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German Gothic - Glories of the later Middle Ages
9
days
from
A$7,420
Book today with a deposit from
A$1,113
30th June 2027 - 8th July 2027
Tour highlights
- Some of Europe’s finest medieval buildings in rural and small town Germany.
- A comprehensive survey of architectural masterpieces covering a wide geographical spread. Sculpture and other arts in abundance.
- Led by an art historian and expert in architecture of the Middle Ages.
- This unique tour quarries one of the richest seams of creativity in the Middle Ages – one which is familiar at first hand to few.
Gothic architecture was late to take root in German-speaking lands but, once established, architects there became exceptionally accomplished and innovative, and produced some of the more outstanding buildings in Europe of the 14th and 15th centuries. This tour provides a comprehensive survey of their achievement. By including key buildings of the 13th century, and illustrating the demise of the influence of French High Gothic, the genius and originality of distinctly German styles will become all the more evident.
Considering the beauty and importance of these buildings, it is astonishing that so few Britons have visited them. Some, indeed, until a generation ago were difficult to access, located as they were in the depths of rural East Germany. Many of the churches visited are located in some of the least spoiled towns in the country, and the tour passes through enchanting countryside.
Architecture is not the only subject of the tour. A great deal of very fine sculpture, painting and furnishing survives in Germany, much of it in situ in the churches for which it was made.
Itinerary
Fly at c. 11.00am from London Heathrow to Frankfurt (British Airways). Drive northwards across forested uplands to Marburg, a lovely university town with a wealth of half-timbered buildings. The Elisabethkirche is a pioneering hall church (side aisles and nave of equal height) of remarkable homogeneity, and is one of the first major churches to embody specifically German characteristics. The gold shrine of St Elisabeth is very fine. Continue to Erfurt for the first of three nights.
Erfurt is an attractive town famous for its mediaeval bridge crowned with houses. The cathedral has a soaring High Gothic choir and a Late Gothic hall-church nave. Adjacent is the Severikirche, another fine hall-church with excellent sculpture. An afternoon walk includes the aforementioned Krämerbrücke (bridge), Barfüsserkirche with its striking medieval stained glass, and Predigerkirche, which is one of Germany’s most impressive mendicant churches. Overnight Erfurt.
Morning excursion to Naumburg. The imposing Early Gothic cathedral is known for the astonishingly naturalistic life-size statues of the twelve founders (c. 1250), among the greatest treasures of the Middle Ages. Return to Erfurt after some time for lunch and independent exploration. The Angermuseum showcases a wide range of objects from medieval paintings and sculptures to an entire room with expressionist wall-paintings by Erich Heckel. Overnight Erfurt.
Built on seven hills and intersected by rivers, Bamberg is one of the loveliest towns in Europe. The majestic double-ended, four-towered cathedral is particularly outstanding for its Early Gothic sculpture, including the Bamberg Rider, a potent embodiment of knightly values. Drive South to Nuremberg, which remains one of the finest historic towns in Germany despite wartime damage. The church of St Lorenz, with a magnificent choir by Konrad Heinzelmann (begun 1439), is remarkable for an abundance of first-rate painting, sculpture and furnishings (Veit Stoss, Annunciation), as is its rival across the river, St Sebald. Continue to Regensburg, where the next two nights are spent.
Regensburg is an absolute hotspot for lovers of Gothic architecture: with the churches of the Franciscans and the Domincans from the 13th century, Regensburg boasts the most important medicant churches in southern Germany. The cathedral, begun around 1270 and finished by the early 16th century, has an unparalled amount of Gothic stained glass in Germany that is an important part of the town’s UNESCO World heritage status. The cathedral cloister is serene space replete with great Gothic tomb stones. Overnight Regensburg.
Drive to Ulm via Eichstätt, a charming Baroque town in the picturesque valley of the Altmühl River. Its cathedral, with its Gothic west choir, is regarded as one of Germany’s most important medieval monuments. There are stained-glass windows designed by Holbein the Elder. First of three nights in Ulm.
The enormous minster at Ulm has not only an outstanding ensemble of Gothic stained-glass windows and remarkable choir stalls by the Ulm woodcarver Syrlin but also the world’s tallest Gothic spire (162m). The municipal museum has good medieval painting and sculpture. Overnight Ulm.
The Church of Holy Cross at Schwäbisch-Gmünd is one of the most beautiful of Late Gothic churches; the first major undertaking by the Parler family, it was seminal for future stylistic development in Central Europe. Drive to nearby Nördlingen, situated on the Romantic Road. Raised to the rank of an imperial city in 1215 it developed into a powerful and wealthy local trading hotspot. The atmosphere of this idyllic city almost completely unscathed by the perils of time and war is impressively testified by a fully intact medieval city wall. We focus on the major art-work in town: an altarpiece created by Niklas Gerhaert von Leyden for the parish church.Overnight Ulm.
At the eastern foothills of the Swabian Alps lies the former Benedictine abbey of Blaubeuren. The abbey still preserves a delicately carved late-gothic altarpiece and choirstalls by the Ulm woodcarvers Erhard and Syrlin. Continue to Munich Airport. Fly from Munich, arriving Heathrow at c. 5.45pm.
Practicalities
Price, per person. Two sharing: A$7,840 or A$7,420 without flights. Single occupancy: A$8,810 or A$8,390 without flights.
Air travel (economy class) with British Airways; travel by private coach throughout; hotel accommodation as described below; breakfasts and 6 dinners with wine; all admissions and donations to churches; all tip for waiters, drivers and guides; airport and state taxes; the services of the lecturer.
NYX Hotel, Erfurt: modern hotel in the historic town centre. Hotel Goliath, Regensburg: an elegant 5-star hotel located in the historic center of Regensburg, only a few steps from the Cathedral. Hotel Goldenes Rad, Ulm: a historic 4-star hotel located in the heart of Ulm.
Single rooms are doubles for sole use throughout.
There is a fair amount of walking within towns (most German city centres being pedestrian zones). There is a lot of driving on this tour, with the average distance by coach per day of 116 miles. But the coach is comfortable, and most roads are well built and maintained.
Between 10 and 22 participants.
Before booking, please refer to Smartraveller to ensure you are happy with the travel advice for the destination(s) you are visiting. As a British company we follow the advice of the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office.
Dates & prices
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2027
Date
Speaker
Price
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