Our Historic Highlights of Germany Guestbook series features summaries of articles and posts by visitors to our 17 heritage cities. Make sure to read the full stories and see all photos by visiting the respective author’s website, social media page/s, or original publishing outlet.
About the Author: Keith Jenkins is the creator of Velvet Escape, an award-winning travel blog that has been featured in The New York Times, National Geographic, BBC, and Mashable. His work focuses on culture, history, food, and wine across destinations worldwide.
Overview: Jenkins embarked on a six-day rail journey through western Germany at the start of Advent, visiting four Historic Highlights heritage cities: Osnabrück, Münster, Bonn, and Aachen. This comprehensive guide weaves together centuries of history —from Charlemagne to the Cold War— with the festive magic of Germany’s beloved Christmas markets.
What Keith of VelvetEscape Discovered:
Osnabrück – The City of Peace
- Site of the 1648 Peace of Westphalia negotiations that ended the Thirty Years’ War
- The late-Gothic Rathaus, faithfully reconstructed after WWII with the help of British soldiers
- Felix Nussbaum House, a Daniel Libeskind-designed museum honouring the Jewish artist who perished at Auschwitz
- The Bock Tower, a medieval prison that later served as a torture chamber during the witch hunts
- Stay: Romantik Hotel Walhalla, a 17th-century half-timbered gem where the Dalai Lama once lodged
Münster – The City of Bikes
- Partner city to Osnabrück in the Peace of Westphalia, with strong historical ties to the Netherlands
- The Prinzipalmarkt, an elegant boulevard of step-gabled buildings with covered arcades
- St. Lambert’s Church with its three iron cages—grim reminders of the 1535 Münster Rebellion
- A 16th-century astronomical clock inside St. Peter’s Cathedral
- The Sculpture Project, an international art exhibition held every ten years (next in 2027)
- Dine: Pinkus Müller, a family-owned brewery-restaurant serving local specialties
Bonn – Beethoven’s Birthplace
- Former capital of West Germany, chosen for being “unremarkable” with easy future access to Berlin
- Beethoven House, displaying the composer’s manuscripts, instruments, and personal effects
- The Grand Hotel Petersberg, a Cold War-era state guesthouse that hosted Queen Elizabeth II, Gorbachev, and Mandela
- La Redoute Palace in Bad Godesberg, where Haydn first met the young Beethoven in 1792
- The Bonn Minster, one of Germany’s oldest churches, with its impressive oak organ
Aachen – Charlemagne’s Capital
- Germany’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site: the Cathedral with its 8th-century Palatine Chapel
- Charlemagne’s ancient throne and gilded shrine in the Gothic choir hall
- The Elisenbrunnen, where visitors can sample the sulphurous thermal waters that first drew the Romans
- The Cathedral Treasury, home to exceptional medieval church art spanning centuries
- Traditional Aachener Printen, the city’s signature spiced cookies
Practical Notes: All four heritage towns are easily accessible by rail from Cologne and Düsseldorf, and their compact historic centres are ideal for exploring on foot. Jenkins provides a detailed six-day itinerary that replicates the journey.
About Historic Highlights of Germany: Our organization represents 17 heritage cities offering authentic alternatives across Germany: Aachen, Augsburg, Bonn, Erfurt, Freiburg, Heidelberg, Koblenz, Lübeck, Münster, Osnabrück, Potsdam, Regensburg, Rostock, Trier, Tübingen, Wiesbaden, and Würzburg. Learn more at historicgermany.com.
Read Keith’s full story: velvetescape.com