UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Germany: 54 fascinating destinations for World Heritage Day 2025

The Schwerin Residence Ensemble was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List on July 27, 2024. The complex includes Schwerin Palace and over 30 other historic buildings and gardens. According to UNESCO, it bears witness to "the last flowering of courtly culture and palace architecture in 19th-century Europe."

Source: imago images/Shotshop

Herrnhut is the origin of the Protestant Moravian Church. Religious refugees from Moravia founded the town in 1722. The missing "d" in the name of the congregation, "Brüdergemeine," is due to the language of that time, when the word "Gemeine" was still used. UNESCO declared the small Saxon town a World Heritage Site in July 2024.

Source: IMAGO/Sylvio Dittrich

Erfurt's Old Synagogue is considered one of the oldest synagogues in Central Europe preserved up to its roof. UNESCO designated the medieval Jewish heritage in Thuringia's state capital as a new World Heritage Site in September 2023.

Source: IMAGO/Paul-Philipp Braun

Several sections of the former Roman Limes border wall are UNESCO World Heritage sites. In 2021, the World Heritage Committee added the section along the Danube to the list. The remains of various Roman fortifications are located in the Passau urban area at the confluence of the Danube, Inn, and Ilz rivers.

Source: imago images/Westend61

The funeral hall at the Jewish cemetery in Mainz. In July 2021, the World Heritage Committee designated the so-called ShUM sites in Speyer, Worms, and Mainz as UNESCO World Heritage sites. These include the Speyer Jewish Courtyard, the Worms Synagogue District, and the old Jewish cemeteries in Worms and Mainz. These cities formed the center of Jewish life in Germany and throughout Europe during the Middle Ages. The word ShUM is composed of the Hebrew initial letters of the medieval names of the cities.

Source: imago images/alimdi

Since 2021, the Lower Germanic Limes has also been a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Germany. The border wall once stretched over 400 kilometers between the Roman province of Lower Germania and free Germania – the Rhine also served as a border along some of this stretch. The remains of the border wall are often hidden underground, but at the Xanten Archaeological Park, visitors can still gain an insight into Roman life in this region. Reconstructed structures have been built underground above the remains.

Source: imago images/Jochen Tack

The Mathildenhöhe in Darmstadt is considered the cradle of the Bauhaus style. Lavish Art Nouveau ornamentation alongside pared-down facades, new housing, and houses designed down to the last teacup are defining features of the style. In 2021, the artists' colony there was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Source: imago images/Zoonar

The spa gardens in Bad Kissingen. In 2021, UNESCO declared eleven European cities as transnational World Heritage sites under the title "The Major Spa Towns of Europe." Three of them are located in Germany, where unbroken architectural ensembles that bear witness to the spa culture can still be found today: Baden-Baden, Bad Kissingen, and Bad Ems.

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A touch of Venice in the Bavarian city of Augsburg: The city's water management system has been in development since the 13th century, and the canal system and water towers with pumping stations date from the 15th to 17th centuries. This makes Augsburg one of the oldest functioning water systems in the world.

Source: imago images / Michael Eichhammer

The Erzgebirge/Krušnohoří Mining Region is one of the two newest World Heritage sites in Germany (and the Czech Republic). This includes the 807-meter-high Scheibenberg, one of the three major basalt mountains in the Western Ore Mountains (along with Bärenstein and Pöhlberg) and one of Germany's most striking geotopes.

Source: imago images/Rainer Weisflog

Naumburg Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul is considered a testament to 13th-century medieval architecture and has been a World Heritage Site since 2018. UNESCO describes the cathedral, with its sculptures and stained glass windows, as an "extraordinary work of art" and "a masterpiece of human creativity."

Source: imago images/Olaf Döring

Haithabu – it doesn't sound like Germany, but it's actually in Schleswig-Holstein! Together with the Danevirke fortifications, the former Viking settlement is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Haithabu is considered an archaeological site with relics of a trading town from the first and second millennia. Streets, buildings, cemeteries, and a harbor have been partially excavated.

Source: imago images/blickwinkel

The Vogelherd Cave in the Lone Valley is a karst cave. In 1931, works of art were discovered there that are among the oldest known to humankind, including musical instruments. As evidence of the first modern humans to settle in Europe, the caves and Ice Age art of the Swabian Alb were declared a World Heritage Site in 2017.

Source: imago images/Arnulf Hettrich

Le Corbusier's architectural work is considered an "outstanding contribution to modernism." A total of 17 buildings can be found in Argentina, Belgium, Germany, France, India, Japan, and Switzerland, and are intended to illustrate unity and globalism. In Germany, the building is located in the Weissenhofsiedlung in Stuttgart.

Source: imago images/Arnulf Hettrich

The Speicherstadt and the Kontorhausviertel district with Chilehaus in Hamburg are not only a tourist attraction. They are also considered a "unique ensemble of maritime warehouses and modernist office buildings," according to UNESCO. Thus, they are also an expression of the rapid international trade in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Source: imago images / Panthermedia

Covey Castle, also called Civitas Covey, is a remnant of Carolingian architectural and monastic culture and, together with the Carolingian westwork, is a World Heritage Site.

Source: imago images/blickwinkel

The water features of Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe in Kassel are world-famous – water meanders through the entire park. The Hercules statue, visible from afar, towers over the city. Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe is "a striking example of absolutist landscape architecture and a unique Baroque work of art," says UNESCO, and declared the park a World Heritage Site in 2013.

Source: imago images/Westend61

Bayreuth is not only a destination for classical music fans today – even in the Baroque period, theater fans gathered at the Margravial Opera House to experience culture together.

Source: Loic Lagarde

Prehistoric pile dwellings in Europe tell researchers and archaeologists a great deal about earlier agrarian societies and the structure of settlements thousands of years ago. In Germany, those in the Alpine region and in Baden-Württemberg, such as this one in Unteruhldingen on Lake Constance, are listed as World Heritage sites.

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The first building designed by the famous architect Walter Gropius was the Fagus factory in Alfeld, Lower Saxony. The Fagus factory is considered the first modern building and "a pioneering work of modern industrial architecture," according to UNESCO.

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A transnational World Heritage site was proclaimed in 2011 as an "exceptional example of undisturbed, complex temperate deciduous forests." In Germany, the Müritz National Park in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, pictured here, the Grumsiner Forest in Brandenburg, the Kellerwald-Edersee National Park in Hesse, the Jasmund National Park on Rügen in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, and the Hainich National Park in Thuringia are World Heritage sites.

Source: imago images/Andreas Vitting

The Wadden Sea in northern Germany, the Netherlands, and Denmark is considered a unique biotope worldwide. More than 10,000 animal and plant species are found here, and up to 12 million migratory birds pass through. The Wadden Sea thus impacts biodiversity worldwide.

Source: imago images / blickwinkel

Five modernist housing estates in Berlin have been listed as World Heritage sites since 2008. In addition to Schillerpark (photo), these include the following, which were built between 1913 and 1934 when more living space was needed in the city: Falkenberg Garden City in Treptow, Britz Housing Estate in Neukölln, Carl Legien Housing Estate, White City in Reinickendorf, and Siemensstadt Housing Estate.

Source: imago images/Jürgen Ritter

The old town of Regensburg is a very well-preserved medieval trading town and, according to UNESCO, is particularly well preserved as the “political center of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation.”

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The Saalburg Roman Fort in Bad Homburg is one of the monuments that tell the story of the Roman Empire in Europe. The borders stretch over 550 kilometers and have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2005. In Germany, the Upper Germanic-Raetian Limes region is part of this.

Source: imago images/blickwinkel

Muskau Park, seen here with its palace, is considered "a pioneer of a masterfully designed landscape." Since 2004, the cross-border park in Upper Lusatia (known in Poland as Mużakowski Park) has been a World Heritage Site.

Source: imago images / robertharding

The Bremen Roland statue in front of the town hall has commemorated the military leader, a nephew of Charlemagne, since 1404. It represents the emperor in the market square and advocates for market rights – and is one of the few buildings in the old town to have survived the Second World War. The ensemble has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2004.

Source: imago images/Shotshop

Castles and palaces, vineyards, and hiking trails – but the Upper Middle Rhine Valley is much more. The region along the Rhine was once one of the most important trade routes, connecting the Mediterranean with Scandinavia.

Source: imago images/Westend61

The old town of Stralsund, with St. Nicholas Church, the town hall, and the Old Market Square, along with the old town of Wismar, was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2002. Both are "impressive examples of brick Gothic architecture," according to UNESCO, thus representing "the wealth, regional influence, and power of the Hanseatic League" during the Swedish-influenced Baroque period.

Source: imago images/imagebroker

The Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in Essen is considered an impressive industrial building and monument, but according to UNESCO, it is also an "architectural expression of the Bauhaus design language." The complex is completely preserved, serves today as an event space, among other things, and has been a World Heritage Site since 2001.

Source: imago images/Rupert Oberhäuser

The Minster of St. Mary and St. Mark on the island of Reichenau on Lake Constance is a former Benedictine monastery dating back to the Middle Ages. The churches have "preserved elements of Carolingian, Ottonian, and Salian architecture," according to UNESCO, which declared the monastery a World Heritage Site in 2000.

Source: imago images/sepp spiegel

The Bible Tower and Wörlitz Palace are part of the Dessau-Wörlitz Landscape Garden in Saxony-Anhalt and have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000. The Garden Kingdom was built based on the English model.

Source: imago images/imagebroker

Berlin's Museum Island is an example of how buildings merge with exhibitions, according to UNESCO, which added the Spree island to its list in 1999. The island is home to the Bode Museum, right at the top, the Pergamon Museum, the Altes Museum, the Neues Museum, and the Alte Nationalgalerie.

Source: imago images/Michael Kneffel

The Wartburg Castle is one of the most important buildings for Lutherans. Martin Luther wrote his Bible here, and the room where he worked is open to visitors today. The cultural and religious heritage of the Wartburg Castle is undisputed, and the building has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999.

Source: imago images/Panthermedia

Goethe and Schiller lived and worked here, sometimes even together, and made Weimar, Thuringia, a center of European humanities during the Weimar Classicism period. Even today, traces of these writers are still commemorated throughout the city, such as a statue in front of the German National Theater.

Source: imago images / imagebroker

A statue of Martin Luther commemorates Luther on the market square in Eisleben, the town of Luther. The memorial, along with the one in Wittenberg, was added to the World Heritage List in 1996 because they are "sites of decisive events of the Reformation" that were of great significance for cultural and spiritual life.

Source: imago images/Schöning

In Weimar, the new Bauhaus Museum displays memorabilia from the "era of radical renewal in architecture and design," writes UNESCO. Along with sites in Dessau and Bernau, the Bauhaus Weimar was included in the list—here the "flowering of modernism began" before spreading worldwide.

Source: imago images/imagebroker

533 steps lead up to Cologne Cathedral, one of the tallest buildings in Germany. Built in the 13th century, it is considered a "masterpiece of Gothic architecture" and "a testament to the strength and permanence of the Christian faith in Europe," according to UNESCO. UNESCO added the cathedral to its World Heritage List in 1996.

Source: imago images/CoverSpot

At the Messel Pit excavation site near Darmstadt, people can embark on their own explorations. The fossil site, with its discoveries, tells of the early evolution of mammals and "documents the developmental history of the Earth 48 million years ago," says UNESCO, which declared the pit a World Heritage Site in 1995.

Source: imago images / Rolf Braun

Saarland also boasts a World Heritage Site: The Völklinger Hütte (Völklinger Ironworks), founded in 1873 as an ironworks, is today the only surviving ironworks from the heyday of the iron and steel industry. It was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1994 as an "expression of cross-border industrialization in Europe."

Source: imago images / Becker&Bredel

Quedlinburg's old town, with its collegiate church and castle, is one of the Harz's tourist highlights. The approximately 1,300 preserved half-timbered houses date back to the Middle Ages, some of them 600 years old.

Source: imago images / Steffen Schellhorn

Hardly any medieval monastery complex north of the Alps is as well preserved as Maulbronn Monastery. In its heyday, it exerted a "major influence on the spread of Gothic architecture," according to UNESCO, which added the ensemble to its World Heritage List in 1993.

Source: imago images/Cavan Images

The old town of Bamberg, in Franconia, was recognized by UNESCO as a "unique and very well-preserved urban work of art" in 1993. The reason given for the award is that it represents a "synthesis of architecture from the High Middle Ages and the Baroque" and brings history from the 11th to the 18th centuries to life.

Source: imago images/Westend61

Anyone interested in industry and mining should visit the Rammelsberg Mine World Heritage Site in the Harz Mountains. Along with the old town of Goslar and the Upper Harz Water Management System, this "masterpiece of mining and engineering and an outstanding example of administration and trade in the Middle Ages and Renaissance" has been a World Heritage Site since 1992.

Source: imago images / Schöning

Lorsch Abbey was built during the Carolingian period and is considered one of the "most important relics of pre-Romanesque architecture in Germany." It was placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1991.

Source: imago images/UJ Alexander

UNESCO believes that the palaces and parks of Berlin and Potsdam are not only symbols of power, but also of reunification. As early as 1990, the palaces and parks in Potsdam and Berlin were included in the list as "architectural and landscape masterpieces." Among them is Sanssouci Palace with its impressive garden.

Source: imago images/blickwinkel

Lübeck's old town with its cathedral and mill pond is not only beautiful, but also illustrates the "power of the Hanseatic League, the league of merchant towns," which once made Lübeck a trading center in Northern Europe, according to UNESCO.

Source: imago images/Volker Preußer

Trier is the oldest city in Germany—architectural monuments dating back to Roman times, as well as St. Peter's Cathedral and the Church of Our Lady, are popular destinations for history buffs. Trier was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986, making it one of Germany's oldest.

Source: imago images/Eibner

St. Mary's Cathedral and the former Benedictine Abbey of St. Michael are represented in Hildesheim's UNESCO World Heritage List. The ensemble testifies to "religious art in the Holy Roman Empire," according to UNESCO, which added the churches to the list in 1985.

Source: imago images/Schöning

The falcon lust in the Rhineland is connected to the Augustusburg Castle by an avenue and by the extensive castle park. The ensemble in the city of Brühl has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984 as important buildings of the baroque and rococo in Germany.

Source: Imago Images/Mann gold

It is not the beautiful landscape around the pilgrimage church Wies, but the place itself that makes it a world heritage. The church is a testimony to the Bavarian Rococo and lively religious traditions, says the UNESCO and already took the pilgrimage church from 1745 to the world heritage list in 1984.

Source: imago images/Westend61

The Würzburg residence has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List for a particularly long time. As early as 1981, the residence with Hofgarten and Residenzplatz from the 18th century found its way to the list.

Source: imago images/Panthermedia

The Cathedral of Speyer in Rhineland-Palatinate is the largest Romanesque church in the world and thus also the "milestone in the history of Romanesque architecture", as UNESCO finds. As a cultural treasure, he was already included in the UNESCO list as the second German building in 1981.

Source: Imago Images/Rheinmainfoto

No German building can be found longer on the UNESCO World Heritage List than the Aachen Cathedral. The 790 to 800 church built was the first German building on the list, in 1978 the cathedral was recorded. It is considered "artistic and architectural masterpiece and symbol of the unification and the recurrence of Western Europe after the end of the Roman Empire," said UNESCO.

Source: Imago images/perspective