seltsam (May 28, 2008)

TM_Germany said:


> Interestingy enough, there are no Fachwerk houses in this city, even though the region is full of them.


That's because the city (including the castle) was totally burnt down by the French in the "Nine Years' War" in 1689. In all, French troops burnt over 20 substantial towns as well as numerous villages in southwest Germany.


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

Ahh yes, the age old franco-germanic feud. I believe the castle was also partially destroyed in that war? 
Anyway, thanks for the likes and also the nice comment by christos-greece!


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## ukiyo (Aug 5, 2008)

The towns are so cute :dead:


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

Thanks a lot! We were having a little family gathering there and at first I was surprised why we were supposed to go to some random village but it turned out to be nice haha

I'll use the opportunity of the next page to make a couple of posts about a city I could explore for a weekend, so there is a lot to see. Heidelberg didn't seem to be much of a hit but maybe the good wheather I had on that trip will get everyone in a good mood again 

So best already get in the travelling spirit!


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

*Erfurt 1*

Today we'll be going to 

Erfurt

Erfurt ist a city near the geographic center of Germany and capitol of the state of Thüringen (Thurungia). 



The citiy has a population of about 210,000 people and has a relatively intact old town and some interesting Grüderzeit areas. I went there on a weekend because I initially thought of going to University there, so let me take you with me on a little tour.

I was staying in an accomodation on the edge of town full of villas. The first couple of posts will be delicious for you Gründerzeit lovers!

Right next to my hotel was this lovely park which is on both sides of the river Gera. I went through here to cross to the other side


At first I went through an area with lots of smaller, albeit still nice houses:


The youth hostel where I initially wanted to stay on was located along my route as well. Unfortunately, they were fully booked. They do have a nice building, though:


Soon, the population density went up and the area was full of these detached or semi-detached multi-story villas:





Erfurt is situated in former East Germany, where these buildings were left to rot for decades. After reunification almost every historic building has seen at least one significant makeover, so that they mostly look very fresh nowadays.

I belive this is a school and it was later retrofitted with an elevater:


Here is a semi-detached example:


Typical for the city planning at the time, the streets are quite wide and tree lined. Nowadays the trees are often quite mature and the cobble stone pavement is contributing to a relaxed atmosphere, even though population density is probably around 10,000-15,000 people/km(2).


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

*Erfurt 2*

Here we have an example that almost looks like tudor style:


Brick buildings are nice as well. 

The historicist Gründerzeit was actually the pinnacle of brick construction, where large buildings and infrastructure were constructed with brick and mortar. Roofs and ceilings were built with woden constructions or impressive vaulted ceilings. Afterwards reinforced concrete replaced most of that.

What really impresses me about Gründerzeit architecture is how it successfully made mass-produced buildings and newly built city extensions non-monotenous. If you look at examples like this, you have wonderfully harmonious cityscapes that are still not in the least boring to look at because there is so much diversity in the details:


In general, the facade ornamentations are just a feast for the eyes:




Who doesn't love some wrought iron?


If you think about it, I just posted 3 pictures of the same facade of the same house of what essentially was a perfectly normal building for it's time. Yet on every picture, there was still something new to see. How often does that happen with a new building nowadays?


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

*Erfurt 3*

We are getting closer to the center the building density goes up until we're with these streetwall blocks:



Still very delicious, though 🤤


Most of these trees have been planted at the same time as those buildings were built, making them usually 100+ years old.




These areas are often the most sought-after housing markets in German cities, as they combine central locations, lots of urban amenities and beautiful ambiente (in addition to the nice facades, the ceiling heights are usually 4,00m+ and often have intact stucco decor) but they don't suffer from perceived negatives of even more central/older areas like small rooms, lack of space etc.

Just in case you're unfamiliar with these buildings, here is an example of a typical entryway with staircase:










https://www.restaurierung-gestaltung.de/Deckenmalerei/Urbanstrasse



I mean, who can ague with these looks? The only significant downside is the lack of elevators.


Larger scale buildings appear once in awhile to liven things up a litte:




Though I still am not tired of these houses yet


I hope I'm not alone in this here and you're all already getting bored :lol:
If that's the case, it's not so bad anyway as we'll be moving on now.


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

*Erfurt 4*


We reached the central station, where there is a city park immediately south of it:


I wanted to go through the station to reach the center of the city, though.

Erfurt's main station got significantly upgraded and is quite large for a city of it's size. The main reason for this is the central location I mentioned in my first post. The long distance rail corridors of Frankfurt-Berlin/Dresden as well as Berlin-Munich cross here.

The only picture I took inside of it was this one:


I also got myself some fruit there to fully bask in the late summer glow:


While the station got significantly expanded, the historic building was partially left standing:


The station square is also well kept and boast this representative hotel wich had some history with the (West-)German chancellor Willy Brandt during DDR times, which is honored by the lettering on the roof.

We'll be heading down that street between those buildings to explore the center of the city next time!


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Great, very nice updates; thanks again


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

*Erfurt - Anger Square*

Thanks a lot christos-greece, ukiyo and soren5en!

Let's continue with our tour.

The street leading to the city center still has quite a lot of Gründerzeit buildings


As you can see here (and might have already seen before) Erfurt has a Tram system, like most former East German cities. With a network length of just under 40km, it's not bad for a small city.

We have reached the "Anger" square, which has lots of shopping amenities:


The square has lots of architectural styles, from Fachwerk up to contemporary but it's dominated by these belle epoque buildings:


Here you can see the mix of styles quite well:



The building on the right reminded me of dutch architecture.

This is a pretty classic example of a Gründerzeit department store.

On the left we can see an example of 1920s modernism. The Bauhaus movement was home in neighbouring Weimar for some time.


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

*Erfurt - Fish Market*

I'll treat you to some beautiful street scenes on the way:







Now we're on the "Fischmarkt" (Fish Market), another central square. This on is smaller than the Anger but located in the old town and houses the city hall:


Opposite of the city hall is a museum which hosted an exhibition about Bauhaus at the time.

The statue on top of the obelisk is holding a flag with a spoked wagon-wheel, which is a traditional symbold of the city.

You can see we are in an older part of the city as the buildings are typically smaller:


Especially on a square like this, representative buildings are still common, though:


It's hard to imagine that all this barely escaped demolition 30 years ago, if reunification hadn't happened.


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

*Erfurt - Domplatz*

Have ya'll missed Fachwerk yet? Don't worry, there is some :lol:



Some church towers can't be missed as well!


Quickly, we reach this huge square, crowned by two churches. 

The bigger of those churches is the Erfurt cathedral, which apparently has the biggest still surviving medieval church bell in Europe called "Gloriosa". 


As with most medieval buildings, the construction history is complicated and convulated but it's at least 800 years old, though many parts are much older.

The city-side of the square is really nice as well:






Here we see a sort of "evolution of buildings" from left to right


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

*Erfurt - Gera river*

We're now crossing the old town to reach the Gründerzeit areas on the other side, as I wanted to visit the university there.


It's nice and clean here as well.

On the way we encounter the river Gera, which flows through the city in multiple arms. It's a small river and many houses and businesses have built teraces alongside it.


If that's not relaxed city center living, dont know what is :cheers:

Often the banks are also directly accessible by parks:




Eating a nice dinner with a beer on a summer evening? Count me in!


This is a perfect summer evening


Next time, we'll continue with Erfurt!


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## yansa (Jun 16, 2011)

Love the natural (not formal) parks, the square with the two churches,
the green-white "Gasthaus Zur Hohen Lilie", the Gera River terraces and many more!
Beautiful and informative thread, TM_Germany! :applause:


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

Thanks a lot, yansa! Your Vienna thread surely is an inspiration!


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## yansa (Jun 16, 2011)

TM_Germany said:


> Thanks a lot, yansa! Your Vienna thread surely is an inspiration!


Thank you, TM_Germany - that means a great pleasure for me! :cheers:


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

*Erfurt - North-Eastern Gründerstil*

Let's continue on our tour!

I've now exited the old town and came across this semi circular neo-classicist ensemble:



Reminded me of a couple examples from victorian British city planning.

We are now in the Gründerzeit areas north-east of the city center.


Here is is some relatively rare teraced housing


Here again, there are areas with detached villas


As well as streetwall blocks:


And some public buildings:


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

*Erfurt - University*

We reached the the architectural facility of the university, which I wanted to visit:


It's housed in this great historicist building:


The inside also had some intact stucco ornamentation, though I imagine it once was even more decorated.


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

*Erfurt - Krämerbrücke 1*

Once all was said and done, I went back to the old town, because I noticed I hadn't actually seen the town's main attraction yet, the Krämerbrücke.

I'm talking about this:


If you're asking yourself "what's so special about that"? Let's just take a couple of steps back.


It's a bridge with buildings on it!


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

*Erfurt - Krämerbrücke 2*

It's built up on both sides, so if you're walking on top of it, it just looks like a normal street:



Well, a normal _beautiful street_


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

*Krämerbrücke 3*

Krämerbrücke connects two squares.

The _Benediktplatz_:

I think the reflection on the glass looks really cool.

Here from another angle:


Here is the ascend to the bridge:


And on the other side there is the _Wenigemarkt_




Here the access is much smaller and more cramped:


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

*Erfurt - All the Rest*

And that's almost all I have of Erfurt. Here I'll just show you some other photographs that I thought looked nice:

Like this cool Fachwerk overbridge:


Or some random streetscene:


Here is another nice pic of the Gera in it's park-like setting


And here is another street slightly outside of the center of activity, hence not pedestrianized anymore:

As the old town was left derelict for so long, even today there is some construction going on.

I hope you enjoyed this relatively extensive tour of Erfurt! I was really pleasantly surprised when I was there and I would have liked to live there if the university had impressed me more. I'm not certain which place I'll show you next time, but maybe the suspense will keep you interested :lol:


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## Why-Why (Jul 20, 2016)

Interesting tour of an attractive town with many well-restored buildings.


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## ukiyo (Aug 5, 2008)

fachwerk :heart:


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

Thanks a lot Why-Why, Ukiyo and also silent Coseau!

I think tomorrow I'll post some pictures of the first actually sizable city in this thread, Frankfurt.

By the way, I created a new thread here where I'll post pictures of the Anglophone countries I've been to, as I didn't think it would fit here very well. I started off with New Zealand and will later go on to other continents. 
Here I'll post pictures from Germany and Central Europe.


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## yansa (Jun 16, 2011)

I'm surprised how much Erfurt has to offer!
Lovely pics! :applause:


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

Thank you yansa and soren5en!

Yes, I was also very pleasantly surprised! It also isn't all that well known, so it isn't touristy whatsoever.


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

*Frankfurt - Introduction*

As promised, today I'll show you a little bit of Frankfurt. Frankfurt is too big and I have too many pictures to show you all in one go, so I'll spread it into several "installments" whenever I think there could be some variation from the usual provincial trips.

So let me introduce you guys to Frankfurt!

You might've seen it already on every other map I've posted but just in case you didn't:


Frankfurt is centrally located in Germany and Europe and has been an important trading city since medieval times.

Frankfurt had about 750,000 inhabitants (city proper) and is Germany's 5th largest city. It isn't that big of a city by international standards, but it punches above it's weight in economic terms as it is continental Europe's largest banking center, has the world's largest Internet junction (DE-CIX) as well as Germany's largest airport.



In this satellite pictuere you can see the urban structure. The historic center is surrounded by a park that follows the former fortifications. Most of the rest of what we see here are the geometric blocks of Gründerzeit city extensions.

Frankfurt has played an important role in German history as it was the place of coronation for some Holy German Emporors as well as hosting the first democratic parliament in Germany. It also once had the largest Fachwerk old town in Europe, but due to severe destruction in WW2 only very little of that is visible today.

During the reconstruction period, many Banks settled in Frankfurt and the city built the only modern skyline worth mentioning in Germany, which is what it is most famous for on this site.


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

*Frankfurt - Getting there*

To get you into a "full immersion" travel spirit, let me take you on the journey there.

Chances are, you'll take the train.

Across the rolling hills you go




With some nice sights passing by 




Until you suddenly round the corner


And find yourself in a bustling city.


Bonus railfan shot


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

*Frankfurt - Main Station*

You'll arrive in Frankfurt's Main station, which is with around 460,000 travellers a day in around 1170 trains the second busiest station by passengers in Germany. 



It is a terminal station with 25 main platforms as well as 7 underground tracks for S-Bahn and U-Bahn services.




It's more impressive in person but you can see some skyscrapers through the glass.


The facade and the main part of the building were finished in 1888 in neorenaissance style, while additional sidewings were built in the 1920s in neoclassicist style.


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

*Frankfurt - Bahnhofsvorplatz*

Here are some pictures of the bustling station square:


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

*Frankfurt - Bahnhofsviertel 1*

Between the Station and the center of the city is the "Bahnhofsviertel" (~station district) which was formerly the densest Gründerzeit area in Frankfurt and managed to retain some of that through the destruction.


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

Looking back at the station


A Gründerzeit building with an intact roof!






The contrast works really well here


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Great, very nice updates; well done :cheers:


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

^^ thanks a lot!


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

*Frankfurt - Taunusanlage*

The border between the Bahnhofsviertel and the formerly historic central district ist marked by the "Taunusanlage" park which follows the alignment of the former city walls.

Nowadays it's good for some skyline vistas


This is the "Main Tower" (gotta love Denglish), which has the only public viewing platform in the banking district.






This is a statue of the poet Schiller


This building is called the "Japan-Center" somewhat mimicking Japanese architecture and housing several Japanese companies.




Let's appreciate the beauty of spring some more


The architects of the twin towers in the background claim that the shape of those buildings let's fresh air flow into the central city, but who knows if that's actually true.

hmm apple blossoms


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

*Frankfurt - Alte Oper*

We are going towards the "Alte Oper" an opera building and come across this artsy fountain



That looks delicious, doesn't it? :cheers:

This building was actually destroyed in WW2 but eventually the exterior was rebuilt in the 80s.


On the left you can see a bottom part of "Opernturm", the middle highrise is actually a nicely renovated previously ugly 70s building.


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

*Frankfurt - Around the opera*

This is imo the most "Paris" looking street of Frankfurt:

In the back on the left you can see an example of neotraditional architecture.

Here's some more night shots:








Going from here to the main shopping street, two routes can be taken.

One goes through the high end "Goethestraße"


While the other goes through "Fressgass" where there are many eateries.


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## ukiyo (Aug 5, 2008)

Is Frankfurt the most modern big city in Germany?


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

^^ it depends on what you mean by that. If you mean just post WW2 modernist architecture, Frankfurt is pretty average. Most German cities of that size were heavily destroyed and subsequently rebuilt (mostly) in a modern manner.

If you mean the sort of contempuary modern with lots of glass etc, then I would maybe place Frankfurt second after Hamburg, which has a lot more quantity of contempuary architecture. Of course, the skyline gives Frankfurt a different modern feeling though.
Honorable mentions might go out to Düsseldorf which also has a fair amount of nice looking modern buildings and areas.

PS.:
Thank you guys for stopping by here!


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## Romashka01 (Mar 4, 2011)

Such a wonderful tour! Thank you for all these nice photos!


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## Why-Why (Jul 20, 2016)

Nice tour. Give me the rebuilt opera house and the Schiller statue among the daffodils over those skyscrapers any day.


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

*Frankfut - Central City*

Thank you all! I like classical architecture a lot but modern Frankfurt is really cool too. 

I'll make two more posts of the central city now and then moce on to other places. There's still a lot to show of Frankfurt, though, so we'll return in the future!

We're now going to the very center of the city. First we pass through the "Bankenviertel" (Banking district), which is on the western edge of the historical center.



I'm just passing through at this point but maybe the banking district will be worth it's own couple of posts in the future.




Soon, we reach _Goetheplatz_, named after the famous poet. You might have heard of some of his works like "Faust".


Architecturally it's a little interesting, as the previous 50s buildings were replaced with an ensemble of contempuary buildings. On the whole I think it looks rather pleasant, even though except for the glass pyramid there are no remarkable architectural features at first glance.

Night view:


Just behind these buildings is the site of the largest single skyscraper project going on in Frankfurt atm.
https://www.4frankfurt.de/en/home/

Going further, we reach the _Hauptwache_ square, underneath which is a major transport hub, with several U- and S-Bahn lines. When it was opened in 1968, it was also the largest German underground shopping passage.

The square was named after this building, which was actually destroyed by the bombings but rebuilt after the underground station was built.








https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:Hauptwache_Wachgebaeude_Cafe_diagonal.jpg

Historical picture:








https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:Frankfurt_-_Hauptwache.jpg


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

*Frankfurt - Zeil*

Branching off from the square is the _Zeil_, which is Frankfurt's most famous shopping street. 
It's the one with all the trees:


On the Zeil, there is also the shopping center "MyZeil" which certainly has an eye-catching facade:


It was part of a larger redevelopement that included these two high-rises as seen from the inside:


As well as a historical reconstruction of a former palais, which gives us some very nice architectural juxtapositions:






The rest of the Zeil is more or less regular shopping street looking:




Thank you guys for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed it! Frankfurt has more to offer to us, so we'll come back here again but for now I'll show you some smaller places again.


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## KubicaMaster (Dec 16, 2019)

One of the best threads on this site!


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

Thank you christos, Sydlicious, KubicaMaster and everyone else who follows along!

Today we're going to one of my favourite places! The capital of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

Schwerin

Schwerin is the smallest of all state capitols and the second smallest city in the state. In fact, it's the only state capitol that doesn't actually reach the threshold of "city" with about 95,000 inhabitants.










It is located about one hour away from Hamburg and two hours away from Berlin.
While it is in large parts nowadays dominated by classicist and historicst architecture, the city was founded more than a thousand years ago and continuously expanded, especially when it was the capitol of Mecklenburg.

The city is blessed with a beautfiul location, with a lot of lakes, forests, hills and even it's own beach resort!


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

As so often, we arrive here by train. The main stations certainly gives you a good first impression:


Like of all Schwerin, it is not far away from a lake. The shore of the relatively small "Pfaffenteich" is lines with hotels and stately buildings.


Soon, we get a view of the central part of the city:


Looking towards the lake:


This is a state government building:


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

There is a very relaxed atmosphere here


I resisted the urge to go to the mains street in favour of visiting the grand belle epoque quarter on the other side of the lake, though:



hmm that silhouette:


Villas line the lakefront:


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

The interior streets are more urban but just as nice:





Occasionally, you can find traces of much older history with smaller buildings that pre-date the surrounding urban fabric. Don't be fooled by the Fachwerk building on the right though, that was most likely also built during the 1800s.


This one is genuinly old:








Who doesn't like some good terracotta?


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

Soon, we reach another lakefront with historicist townhomes:





As well as this palatial ensemble (which used to be the royal stables)


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## Gratteciel (May 4, 2008)

Wonderful thread with so many great photos!
What a lovely city; the avenues and houses look impeccable! I loved the bridge too.


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## Darryl (Jan 14, 2007)

Awesome TM! I've always wondered what Schwerin was like. I've seen pics of the palace of course and it looks so nice I wondered if the town itself is nice too. Appears that it is! Looks very pleasant. Is Schwerin commieblock-free?


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

Darryl said:


> Awesome TM! I've always wondered what Schwerin was like. I've seen pics of the palace of course and it looks so nice I wondered if the town itself is nice too. Appears that it is! Looks very pleasant. Is Schwerin commieblock-free?



Indeed, Schwerin is very nice. Like all east German cities, Schwerin has quite large Plattenbau areas in the outskirts, however you won't really notice it as a visitor, as there are almost none in the center city.

Edit: Sorry, I shifted some pictures around. Found some more pictures I wanted to add without making the posts before too long.


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

Soon, we get the first view of the city's most iconic attraction; the grandiose historicist Schwerin Palace:


Before we go in there, let's go explore the surroundings first:


These buildings are the Mecklenburgian state theatre and art museum:


Looks quite parisian:


Of course, we'll go into the palace in the next post.


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

I had a little bit of misfortune, as there were some restoration works blocking some of the facade above the main entrance. Nevertheless, it's beautiful. Look at those street lights as well!



Neorenaissance is a dream:




The Foyer has nice eclectic vaulted ceiling


The elegant first staircase:


The main courtyard looks really nice as well and is apparently used for events. Also keep in mind that while a part of the palace is open to the public, it is also used as the MV state parliament building.


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

Many rooms are available to the public, with siplays stating what they were originally used for. However I find that interiors can be a bit boring to look at, so I will try to limit the amount of pictures I post here.

Many rooms have wildly different appearances. Here we have a dark wood and gold plated room with a sequence of doors called "enfilade"


The level of detail is of course impressive. The sculpures, the frescos, the woodwork. The wall looks like it has marble elements, but we'll come back to that later:


The towers house these display rooms:


While this looks like marable, this is actually "stucco lustro". which is, as the name suggest is a form of stucco. The "marble" is painted on, then it gets polished. This incredibly painstaking work was actually cheaper than importing marble at the time, nowadays the labour is more expensive.



Here's another round room in a tower:


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

Here's another view of the courtyard from an upper floor with a tower topped by a golden dome


One of the corridors with intricate wooden floors and ceilings:


A room with red patterned wallpaper and more beautiful wooden floors:




The main throne room is for course especially impressive, with a douple height ceiling and representative decorations I believe the chandelier is original as well:




Detail overload:


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

I think this is enough of the interior for now, so let's head back poutside to the palace garden.

As with the state theatre building, the French inspiration is clearly visible.


I don't think this needs many words to describe it.


The gardens are also inspired by the French. Bending nature to the will of the architecture instead of the English style of creating an imitation of a romantic natural environment.


They created this impressive sightline with the water ponds. Also notice all the statues.


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## Sydlicious (Oct 8, 2018)

Soooooo pretty, my camera will be smoking, I would be taking pics of every little detail  Stunning pics mate - I love them


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

Thanks a lot!

After visiting the impressive palace, let's take a walk through town.

Adjacent to the palace are several stately neoclassical buildings, which often house state government agencies.




Nice historic skybridge:


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

Afterwards, it turns into a pedestrianized shopping street.









Another survivor of old times:


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

The central marketplace of the city is a thing of beauty as well.

Here, the city hall and the historic auction hall are located:


This is the aptly named "columm building"


Here you can see the Schwerin cathedral building, which we will soon visit. The lion statue in the foreground was added in 1995 as a reference towards the founding father of the city "Heinrich the lion"


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

Next to the central market is the "Schlachtermarkt" or butcher's market. It has a much more down-to earth appearance, which is the result of the low status that butchers had in the past.


The ox is a reminder of this place's history:


There are some alleys with "old town" feel here as well:


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

Now, let's visit the cathedral. It is still the tallest structure in Schwerin, which is also sitting on top of a small hill, so it dominates the cityscape.

It's a massive gothic brick church with a copper roof. Construction started around 1270 and then was extended over time

While most of the building is medieval, the tower was actually only built in the 19th century in neo-gothic style.


On the inside is a rather interesting vaulted ceiling


the organ is a gothic piece of art as well:


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

The altar:


Of course, there are many artworks, like this copper engraving:


The photos don't really make the stained glass justice.


This model is of course quite new, though that doesn't make it less interesting to look at


Another view of the tower:


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Great, very nice updates once again and well done


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## Gratteciel (May 4, 2008)

The palace and its gardens are really beautiful. The city is also charming.
Thank you very much for the photos and the explanations. Everything is very interesting.


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

Now, let's just randomly stroll around the city and enjoy the feel of the city.



Like all towns of a reasonable size in eastern Germany, Schwerin has a Tram network:


Schwerin also has some modern architecture in the centre. Here is a shopping centre built after reuunification:


An old building was incorporated as an entrance for the mall:


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

Most of the inner city is pedestrianized or traffic calmed, so it's very enjoyable to explore.


This used to be an early 1900s department store:


Here is a part of the "Schweriner Höfe" which was a post-modern infill/revitalization project on the interior of a street block. You could see two entry buildings in my previous post.


And now, just some more pretty facades:


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

No city tour by me is really complete without a visit to the Gründerzeit areas. Schwerin doesn't have the nicest Gründerzeit quarters I've ever seen, but they were still plenty nice.

As Schwerin isn't a big city, this is about as dense as it gets, with 3 story houses.


A lot of Schwerin's Gründerzeit growth ring is comprised of townhouses:


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

Unlike many belle epoque developements, here the building height ist quite varied. It has a quite charming appearance.


There is a lot of greenery as well


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

The craftsmen and architects of the age really knew how to work with all sorts of materials. Fine brickwork, stucco and wood were the predominant facade materials of the day in Germany. 


Here with bossages formstone, high quality brickwork, wrought iron balconies and towers:


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

Here you can see more aspects of Gründerzeit architecture, again the high quality materials and craftmanship, but it's also a bit fake. The gable is supported by an iron support from the back, the bay window in front of it probably doesn't serve any pracitcal purpose.


But I mean, who can argue with these results?


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

I love these street scenes:


It seems like this house's owner really likes plants:


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

Every once in a while, the townhouse scenery is broken up by a larger building, like this courthouse. Often the street layout will place parks and sqaures adjacent to them and provide sight lines towards them.



Unfortunately, this nice looking office building marks the end of my visit in Schwerin. It is located right next to the station where we started, which means it's time to leave again. I hope you all enjoyed the tour!


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Great, very nice updates and well done


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## Darryl (Jan 14, 2007)

Thanks TM! Very nice. Schwerin looks quite "posh". Not exactly the communist East Germany stereotype to be sure lol.


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

Darryl said:


> Thanks TM! Very nice. Schwerin looks quite "posh". Not exactly the communist East Germany stereotype to be sure lol.


It does indeed! Most of East Germany looks really nice these days, of course apart from commieblock districts. But generally you won't really find yourself in a stereotypical East German looking location unless you're actively looking for them. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is especially beautiful, there are just many well preserved historical towns and nice landscapes everywhere. When I get the chance, I'll definitely visit more places there.


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## Gratteciel (May 4, 2008)

Lovely thread.
I really like that you add interesting explanations and comments to your photos. That makes your thread much more attractive. Thanks!


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

Gratteciel said:


> Lovely thread.
> I really like that you add interesting explanations and comments to your photos. That makes your thread much more attractive. Thanks!


Thanks a lot! I'm not the most knowledgable person about the places that I visit and architecture, but I try to share what I do know. I think when you're able to see things that you weren't able to previously because of a lack of knowledge, suddenly the world you see becomes more interesting.


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

Does anybody have a preference of where to go next? I still have pictures of a series of smaller towns as well as a bigger city lying around. I feel like maybe a bigger city might be a nice change of pace after all the small towns we've already visited, although if you still haven't gotten tired of it, I can just keep going 😅


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## KubicaMaster (Dec 16, 2019)

Schwerin truly is brilliant. Its old town and castle/palace should become World Heritage just like Wismar and Stralsund.



> Does anybody have a preference of where to go next?


I'm pro small town, I'm not gonna lie.


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## F. Pilzmaier (Jun 29, 2020)

KubicaMaster said:


> Schwerin truly is brilliant. Its old town and castle/palace should become World Heritage just like Wismar and Stralsund.
> 
> 
> I'm pro small town, I'm not gonna lie.


+1
It's nice to learn about those beautiful small towns!


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## TM_Germany (Nov 7, 2015)

By popular demand, I'll show you another small town today

Köthen (Anhalt)

I pretty much went there on a whim and was pleasantly surprised. It is located about an hour south-west of Berlin in the state of Saxony-Anhalt.










A look at the town from above already tells us a bot of it's history. Visible is the round-ish shape of the probably formerly walled medieval old town. Surrounding that are surprisingly large Gründerzeit districts. This part of Germany industrialized early, so large Gründerzeit areas are common.









Due to the industry boom, the population tripled between 1850 and 1900 and then doubled again between 1900 and 1940, with a peak of over 40,000. Today it is located in a rather economically depressed area, with decreasing population numbers. Today 25,000 people live in Köthen.


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