There are many different architectural styles which define the appearance of German towns and cities. German architecture is like art, each building, beautiful, magnificent and sometimes unbelievable is what can give a location its character, reputation and sometimes fame.

Being at the heart of Europe and European history, Germany is home to a huge amount of architectural highlights and delights, but it is not always easy to distinguish the difference in styles or to discover all the details that can make German architecture and history even more exiting. Below is a brief description of all the different architectural styles that can be found in Germany.

1200 B.C. - 600 A.D.

Antiquity is a broad term for a long period of cultural history centered on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the civilizations of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome.

The Roman Empire covered several parts of today's Germany and left many traces especially in southern Germany. Parts of the Roman fortification, the Limes, which was built to defend from German Tribes, are still in very good condition today. Cities like Cologne, Mainz or Trier have their origins as ancient Roman settlements.

Typical features of Antique architecture are the use of Greek columns and ancient west Italian arch constructions as well as huge cupolas and triumphal arches, which are decorated at the top with several sculptures and relieves.

Declared as world heritage site in 1986, the oldest city of Germany and metropolis of the Roman Empire, Trier, is still today adorned with many impressive buildings of this era. The world famous Porta Nigra in Trier is one of the best known and maintained town gates of the Antiquity era. The massive construction of sandstone cuboids presents the Roman architecture at its best. But also the amphitheatre, the Romanesque cathedral, the imperial thermal baths and the historical old quarter of Trier are typical buildings of the Antiquity.

1000 - 1250

Romanesque architecture was the first distinctive style to spread across Europe since the Roman Empire. Combining Western Roman and Byzantine configurations, the Romanesque architectural style is characterised through the round-headed arches, thick walls, massive blocky forms as well as clearly defined and symmetrical shapes.

The most important Romanesque building in Germany is the imperial cathedral of Speyer, which is laid out in the form of a Latin cross. Other typical features are the round arch windows and the Roman columns which form beautiful arcadings taking the pressure off its massive construction. The western gable of the church is always the most decorated part of the building, where sculptors and glass painters have shown their skills and art. A popular motiv of the Romanesque era is an acanthus leaf.
In Germany, Romanesque churches mostly have apses at both east and west ends and a main entrance being central to one side.

Saxony Anhalt, right in the heart of Germany, is a treasure trove for Romanesque architecture, unmatched in its wealth and breadth. Here you can explore well over 70 castles, abbey churches and ruins along the amazing Romanesque Route, following a circuit of over 1,000 kilometres.

Worth visiting are also the twelve Romanesque churches in Cologne, which are huddled together within the old city walls and give an impression about Cologne's importance during the Middle Ages.

1150 - 1500

Originating in 12th-century in France, Gothic architecture has kept the Romanesque basics like the Latin cross. The main feature that distinguishes it from other styles is its new pointed arch feature and its porch is often decorated with life-sized stone sculptures, flying buttresses, clustered columns and pointed ribbed vaults. Above the front entrance there is usually a large window in the shape of a rosette, made from coloured glass and decorated with beautiful tracery.

Emphasizing verticality and light, the gothic style does create a more magnificent atmosphere abrogating the massive weight you would find in Romanesque buildings into a skeletal construction and interior which appear more heavenly.

In towns across Europe a Gothic cathedral or abbey was generally the main landmark building rising high above all other buildings and often surmounted by one or more towers, pinnacles and tall spires.

The Freiburger Minster is one of the most considerable Gothic buildings in Germany as well as the cathedral in Cologne, allthough the Cologne cathedral wasn't completed until the 19th century.

Baltic cities like Stralsund, Rostock, Luebeck and Greifswald are also characterised Gothic styles, more specifically Backsteingotik (Brick-lined Gothic), which is noticed by its distinctive red and brown bricks.

The historic Old Town of Luebeck which is surrounded by water is with its famous Holsten Gate, the Hospital of the Holy Spirit and many more great buildings a significant symbol of brick stone architecture from the Gothic period, and the first Old Town in Germany ever officially declared a UNESCO world heritage site.

1420 - 1620

Renaissance stands for the revival of Antiquity, specifically with symmetry, proportion, geometry and regularity in architecture.

Through the power struggle between the German Emperor and the pontifex in Rome, the italian population was seeking protection and hold in the legacies of their Greek-Roman ancestors. This movement spread to Germany through German artists as Albrecht Duerer, who traveled to Italy to learn more and who became inspired by the Renaissance movement.

Orderly arrangements of columns, pilasters and lintels, as well as the use of semicircular arches, hemispherical domes, niches and aedicules replaced the more complex proportional systems and irregular profiles of medieval buildings. The plans of Renaissance buildings have simple forms like squares and circles. Facades are generally surmounted by a pediment and organised by a system of pilasters, arches and entablatures.

The Landshut Residence was built from italian master craftsmen and is a very authentic example for Renaissance architecture in Germany as well as the castle in Heidelberg and the Town Hall in Augsburg. St Michael in Munich is the largest Renaissance church north of the Alps.

1680 - 1780

While the architecture of the Renaissance was developed among wealthy working class people, the baroque style quickly spread among nobility, especially in German cities like Dresden, Berlin and Munich where many residences and important landmarks are in this elaborate style. The architectural ideal for many German constructors was the Palace of Versailles with its gorgeous and impressive interior, which is clearly recognisable at the famous Zwinger in Dresden and the Herrenchiemsee Palace near Munich.

The people of the Baroque are characterised by splendour, pathos and a certain awareness of life, which is clearly reflected  in the architecture of this time. Magnificent staircases, which lead up to the monarch to show his position of power, and huge round arch windows are typical for Baroque as well as opulent sculptures on the walls, large-scale and colourful ceiling frescoes and a dramatic use of light and shadow. The external facade is also often very pompous and conspicuous.

Well-known Baroque castels in Germany are Castle Charlottenburg in Berlin and the Neue Palais (New Palace) in Potsdam where you also find Castle Sanssouci. The latter already belongs to late Baroque, also called Rococo, which is still more opulent in décor and uses many more brighter colours.

1750 - 1840

Classicism in architecture, developed during the Italian Renaissance, places emphasis on symmetry, proportion, geometry and the regularity of parts as they are demonstrated in the architecture of Classical Antiquity.

The urge for monumentality, clear arrangements and greatness lead to the emergence of palaces, parliament buildings, city gates, triumphal arches and victory monuments. The sculptures were made of white marble and colour was completely rejected as well as the decorativ and coltish forms of Baroque.

Berlin and Munich are considered as capitals of Classicism in Germany. Best examples are the Brandenburg gate, the Neue Wache (New Guard House) and the Museumsinsel (Museum Island) in Berlin with its Old Museum, which reminds of the Roman Pantheon.

The Koenigsplatz (Royal square) in Munich with its Glyptothek, that contains a Greek sculpture collection, features with its symmetrical appearance and its ionic columns the monumental style of Classicism at its best.

1840 - 1900

The society's interest in history and the development of the historical world view lead to the idea of keeping the architectural styles of the past and to merge these understandings of art under the name of Historicism.

Churches and parliaments were built with features of Gothic architecture, so called Neo-Gothic. For representative buildings of the middle class and dwelling houses the architects chose elements of Baroque. For iron constructions and bridges the Neo-Romanesque was considered as ideal, as well as for Castles, like Neuschwanstein in Bavaria. Theatres and museums were often built in styles of Neo-Renaissance, as seen best at the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister (Old Masters Picture Gallery) in Dresden.

A further step to Historicism was Eclecticism, in which all the different historical styles were mixed up. The Berliner Reichstag for example combines architecture of Neo-Renaissance with features of Neo-Baroque.

1894 - 1914

During the late 19th century people were yearning for something completely different and new in architecture, they found it in natural and harmonic forms.

Mainly shown on mansions and dwellings, the Jugendstil style uses precise and hard edges. The Facades were decorated with delicate ornaments but much more attention was given to the interior design and architecture of buildings. An interesting combination of hand craft and sculpting gave this style its characteristic making art a part of everyday life for most people which was the main aim and reason of Art Nouveau.

Examples of this era are the Hochzeitsturm on the Mathildenhöhe in Darmstadt, the synagogue in Augsburg and many residential quarters in German cities like Leipzig and Karlsruhe.

Since early 20th century

"Less is more", "Form follows Function" and "Elimination of Ornaments" - these are the main principles of Modernism. Lead by the invention of new building techniques and new ideas modern architecture is driven by engineering, technological advancements and the availability of new building materials such as iron, steel and glass.

One of the most influential trends in Modern architecture came trough the establishment of Bauhaus, an art and architectural school formed in 1919 by Walter Gropius in Dessau. Today the original Bauhaus styles on buildings can primarily be found in Weimar, Dessau and Berlin.

Modernism as a dominant style is seen in most skyscrapers with their glass facades and huge iron constructions, which are often clearly visible in most cities. A very special example is also the Zeche Zollverein (Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex) in Essen. With its huge iron appearance it was recently declared as UNESCO world heritage site.

Not less impressive is the Industrial Landscape Park in Duisburg in which focus a disused smeltery stand whose old industry facilities are used for several events and which were rebuild in a Climbing Park and a Diving Centre to mention just some of the great leisure opportunities on site.

It is a new trend to transform historical industry locations into modern urban destricts, like the Rheinauhafen close to Cologne. Modern housing and commercial sectors built with a lot of steel, glass and sophisticated lighting design are combined with the typical characteristics of its original use as a harbour visible trough restored harbor cranes and old sections of rails. The interplay of historic and modern architecture seems spectacular and is a new highlight in urban development.