Keith Jenkins is the creator of Velvet Escape, an award-winning travel blog featured in The New York Times, National Geographic, BBC, and Mashable. His work focuses on culture, history, food, and wine across destinations worldwide.
Jenkins documents his six-day rail journey through western Germany at the start of Advent, visiting four Historic Highlights heritage cities: Osnabrück, Münster, Bonn, and Aachen. His comprehensive guide weaves together centuries of history: from Charlemagne to the Cold War, with the festive magic of Germany’s beloved Christmas markets.
Christmas Magic & More in Four Historic Highlights of Germany:
- 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 honoring 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
- 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
- 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, 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 sulfurous 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 cities are easily accessible by rail from Cologne and Düsseldorf, and their compact historic centers are ideal for exploring on foot. Jenkins provides a detailed six-day itinerary to replicate the journey.
About Historic Highlights of Germany: We represent 17 heritage cities offering authentic alternatives to Germany’s largest metros: 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 Jenkins’ full story and get helpful tips for visiting these and other Historic Highlights of Germany on velvetescape.com