About Fussen
Fussen is Bavaria's finest gem. Fussen is set in a charming landscape where rolling hills meet the Austrian Alps and accented with nearby castles.
One important castle is Neuschwantstein Schloss which is about 4 kilometers from Fussen. Neuschwanstein Castle is a fairy-tale castle on which Disneyland and Disneyworld's castles are modeled. It was built for legendary King Ludwig II from 1869 to 1886 with its breathe-taking location and unique interior design.
Another castle nearby is another of King Ludwig's castles, Hohenshwangua Schloss. King Ludwig would spend his childhood summer days here. In the valley from these castles you can enjoy the picturesque countryside.
Fussen is a well known center for sports and recreation with nearby lakes and mountains to explore. Tegelberg mountain cable ride will take you about a mile high into the mountains and provides a panoramic view of the area.
The town of Fussen is over 700 years old. It has numerous cultural highlights to offer in addition to its enchanting old town. Fussen gained its wealth in the 15th century because it was a trade between Italy and Augsburg. Fussen is Bavaria's highest town which is about 800 meters above sea level.
About Augsburg
Ever since its founding by Caesar Augustus - after whom it was named, the town of Augsburg has stood at the Intersection of some of the most important trade and travel routes on the Continent. Even in the Middle Ages the city owed its great importance to his location. In the 13th century the citizens achieved for the old cathedral town of Augsburg the status of a free city in the Holy Roman Empire (Reichsstadt). The Welsers with their shipping interests and the rich and influential Fuggers helped to turn Augsburg into a city of international importance: a city of emperors and a venue for imperial diets, the home and workplace of famous artists, sculptors and composers.
The face of Augsburg has been shaped by its 2000-year history and within it the styles of all the major architectural periods are to be found. Fine spacious streets, monumental fountains and distinctive public buildings recall the profound thought and planning of the earlier citizens of Augsburg.
The Renaissance remains one of the high points of the city's cultural history; at that time Augsburg was a centre of architecture, music and painting. The ancestors of Holbein and Mozart lived for centuries in the city and its hinterland. The rococo style was in its time described as the "Augsburg style". Today, concerts in magnificent old halls, open-air opera at the Rotes Tor, art exhibitions, museums and churches are just as much the goal of international tourists as are the Fuggerei, the Schaezlerpalais, the Mozart House or the Bert Brecht House.
Augsburg is the third largest city in Bavaria and an important economic centre where internationally renowned companies offer state-of-the-art computer and electronic technology.
About Vipiteno
Vipiteno is a bustling holiday region with the municipalities of Vipiteno, Prati di Vizze and Campo di Trens with spectacular mountain scenery and an area of outstanding beauty. Vipiteno is a medieval Fugger town with a captivating romantic and picturesque character. Set 948 m above sea level and with a population of 5,800 Vipiteno is the administrative centre of the Wipptal valley. This small Alpine town was once a place where emperors and kings used to lodge and is now a little jewel boasting a wealth of cultural and historical treasures, streets adorned with countless oriels and full of elegant shops.
About Innsbruck
Located in the Inn Valley, Innsbruck, with its 150.000 inhabitants, is, as a result of its great location in the Alps, an international centre for winter sports and was the host of the Olympic Winter Games twice, in 1964 and 1976.
The cityscape of Innsbruck is characterized by the architecture that dominates the city center. On the 15th century the emperor Maximilian I made Innsbruck the centre of his administration and he erected the "Goldene Dachl" in the core of Innsbruck's now historic center, a renaissance oriole, decorated with gold painted copper shingles. In 1665 Empress Maria Theresia built the Triumph Gate and expanded the "Hofburg", the residence of the Habsburgs in Innsbruck.
The architecture of this period still shows in the cityscape of Innsbruck.
In 1805 Napoleon's armies defeated Austria and Tyrol was given to the Bavarians. The Tyrolean resistance fighter Andreas Hofer managed to free Tyrol from the German and French troops and in 1814 it was returned to the Austrians. Andreas Hofer is a Tyrolean National hero and a large painted round panorama picture, the "Rundgemälde", was dedicated to his fight on the Mount Isle.
About Munich
Munich, an charming 800-year-old city, is the capital of Bavaria and the home of the world-famous Oktoberfest. Munich is an important cultural center with special opera, theatre, ballet and concert seasons. It also has museums and galleries on every imaginable subject. Some interesting ones are the German Theater Museum, Museum of Mankind and Nature, the Residenz (Egyptian Art and the crown jewels) and the Valentine Museum. The Deutsches Museum is the largest science and industry museum in Europe. .
The Englischer Garten is a nice place to relax and watch the citizens of Munich take their walks. In the midst of the gardens are the Kleinhesseloher See, a small lake with a cafe, and a Chinese Tower and Monopterus (a Greek temple).
The town itself is easy to get around thanks to an excellent transportation system. Visit the Nymphenburg Castle, a large baroque 17th-century palace that doubles as the Bavarian China Factory, the botanical gardens and the Olympic Center north of Munich, built for the 1972 Olympics. Be sure to see Kaufingerstrasse (great shopping street stretching from Stachus to the Marienplatz) and the Schwabing District with its arty atmosphere smart boutiques antique shops lively nightlife and a stellar selection of restaurants bars and discos. Continue shopping at Viktualienmarkt an open-air marketplace where everything from gingerbread cookies to fresh fish is available. Near the Viktualienmarkt is the Gartnerplatz where there are a lot of great little restaurants. Other attractions are the Hellabrunn Zoo, the gardens and the Rathaus a 19th-century Gothic city hall with a glockenspiel (performances daily at 11 am noon and during May-October 5 pm).
One of Munich’s most recognizable structures is the twin-onion-domed Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady). The old exterior provides quite a contrast to the stark white interior rebuilt after war damage gutted the church. BMW aficionados may want to make a pilgrimage to the BMW museum for some history of the company (after all the B in BMW stands for Bavaria and the corporate headquarters are in Munich).