The "Romantic Road", which leads from the Main to the Alps , is a post-war marketing idea from the 1950s. Cities steeped in history, sights and monuments are lined up like pearls on a necklace along the approx. 460 km long route .
A best of Bavaria or a classic from north to south.
Close your eyes - lean back and listen - heavenly...
Aha! Cool ...
Theactual holiday routealong the historic route, with medieval towns, castles, baroque churches and palaces, was proclaimed in 1950. At that time in the timid hopeto lure vacationing occupation soldiers and tourists from the USA.
With around 5 million overnight stays and 23 million day visitors a year, the Romantic Road is an important economic factor for the towns along the route. On the Romantic Road, guests regularly fall in love with some of the most beautiful and historically significant places in the country.
In 2009, the course was changed for the first time in more than 50 years. Since the route was increasingly burdened by toll traffic, in some cases expanded to four lanes , the character and the landscape had changed significantly.
The motorway-like sections were then bypassed. The old Bavarian duchy of Rain was accepted as a member of the working group from January 2009.
Unbelievable
Meteoritenkrater im Ries
The town of Nördlingen is interesting because it is circular. This is no coincidence! It was built on an ancient meteorite crater. About 15 million years ago, an asteroid about 1 km in size collided with the earth at a speed of about 70,000 km/h .
When it exploded, releasing the energy of several 100,000 Hiroshima bombs , a huge crater was formed. In addition to the almost circular crater structure with a diameter of around 25km , new rocks such as suevite, various high-pressure minerals and diamonds were formed during the impact.
A word about Nördlingen - be sure to take the time and walk around the city on the only completely preserved city wall in Germany .
Romantic Road international
In the mid-1990s, 93 percent of the “travel-capable” Japanese knew the Romantic Road at least by name. In Brazil, too, the Romantic Road is one of the top attractions for vacationers in Germany.
Japan
Romantic Road Japan
In Japan there has been a Romantic Road based on the German model since 1982. 350km long and 27 member locations. These are by no means the only similarities between Germany's most popular holiday route and the Japanese Romantic Road.
Scenic beauty , overwhelming nature, magnificent flora , picturesque places, fascinating cultural treasures , historical highlights, festivals , health spas and thermal springs of rank characterize this route on Central Honshu, the largest of the four main Japanese islands , 100 - 180km west of Tokyo .
Korea
The Korean Romantic Road stretches 240 km from the inner-Korean border in the divided county of Goseong to the southern end of Gangwon Province in Samcheok . With an investment total of 80.6 billion Korean won (about 45 million euros), Gangwon Province, Goseong County, Sokcho County, Yangyang County, Gangnung County, Donghae City and City Samcheok realized a tourist route that combines the beauties of the Korean East Sea (Sea of Japan) with the mountain scenery on the coast . The German Romantic Road was the inspiration for the concept in Korea.
Brazil
Romantic Wheel
A Brazilian variant , the Rota Romântica , has existed since 1998 and the South Korean offshoot opened in 2009 . In the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Suler , the Rota Romântica , Brazil's Romantic Road, which was based on the German model , stretches between the flat land of the Rio dos Sinos river and the Serra Gaúcha plateau over a distance of almost 200 km.
The thirteen cities of the Rota Romântica are the ideal destination for travelers who are looking for a special area in Brazil with breathtaking landscapes, quiet towns and delicious country cuisine: valleys, pastures, waterfalls and colorful gardens form the beautiful nature of this region.
Even if it was forbidden to speak German in the 30s and 40s of the last century, the language has survived to this day and is still taught in schools along the Rota Romantica, so that visitors from Germany cannot communication problems along the route.
What is there to see?
The Romantic Road opens up the wealth of Western history, art and culture to the traveler at 29 stations . In addition to Würzburg with its residence, well-preserved medieval towns such as Rothenburg and Dinkelsbühl and Augsburg as the third largest city in Bavaria are among the highlights of this world-famous holiday route.
Here are someExamples of anticipation:
- Rothenburg ob der Tauber - fairy tales from the Middle Ages ...
- Dinkelsbühl - the most beautiful old town in Germany ...
- Harburg - Germany's oldest surviving castle complex...
- Augsburg - Fuggerei, old town with town hall, Schaezler Palace ...
- Steingaden - world-famous Wieskirche (UNESCO World Heritage)
- Schwangau - royal castles of Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau
Continue to the "Chinese Castle"... ????
The southernmost end point with a fantastic postcard backdrop is then Füssen with Neuschwanstein Castle and the Alpine panorama in the background .
The Japanese in particular are delighted . According to a survey, 93 percent of all “Japanese who are able to travel” know the holiday route that runs through Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. Since the 1960s, the signs for the Romantic Road , which runs past Neuschwanstein and ends in Füssen, have been subtitled in Japanese characters . By the way: there is also a Romantic Road in Japan ...
In the tourist statistics of Füssen (Allgäu), 2015 was probably the year in which the number of Chinese listed there exceeded that of the Japanese for the first time.
The name "Romantic Road" expresses what many of the domestic and foreign guests feel when they see the medieval towns or the dream castle of Neuschwanstein :
Fascination and
going back to old times...
We can only recommend everyone to reserve enough time,
about the triad of nature, art and cuisine
to explore and enjoy along the Romantic Road.