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German Favorites

Article based on news reports (kjb)August 10, 2007

Cologne's majestic Gothic cathedral is Germany's most beloved tourist destination, according to a recent survey. Berlin, Dresden and the Neuschwanstein Castle also scored well.

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Cologne Cathedral is the second tallest church in Germany and the third tallest in the worldImage: dpa

Visitors exiting Cologne's main train station can often be caught craning their necks, jaws open, as they catch a glimpse of the city's cathedral, towering 157 meters (515 feet) above them. It's no wonder that 15.2 percent of participants in a recent survey selected the Gothic structure as their favorite tourist destination.

The capital city also scored well in the survey, which was conducted by the German Tourism Association and the Web site meinestadt.de. Four Berlin sites -- the Brandenburg Gate, the Television Tower, the Reichstag, and the city as a whole -- made the Top 15.

Dresden, Germany's eastern gem, also proved popular among Germans. The Church of Our Lady, which underwent renovation in 2005, took third place, while the Semper Oper placed 41st.

For many outside the country, the Oktoberfest is synonymous with Germany. But how did the Bavarian beer bash fair with the 3,000 German survey participants? It came in at 11 -- not bad, but perhaps not quite as well as it would have in a survey of non-Germans.

In the questionnaire, Germans selected these locations as their 10 favorite places to be a tourist:

1. Cologne Cathedral
2. Neuschwanstein Castle (Schwangau)
3. Church of Our Lady (Dresden)
4. Brandenburg Gate (Berlin)
5. Hamburg Port

6. Sanssouci Castle (Potsdam)
7. Berlin
8. Monument of the Battle of the Nations (Leipzig)
9. Television Tower (Berlin)
10. Suspended Railway (Wuppertal)

Die Frauenkirche in Dresden Panorama Elbe
Dresden was heavily bombed during World War Two and the Church of Our Lady was destroyedImage: AP


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