GERMANY

Location - Western Europe; Capital - Berlin; Population - 83 million; Currency - Euro MORE GERMANY

After Munich I headed back up to northern Germany to Cologne, Bonn and Dusseldorf - September 2010.

Germany is part of the Euro zone

 Bonn is the birthplace of composer Ludwig van Beethoven

His statue stands on Munsterplatz, the heart of the Altstadt or old town - Bonn

Ludwig van Beethoven, 1770 to 1827 - Bonn

Also on Munsterplatz is the Munster Basilica - Bonn

A café in the Altstadt - Bonn

Fast food vans populate the Markt, another square in the Altstadt - Bonn

Beethoven was born in this house in Bonn

The Rhine River flows through Bonn

Remigiusplatz is a small square in the Altstadt edged with cafés and restaurants - Bonn

The Kurfurstliche Residenz, or Electoral Residence, now forms part of the university in Bonn

Another great place to relax at a roadside café is at a park just off Am Neutor, near the train station - Bonn

The 240 metre Rhine Tower (Rheinturm) stands above the river - Dusseldorf

Check out the city from the Rhine Tower's observation deck or restaurant - Dusseldorf

Follow the course of the Rhine River - Dusseldorf

In the foreground is the spire of St Lambertuskirche and the Palace Tower, at Burgplatz - Dusseldorf

At the base of the Rhine Tower, again with a view of St Lambertuskirche - Dusseldorf

A closer look at the Palace Tower, which now hosts the Navigation Museum, at Burgplatz in Dusseldorf's Altstadt (old town)

The Rhine and the Rhine Tower - Dusseldorf

It's that tower again - Dusseldorf

Reflections in Konigsalle's waters, an upmarket shopping street - Dusseldorf

The Town Hall (Rathaus) and statue of Jan Wellem - Dusseldorf

Nighttime at the Marktplatz, with the lights on the Town Hall - Dusseldorf

There's plenty of bars and restaurants in Dusseldorf's old town

Roadside bars start to fill up in the old town - Dusseldorf

The city really gets going in the evening and made the trip worthwhile - Dusseldorf

A pond at Mediciplatz close to the Rhine and the old town - Dusseldorf

I love the shower being right in the hotel room. And also that my feet wanted to have their photo taken - Cologne

Cologne's main tourist sight is its massive Cathedral

Cologne Cathedral's twin spires. Work began on the cathedral in the 13th century but it was only completed in 1880 - Cologne

A Roman arch lies in front of the twin spires - Cologne

A closer look at the Cathedral spire's detail - Cologne

Outside the Cathedral is a model of the finials situated on the top of the spires.
It gives an idea of the building's huge size - Cologne

The Rhine River also flows through Cologne as well as Bonn and Dusseldorf

Restaurants in Cologne's old town, with Great St Martin church in the background

Great St Martin church can also be seen from Heumarkt - Cologne

A restaurant in Heumarkt, a square in Cologne's old town

The evening gets under way at Heumarkt - Cologne

There's a fair few bars at Alter Markt as well - Cologne

The streets of the Altstadt, or old town - Cologne

More cobbled streets in the old town - Cologne

A beer hall in Cologne's old town

The Documentation Centre houses a museum about the Nazi period - Cologne

The basement of the Documentation Centre was a Gestapo (Nazi secret police) prison where many were tortured and killed - Cologne

In 1942 Askold Kurov (right) was deported from Moscow to Cologne and forced into slave labour.
In 1944 he was sent to this Gestapo prison with his wife-to-be Vera who had been deported from Uzbekistan - Cologne

One of Askold Kurov's inscriptions on a prison cell wall (top paragraph): 'We have already been held in custody for 43 days, the interrogation is coming to an end, now we are next to face the gallows. I wish to ask all who know us to inform our comrades that we were killed in these torture chambers too' - Cologne

In 1945 Askold Kurov escaped through a door and an unbarred window in the lower basement (pictured) where there were no cells. After liberation he ended up in the Soviet Union but was accused of collaboration with the Germans. Eventually he returned home in 1946, married Vera and moved to Uzbekistan. He died in 2000 - Cologne

Website and content Copyright © 2008-2011 Mark Wilkinson. All rights reserved.

LINKS

www.germany-tourism.co.uk - German tourist board

www.about-germany.org

www.bvg.de - Berlin transport

www.bahn.de - excellent German train website, also covering areas outside Germany. Buy tickets online.

I am not responsible for the content of external websites.