on the move

Hamburg, Germany

An average of 450,000 passengers a day are on the move in the Hamburg Hauptbahnhof, central railway station.

Sellin Pier

Sellin - Rügen Island (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern), Germany

Sellin is a Baltic seaside spa resort on the Island of Rügen.  Sellin Pier, complete with its own restaurant, stands on South Beach and reaches close to 400 meters in length.

Inner Alster Lake

Hamburg, Germany

Inner Alster Lake is found in the city limits of Hamburg and is formed by the River Alster.  Many walkways surround this lake and the Hamburg city center acts as a beautiful backdrop.

Baltic Sea

Stralsund (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern), Germany

Taken from Rügen Island, the Baltic Sea in between...  Stralsund was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2002.

Merry Christmas!

Hamburg, Germany

Merry Christmas to all!

This picture is taken in the main square of Hamburg with the city hall in the background and a wonderful traditional Christmas market in the foreground.

 

Christmas Eve

Hamburg, Germany

Hamburg has the busiest train station in Germany and the 2nd busiest in Europe, after Gare du Nord in Paris.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Cathedral Square

Erfurt (Thüringen), Germany

Dom St. Marien (St. Mary's Cathedral) and Severikirche (St. Severus Church) stand next to each other on Domberg Hill and overlook the Domplatz (Cathedral Square) adorned with typical German architecture.  Germany is known for its elaborate Christmas markets and it is here where Erfurt celebrates theirs.

winter wonderland

Erfurt (Thüringen), Germany

A view of Erfurt from above shows many church steeples as well as the river that that passes through the city.  The rooftops of the buildings from the Krämerbrucke (grocers' bridge) that I mentioned in another post can be seen in the foreground.

(click on the picture to enlarge it)

creepy door knocker

Erfurt (Thüringen), Germany

This creepy door knocker comes from the Dom St. Marien (St. Mary's Cathedral), the oldest church in Erfurt dating back to the early 9th century, combining Romanesque and Gothic elements.

city center

Erfurt (Thüringen), Germany

This centrical square - the Anger - has been considered the new city center of Erfurt during the 20th century as all tram lines are linked here.  Many important historical buildings can be found dating from the 18th century and beyond.

houses built on a bridge

Erfurt (Thüringen), Germany

Probably the most famous sight in Erfurt is what you see on the right-hand side of this picture - the 15th century Krämerbrücke (grocers' bridge) - 32 half-timbered houses and shops built on a bridge over a river.  This bridge was originally built out of wood in the 12th century and contained several stands selling food and other miscellaneous items.  Because of numerous fires over the centuries, the bridge was rebuilt out of stone with buildings instsead of stands.  The funny looking wooden structure on the left is a multi-dwelling bird house!

old and new

Erfurt (Thüringen), Germany

snow-covered rooftops

Erfurt (Thüringen), Germany

Johann Sebastian Bach's father, Johann Ambrosius Bach, was born in Erfurt and is the city in which he was married.  Johann Pachelbel also served as organist at a church in this city and composed over seventy pieces here.  Because little of Erfurt was destroyed during World War II, the center offers a variety of medieval, baroque and classical architecture.  In addition, there are over 25 churches and monasteries in the center of Erfurt, most of them in the Gothic style and some Romanesque.