Rhineland Renewal
The Lower Rhine valley was once the cosmopolitan cultural heartland of the Holy Roman Empire. However, virtually nothing survives of the prewar Rhineland. While Germany rebuilt the great factories and cities in the visage of a new era, you can only glimpse the ancient past in individual monuments and a few small villages.
- The Late Romanesque and Early Gothic Churches of Staufen Empire
- The architecture of the Industrial Revolution
- The Hidden Villages of the Eifel Forest and the architectural ties to Cologne.
In Germany, travel through the Lower Rhine is synonymous with post-industrial gray depression. Except for Carnival, most Germans would never consider a trip to the region as a holiday, only as some form of punishment. In fact, the Lower Rhine has a great deal on offer, it’s just not as easily accessible, and many destinations may be of only particular interest. From the modern but unique metropolis of Düsseldorf to the carefully reconstructed Roman and Medieval citadels of Xanten, there is still something worth seeing.
The Rhenish Golden Age
Forgotten Cityscapes of the Rhineland
Hike: Battle of Hürtgenwald – Kall Valley
The Battle of Hürtgenwald was a rare Allied Defeat on the Western Front in WWII. Unlike other failed campaigns such as Market Garden or Kasserine…
Hike: Battle of Hürtgenwald – Valley of Death
The Battle of Hürtgenwald was a rare Allied Defeat on the Western Front in WWII. Unlike other failed campaigns such as Market Garden or Kasserine…
Hike: Fragments of the Westwall
The Westwall or the Siegfried Line was Nazi Germany’s last ditched effort to defend its core territory. Though construction started in the interwar period, most…
Hiking: Panorama of Xanten
This is less of a hike and more of a guided walking tour of Xanten. The goal here is to get all of the interesting…
- Hype: 5.4
- Growth: 3.5
- Wealth: 6.1
- Recognition: 7.1
- Accommodation: 3.3
- Transportation: 8.3
- Ease of Planning: 4.1
- Infrastructure: 8.0
- Interactivity: 7.1
- Airport: Yes
- Historical Context: 2.5
- Monuments: 10
- Quality*: 1.0
- Landscape: 5.3
- Vineyards: 3.4
- Undiscovered: 3.4
- Cultural Immersion: 5.5
- Tradition*: 10
