Your suggestions for art & architecture in Germany, off the beaten path
My spouse and I will be flying into Berlin in late March and we love to see art and architecure, especially in non-touristy places. We can only travel by public transportation. We prefer art in situ (in churches, etc) rather than museums. Of course I will research with guidebooks, but I find asking other travelers to be especially helpful.
Places closer to Berlin may be better, to save on transportation money. (I'd love to see the Aachen cathedral, but that seems quite a hike from Berlin). Other places that look interesting are Quedlinburg, Hildesheim and Lübeck.
What would you recommend? We love medieval art and architecure as well as Renaissance. I do enjoy comtemporary art, but I see a lot of it at home so I don't seek it out when traveling. I'm not crazy about Baroque, Roccoco or neoclassical art. Some palaces can be wonderful, but I can't stand the ones full of nothing but shiny things like chandeliers and mirrors. We love to hear classical music and opera in local venues, if affordable.
H.S.
Chicago, IL USA 12/2/12
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Hi,
Lübeck is in a way special for me since it was my first city in Germany back in '71. Special sights not to miss are the Holstentor, walkable from the train station, signs pointing the way, the city hall (Rathaus, and the old town. If you're interested in that northern German architecture, Lübeck is the place to see it.
I haven't been to Stalsund, only know that the Marine Dänholm is there if you'r interested in naval history.
You can get "off the beaten path" right in Berlin. For instance, superstar modern architect Frank Gehry installed one of his whale's-mouth interiors at the DZ bank, steps from the Brandenburg gate. Wikipedia has some info and a photo http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DZ_Bank_building
Or, for 20th-century design, the small but provocative displays at the Bauhaus archives speak volumes about how our buildings look and feel today. The Bauhaus school itself was not in Berlin but rather Dessau, within reach of Berlin. More at http://bauhaus-online.de/en
Chicago is very aware of its own contributions to architecture and public sculpture as well as more difficult art, so I'm guessing the above might be relevant though not from the old old days.
Google opera to see that Berlin is one of the great oprts cities in the world with at least three ambitious companies and subsidized tickets. If you don't buy on-line, the city tourism office at the main train station (and maybe elsewhere) sells tickets.
Oops, fumbling fingers. Make that "great opera cities in the world" in the last sentences.
Thank you Southam-- I am interested in Frank Gehry (we have his wonderful bandshell in Millenium Park in Chicago) as well as Bauhaus architecture. Of course some of the best musicians in the world are in Berlin. Do you know if there are standing room tickets? We once got standing room tickets to a Wagner opera in Vienna and it was fantastic!
>"My next trip to Germany I hope to visit Muenster. Looks like a neat small city."
For true architecture aficionados Münster is less interesting since the old town was completely destroyed in WW2 and only partly, and often simplified, rebuilt. And it's on the other end of the country.<
True, Muenster is too far to the West for someone exploring Berlin and area.
However, I think the city's architecture is a fabulous example how one can rebuild a city on a shoestring budget right after a war, preserving the atmosphere of the historic centre without going to the expensive and time-consuming extreme of restoring every single historic detail. A few buildings of special importance have been restored historically accurate, including the Lamberti Church and the town hall where the peace treaty ending the 30-year-war was signed in 1648. Others have created their own style combining traditional designs with modern day features. This kind of approach ("simplefied" as Martin calls it) could have gone horribly wrong but for me it's an inspiring example of what architecture can achieve in restoring a city - in a very creative way.
If you are also interested in the art of sculpture, especially sculptures in public places, Muenster is also a great place to be. You can find some unique sculpture projects all over the city. Maps with the exact locations should be available from the tourist information.
http://www.muenster.de/en/city_of_culture.php
OK, now that I have put in my plug for Muenster, a more useful suggestion for H.S. for his upcoming trip.
In terms of guide books I second the DK Eyewitness Guides. They have a strong focus on art and architecture and the many photos definitely emphasize that approach.
If classical music in local venues is important to you then you shouldn't miss Leipzig. And I'm very happy to see that I'm not the only one suggesting this destination ;-) It's only a one hour train ride from Berlin and full of history and musical tradition. The St. Thomas Boys Choir is a must-see. However, do make sure you check their schedule well in advance as concerts sell out quickly, the exception being the motets that don't require reservation (2 Euro, first-come-first-served)
http://www.thomaskirche.org/r-events.html
>Berin < Quedlinburg < Goslar < Hildesheim < Lübeck < Stralsund < Berlin
That's a nice itinerary. But keep in mind that Hildesheim was almost completely destroyed in WW2. Apart from the Romanesque churches and the market square with the wonderful Butchers' Guild Hall (all reconstructions btw.) there isn't much to see. Maybe you could do it in a combination with a second sight? Celle or Wolfenbüttel maybe?
And really try to see the cathedral in Halberstadt if possible, which would definitely be the most beautiful church on your trip (the town itself was sadly also completely destroyed in WW2).
>I can't believe I didn't notice this before, but I just realized
>I'll be in Germany on Easter, March 31. Should I expect places to
>be closed on Easter Sunday? Is the next day, Monday also a holiday
>and should I expect closures?
Shops will be closed on both days, and churches will be full. Museums are usually open.
>Fred, what are your favorite things to see in Lübeck and Stralsund?
Although I'm not Fred: you should see the churches of course. The ones in Lübeck were the models for all Gothic churches along the Baltic coast. Sadly they were partly destroyed in WW2. The main church in Stralsund has one of the best interiors of all Brick Gothic churches I know, like the stalls of the Hanseatic merchants (preserved are the stalls of the Bergen and Novgorod traders) or the astronomical clock, which dates from 1394. The Maritime Museum inside a former medieval monastery is also quite nice. And in Lübeck you should see the "Haus der Schiffergesellschaft", the club house of the brotherhood of captains (established in 1401).
Thank you all for your conttinuing and exceptionally helpful feedback. I'm researching Leipzig and Halberstadt to see how I can fit them in to our itinerary.
The reason I want to go to Hildesheim is to see the famous Bernward's doors, which I've seen reproduced in art history books so many times (as long as the church treasury wont be closed for Easter).
As far as Easter is concerned, I don't really care about shops being closed, since I don't enjoy shopping, but I do want to be sure I can get some food (I generally eat from grocery store or eat street food)--hopefully I can find something open so I can eat. I've been reading that some churches have passion oratorios on Good Friday, called Kirchenmusik Karfreitag. I will try as hard as I can to attend one.
You should not worry too much as most will not be closed. Normal shops will not be open but you may find some fun markets on Saturday Morning to try.
I'm not sure how religious you are but here in Hamburg for example, there is an English speaking church and the services at Easter can be really nice and I find in a new place you will always meet real people that are willing to talk to you.
Great idea! Meeting people is one of the real joys of traveling.
We have returned from our trip to Germany, and I wanted to report back, and most importantly, thank everyone who contributed on this helpline. Our final iterary was Berlin, Leipzig, Halberstadt, Quedlinburg, Goslar, Lübeck and Stralsund. Our time in Germany was right in the middle of the Easter holiday, and we were able to include special Easter related activities in our trip.
Berlin: we loved it, and it was quite cold while were were there, so we spent our brief amount of time mostly on museum island. (Not off the beaten path, but certainly fantastic museums.) We actally went to the Pergamon museum twice because it was so wonderful.
Leipzig: the highlight of our trip was hearing Bach's St. John's Passion in Thomas Church on Maundy Thursday, the church where Bach was cantor and the boys choir has been in residence for 800 year. Celestial, gorgeous, moving...I don't have enough ajectives to describe it!
Halberstadt: we attended another St. John's Passion on Good Friday, this one by composer Bartholomäus Gesius, in main church of Halberstadt. It was more intimate than the program in Leipzig, but beautiful. Actually, we spent most of the day in that same church. Holy smokes they have a fabulous treasury! The Romaneque tapestry from 1150 was so so excellent. We also loved As Slow as Possible by John Cage as performed in an abandoned Church in Halberstadt. The current organ performance of the piece at St. Burchardi church in Halberstadt, Germany, began in 2001 and is scheduled to have a duration of 639 years, ending in 2640.
Quedlingburg: a lovely and well perserved town, that we enjoyed a great deal, although it's the one place that had a whiff of tourist trap about it (could just be because of the holiday weekend).
To be continued:
Goslar: a jewel! It snowed the entire time we were there, the most decorative snow I ever saw outside of a musical theater performance. The whole town was a site, so well kept and full of details we could just keep looking at. We were esp. impressed with the main church, which was full of medieval and renaissance treasures and suprisingly great contemporary stained glass.
Lübeck and Stralsund: we spent a day per town and loved them both, and really got to know brick gothic as an architecture style. Both towns had a unique feel to them, with Stralsund seeming more Scandinavian.
Thanks again for your invaluble advice. We we certainly be back to this wonderful country, with it's enviable infastructure and (best of all) clean public bathrooms!
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