Cultural Heart of Germany

15/02/2023

News from the Cultural Heart of Germany for our lovely community: This FB page will be discontinued BUT, not to worry, the Cultural Heart of Germany partners Saxony and Thuringia bring you each great pages full of inspiring travel tips and image/video content.

➡️ For Thuringia, see here: https://www.facebook.com/thueringen.tourismus.de
➡️ For Saxony, see here: https://www.facebook.com/SaxonyTourism

We hope you will follow both of them to continue getting news from the regions - and want to THANK YOU for your interest and comments over the years!!

Picture Dresden: www.instagram.com/magictiron/
Picture Wartburg Castle: Moritz Kertzscher, Thueringer Tourismus GmbH

31/12/2022

From the Cultural Heart of Germany to you all - wishing you only the very best for 2023!

29/12/2022

Winter sports in Germany - that's not just the Alps! In Saxony, the cross-country trails are prepared, the lifts are in operation and the sleds are ready, too.

Plan your Saxony winter experience here!

28/12/2022

... Still up for Christmas vibes? The Christmas Market at Dresden's Neumarkt is open until 8 January and the fabulous Christmas Garden at Pillnitz Palace and Park, also Dresden, can be explored for even longer until 15 January. Just saying 🙂

You still can’t get enough of Christmas time? Saxony is the place for you! The Christmas Market at the Dresden Neumarkt is open until January 8th. Or you can enjoy the twinkling lights of the Christmas Garden at Pillnitz Palace and Park up until January 15th.

✨ Plan your visit here: https://www.christmas-garden.de/dresden/

© TMGS

23/12/2022

Where Christmas decorations are an art form: The Ore Mountains region in Saxony are known for their handicrafted festive creations such as nutcrackers, wooden pyramids and charmingly dotted angels. And you might also know the Moravian Stars from Upper Lusatia which traditionally has 26 points. Take a look at how it's done!

20/12/2022

Here's a special one: Historical Christmas market at Thuringia's Christmas market. There's a decidedly Medieval vibe, taking visitors back to the times of candle makers, glass blowers, and other traditional crafts. Needless to say, UNESCO World Heritage site Wartburg Castle is the perfect setting of this type of event 🙂

19/12/2022

Hard to beat a castle view in winter, especially when it's located like this: Leuchtenburg in Thuringia dates back to the 13th century and sits above the Saale River south of Jena. During the festive season, it puts on a very atmospheric Christmas market, recommended!

18/12/2022

Are you a fan of the Stollen 🙂? Only original when made in Dresden by a range of officially approved bakers. From kneading to finished product - it's proper craft and so great to see how the tradition is maintained from generation to generation.

Images: Daniel James Clarke

17/12/2022

Time to take a closer look at the large stepped pyramid at Dresden's Striezelmarkt:

The famous landmark of the city's Christmas market is impossible to miss, at 14.62 metres, and actually listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the world's largest stepped pyramid from the Ore Mountains where it was made. The attention to details is off the scale (43 figures on six levels!) - and we love it 🙂

Images: Daniel James Clarke

16/12/2022

Winter wonderland time in Saxony! From horse sledge rides to downhill and cross-country skiing - pick your favourite winter activity.

Plan your Saxony winter experience

12/12/2022

Starting the week with some mouth-watering festive treats from Saxony - from "Stollen" to "Pfefferkuchen" ... Enjoy 🙂

08/12/2022

Ever heard of "Schwibbogen"? These beautiful decorative candle-holders are made in the Ore Mountains, together with many other traditional wooden Christmas decorations. Quite atmospheric, isn't it 🙂

Image: Thomas Kruse

06/12/2022

It's not just a favourite in summer: Thuringia's "mountain railway" in the Thuringian Highlands is a delightful way to explore this beautiful region. Are you ready to get on board 🙂?

05/12/2022

What a wonderfully colourful affair: Here's the Christmas market in Jena. We're making an assumption that you don't know Thuringia's second biggest city yet but it's worthwhile exploring - also when not in its lovely festive appearance 😉

01/12/2022

It's that time of the year again! 1 December, kick-off for another great video advent calendar from Saxony: From today until 24 December, you can discover something special about the region. Expect stories of nutcrackers and angels, dinosaurs and a dachshund, the Saxon Robin Hood and more!

Discover it here and see what's behind the first door, https://bit.ly/3P6dgS5

28/11/2022

Here's a great Germany postcard from UK travel bloggers Brock & Betty - outdoor adventures in Saxony and Thuringia, including Saxon Switzerland National Park, Hainich National Park and more

Tune in here, https://bit.ly/3OMujIr

Outdoor adventures in the regions of Saxony & Thuringia 🇩🇪Including:🍂Saxon Switzerland National Park🍁The Dragons Gorge 🍂The Bastei is a rock formation🍁...

27/11/2022

It's the first Sunday of Advent – and all across Germany people light the first candle of their advent wreaths. The Cultural Heart of Germany is home to a range of unique seasonal traditions, particularly in Saxony's Ore Mountains. Here's the village of Seiffen famous for its Miners’ Church and the Miners’ Parades taking place before Christmas, reminding of the days of ore mining in the region.

Experience Christmas with all your senses

23/11/2022

One of our all-time favourites: The Christmas market scenery in the small Ore Mountains town of Annaberg-Buchholz is hard to beat. The Ore Mountains region is home to numerous unique Christmas traditions around crafts, food and special events. Join in!

Open from 25 Nov to 23 Dec 2022

Image: Dieter Knoblauch

22/11/2022

Should autumn get a bit gloomy, we like to think of this: Glorious winter wonderland in the Thuringian Forest. What do you think of our thoughts 🙂?

22/11/2022

Wow. Here's Dresden’s "Christmas Garden", featuring delightful light installations on the grounds of Pillnitz Palace and Park.
On until 23 January!

https://visitsaxony.com/event/christmas-garden-dresden

Let there be light! ✨ Dresden’s Christmas Garden illuminates the Castle and Park of Schloss Pillnitz. From now on until January 23 you can marvel at the atmospheric lights while strolling through the Castle’s grounds.

So delightful: https://visitsaxony.com/event/christmas-garden-dresden

© Christmas Garden | Michael Clemens

21/11/2022

There's been some snow! Weimarhallenpark in Weimar looking beautifully serene, we find 🙂

Der Weimarhallenpark im Winterkleid.

18/11/2022

Only a few more days to go and then, finally, after Covid-induced breaks, Erfurt's wonderful Christmas market is back, opening on 22 November. Will there be snowy scenes? Let's see... but with or without, the stunning backdrop on the city's Cathedral Square is a winner in any weather 🙂

Image: Matthias Frank Schmidt

17/11/2022

City breakers, venture out, we say! When in Leipzig, for example, get out of town to explore nearby Grimma, charming old town on the Mulde River, full of architectural highlights and set in a lovely landscape.

Only a few miles from Leipzig, the small town of Grimma is a delight, with historic architecture, fascinating local history and an enchanting river setting.

11/11/2022

Are you into Christmas decorations?

The small Thuringian town of Lauscha is the birthplace of delicate hand-blown glass tree decorations. The first hand-blown glass workshop was established in the late 16th century and by the 1870s, Lauscha was exporting Christmas ornaments to Britain. Today, Christmas decorations are still produced in the traditional manner and very popular in Germany and beyond.

Tip: Every year, Lauscha holds its famous Christmas "Kugelmarkt" market, featuring glass Christmas decorations galore. This year on 26/27 Nov and 3/4 Dec.

10/11/2022

Soon it's time for this - Christmas markets! To get you in the mood, some festive perspectives from Dresden, Görlitz and Leipzig.

Images: S. Rose Fotografie

10/11/2022

Here are three very different museums in Saxony, providing great choice for art lovers: the Old Masters Picture Gallery in Dresden, Leipzig’s Fine Art Museum, or the Gallery of Modern Art in Chemnitz. Take your pick 🙂

06/11/2022

Amazing Dresden skyline, with full moon shining its light on the city's old town. The building that looks like a mosque was once a cigarette factory. "Yenidze", as it's called, todays hosts a restaurant, theater and offices.

Frauenkirche, Semperoper and Zwinger - the most beautiful sights of the Elbe metropolis at a glance. Including the best tips of the Dresden professionals.

03/11/2022

It's November! So, of course, we're starting to think about all things festive and the many wonderful Christmas markets opening soon in the Cultural Heart of Germany regions of Saxony and Thuringia. Here's Erfurt's Merchants' Bridge in a seasonal look (also proudly featuring as our new cover pic). And more to come!

31/10/2022

Starting the week with a best of Saxony - cities, nature, culture. Colourful and inspiring. Have a good start into November 🙂

29/10/2022

Looking forward to - Christmas markets! Today, the Christmas tree is being erected on Dresden's Altmarkt square and in 25 days the city's 588th "Striezelmarkt" Christmas market will be opening on 23 November.

NEWS! Heute wird der Weihnachtsbaum 🌲 auf dem Dresdner Altmarkt aufgestellt. Jetzt sind es nur noch 25 Tage bis zur Eröffnung des 588. Dresdner Striezelmarktes ✨ . Ab Mittwoch, 23. November 2022, um 16 Uhr können wir dann gemeinsam über den größten Weihnachtsmarkt in Dresden Elbland schlendern 😍 . 💛