Help me with places to see in Germany...

General WWII era German military discussion that doesn't fit someplace more specific.
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Spiegelsaal
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Help me with places to see in Germany...

Post by Spiegelsaal »

This summer my wife and I are travelling to the cities of Frankfurt, Dortmund, Cologne, Koblenz and Wiesbaden. As someone fascinated with WWII, especially the Third Reich and German military, I would like to visit some significant places. Can anyone tell me of some things I should check out in those towns (or their immediate outlying areas)? I would appreciate any tips or advice.
Lothar
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Post by Lothar »

Hi Spiegelsaal,

will try to give you some ideas for your visit.

KOBLENZ: it is worth to visit the Fortress Ehrenbreitstein in Koblenz. The fortress was built in the mid-age due to the excellent strategic location at the estuary of the Moselle in to the Rhine River. Destroyed by the French (Napoleon) it was rebuild and reinforced by the Prussians as a major strategic point. Today, Ehrenbreitstein is one of the best remaining fortresses in Europe and carries a museum and also the remenbrance monument for the German Army.
The second is the "Wehrtechnische Studiensammlung" (Collection of Military Technique). The collection shows tanks (e.g. StuGIII, Panther, T-34), artillery, hand-guns etc.. I guess, your hotel will provide the neccessary infos. Link (only in German): http://www.bwb.org/01DB022000000001/Cur ... Y965INFODE

KOBLENZ SURROUNDINGS: approx. 40 km north of Koblenz you should visit the little town of REMAGEN; well known for the first Rhine crossing of the US Army in WW2 via the Ludendorff-Brigdge. In the relicts of the bridge is a museum. For more infos see the link http://www.bruecke-remagen.de (there is an english version available)

COLOGNE: as far as I know only minor relicts of WW2- but Cologne has such a bunch to show......

COLOGNE SURROUNDINGS: appprox. 75km west of Cologne in the direction Aachen you will find the battlefield of the"Huertgen-Forest". In the little village of VOSSENACK there is a small but very good museum about the battle http://www.huertgenwald.de/index.php?go ... &forest2&0. You can also walk the famous "Kall-Trail" (today called "way of peace"), the route the American troops took to cross the little Kall-river. En route you will find quite a bunch of marked historical locations (e.g. the place where American and German doctors took care together for wounded soldiers of both nations). Aside the road from Vossenack to Simonskall (approx. 5 km) there are 2 military cemeteries, on one Fieldmarshal Model is buried aside a normal soldier who died in the fightings. This cemetery is also the central honor place for the 116th (GE) Armored Division (Windhund-Division). In Simonskall there is a complete original medical-bunker (infos about the actual opening you will get in the huertgenwald-museum); if you leave Simonskall in direction of the church, you will find direct outside the village the relicts of the bunkerline.
If you travel from the Vossenack-area towards Aachen/Monschau you can see everywhere the relicts of the Siegfried-Line (e.g. tank-obstacles).

Approx. 15 km south-east of Vossenack/Huertgen at the Urft-reservoir there is the only still existing original NS-Ordensburg VOGELSANG, now open for everybody. Built in 1938/39, Vogelsang was one of three elite-schools for the future NS-leadership (the others were Sonthofen/Bavaria and Croessinsee/Pommern). Until 2006 all was restricted area due to being used from 1946 as training area for Belgium military and also in the last years for NATO rapid forces. Today the whole area is a public national park.

The tour from Cologne to Huertgen-Forest and/or Vogelsang will take one day. Both areas can be reached without problems mostly via highway and national roads,

For Dortmund, Frankfurt and Wiesbaden I can´t tell you anything, but I think there you will find not too much related to the WW2. The majority you will find in the western area of Germany where the heavy fighting during/after the Ardennes-offensive (Battle of the Bulge) and the Huertgen-Forest battle took place.

Best regards to Texas

your "tourist-office" :D

Lothar

Edit: insert "Vogelsang"
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Spiegelsaal
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Post by Spiegelsaal »

Thanks so much Lothar! I truly appreciate your help. A lot of those sites sound exactly like what I'm looking for.

Come to Texas sometime and I'll be your guide to some interesting Indian battlesites, not to mention the Palo Duro Canyon!
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Brendan Hunt
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Post by Brendan Hunt »

I'd definately say Weinsberg. I've never visited it personally, but know many who are natives to it. Its right next to Heilbronn, which is nice also. Its a little town where a TON of wine is produced from grape vines. There is a hill with ruins of an ancient castle and lots of other goodies :)

There was a special POW Camp in the town for British and French Officers. Its neighboring town, Heilbronn, had one of the biggest American-Ran POW Camps in Germany.

Here's a wartime photo of it from a German soldier on leave. I believe his wife took this one:

(Upper Right)
Image

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weinsberg
Brendan
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Post by Uli »

Every inch of Germany--north, south, east, west--is an architectural, historical, scenic masterpiece. There are almost too many towns, cities, battlefields, castles, rivers, lakes, mountains, and other places of interest to mention here, so you might try these folks for pointers: These are Germany-lovers who've spent their lives traveling to and from the country, and there are a good many former military men among them, men who share your same interests in the land:

http://www.bensbauernhof.com

And do try to see Ehrenbreitstein, as Lothar noted: it's a truly fascinating fortress overlooking the confluence of the Mosel and Rhein. Koblenz itself features some of the finest beer on earth and some very, very beautiful German ladies.
Erwin Leibold 26.7.1942
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Hans
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Post by Hans »

You should try and get to Nurnberg. Catch the tram [No. 5 I think] from Hauptbahnhof to Dutzenteich and have a look at the Rally Grounds, Kongresshalle etc, there is also a modern museum right at the tram stop. Also a very good restaurant on the other side of the lake.

A good and reasonable hotel is the Ibis - Marientor. across the road from the main railway station and just outside the city wall. Breakfast is great and you can fill your Rucksack with goodies for lunch - oops, did I say that?

Before you go back home you should have a couple of days at Konigsee [on the border with Austria] to recuperate. Hitlers 'Eagles Nest' is just down the road.

The beers cheap everywhere, so enjoy.

- Hans
Was haben wir für dich gewollt
Du deutsches Vaterland?
- H Gehr IR 21./17.ID
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Soldat7128
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Re: Help me with places to see in Germany...

Post by Soldat7128 »

I would concur with Nuernberg. Die Grosse Strasse and the stadiums around there are incredible (I couldn't believe they hadn't been destroyed either during or after the war.)

Plus it's nice city otherwise. (Haven't been to Berchtesgaden.)
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