The Benedictine Abbey of Weltenburg Abbey near Kelheim in Lower Bavaria impresses with its imposing location directly on the Danube and offers a wonderful view of the nearby Danube breakthrough.
An architectural masterpiece in the midst of a beautiful landscape
According to ancient traditions, Weltenburg Abbey, which was founded in 617, can look back on a very eventful history and was rebuilt in its current form by King Ludwig I in 1842. The Weltenburg monastery complex can also be reached in summer by passenger ship from nearby Kelheim, which is highly recommended, as the monastery can be seen in all its beauty when viewed from the water and the nearby Danube breakthrough can also be observed from a very special perspective. In the Weltenburg Abbey, which is world-famous for its art of brewing beer, visitors can enjoy a beautifully situated beer garden where the products of the in-house brewery, which is considered to be the oldest monastery brewery in the world, can be enjoyed.
The St. Georg monastery church offers works of art of exceptional quality
The St. Georg monastery church, which is part of the complex of the Weltenburg monastery, is in the Baroque style and impresses with its magnificent interior, and is one of the most important sacred buildings of this art era. Even if the church looks inconspicuous at first glance, you should not miss a visit to the lavishly designed interior, as the ceiling fresco in the main room of the church, which was influenced by the brothers Cosmas Damian Asam and Egid Quirin, is very impressive. But the still completely preserved organ, which was designed in 1728 by the well-known Regensburg organ builder Johann Konrad Brandenstein, impressively illustrates the high artistic value of the and makes a visit to the church something special.
How do you get to Weltenburg Abbey?
Around the monastery in the Altmühltal nature park there are many hiking trails along the Danube, through forests and orchards, making it a nice destination for a day hike. You can also easily reach the monastery by car or by boat from Kelheim.
Pergamon Museum
The Pergamon Museum in Berlin is located on Berlin’s Museum Island. It was planned in 1907 and completed in 1930. It was severely damaged during the Second World War, but after extensive renovation work in 1954, the first hall was able to be reopened. The museum consists of three separate museums, the Antikensammlung, the Vorderasiatisches Museum and the Museum für Islamische Kunst. With the exception of 2004, the museum has been one of the most visited museums in Berlin since 1999. It is also the best-visited German art museum.
The antique collection
The collection of ancient Roman and Greek architecture is one of the largest and at the same time one of the most important in the world. It can be seen in three locations in Berlin. The Pergamon Museum, one of the three locations, is home to ancient architectural structures as well as Greek and Roman sculptures. The main attraction is the Pergamon Altar from the 2nd century BC. The sculpture frieze on the altar is one of the masterpieces of Hellenistic art.
Museum of Islamic Art
The Museum of Islamic Art is another of the three museums in the Pergamon Museum. The current exhibition is dedicated to the Persian legacy in Islam through an excavation site near Baghdad. A wide variety of works from the 7th century to the 19th century can also be found in the museum. The Mshatta stone facade, the Aleppo room or the Alhambra dome are just three of the many attractions of the museum.
Vorderasiatisches Museum
This part of the Pergamon Museum is in the south wing. A worldwide unique collection of Near Eastern art is exhibited there. In a total of 14 halls, exhibits from six millennia of Near Eastern culture are presented. Showpieces are the Ishtar Gate and the processional street of Babylon.
The Pergamon Museum is particularly popular with study travelers. It is one of the largest and most important museums and is a major landmark of Berlin. So if you are planning a trip to Berlin, you should definitely make a stop at the Pergamon Museum.
House of History
Walk with stumbling blocks
It’s a walk through history, but there were many stumbling blocks on the paths through time and space. This is how the viewer feels when they look around the House of History in Bonn. This is more than just a museum – it is something like the conscience of Germans and that of their nation.
An idea from Chancellor Helmut Kohl
It was then Federal Chancellor Helmut Kohl who in 1982 called for the history of the Germans after the end of World War II to be documented and made available to the public in a collection. It should take twelve years to open, but today Bonn presents the House of the History of the Federal Republic of Germany on Willy-Brandt-Allee.
850,000 visitors year after year
On no less than four thousand square meters, seven thousand exhibits on the history of the past 75 years can be viewed in the House of History. The visitor embarks on an interesting journey through time through an important era. Every year around 850,000 people pass the museum’s gates, and they get intensive insights into the development of this still young republic in the heart of Europe.
Salon car for the former Federal Chancellor
The museum mile in the former German capital not only leads to politics and business, but also provides an opportunity to encounter everyday life. Among other things, the exhibits lead to the time of the so-called economic miracle. Among other things, the former railway salon of former Federal Chancellors can be visited. But Konrad Adenauer’s legendary company car can also be admired – in good condition. The seats of the MPs were once dismantled from the old plenary hall of the Bundeshaus on the Rhine and can now be seen in the Museum of German History.
Entrance to the museum is free
Historical film and sound documents complete the testimonies of the permanent exhibition as well as a piece of the Berlin Wall or the legendary arrest warrant of Erich Honecker. Visitors shouldn’t forget to bring their ID card. Admission to the museum is just as free as a visit to the Chancellor’s bungalow as part of Bonn’s Museum Mile.
