-Hi, I'm Rick Steves, back with more of the best of Europe.

This time we're enjoying some under-appreciated corners of Germany, both old and new.

It's Hamburg and a whole lot more.

Thanks for joining us.

Germany is Europe's leading country in many ways.

It dominates Europe's economy today and has long had a huge impact on events shaping the continent.

We'll see that be exploring Hamburg, its mighty port city, and then heading south to the stomping grounds of a single monk who, 500 years ago, changed the world.

After enjoying Hamburg's inviting parks and lakes we'll see how it's architecture ranges from some of Hitler's left over giant concrete bunkers to cutting-edge modern buildings.

We'll explore a vibrant counter-culture neighborhood.

And, after marveling at Hamburg's vast Warehouse District, we'll take the best harbor tour in Europe, sailing under its striking new skyline capped by a towering new concert hall.

Then we'll delve into the places where Martin Luther kicked off the Reformation 500 years ago, from the city where he preached and taught to the castle in which he hid out from the Holy Roman Emperor.

We'll learn about the chaos he triggered along with the progress.

Finally, for a contrast to all that stern Protestantism, we'll visit exuberantly Catholic Wurzburg and admire the elegance of its Residence, the palace of the prince bishops of Franconia.

In the heart of northern Europe lies Germany.

After touring Hamburg, we head south to the Luther Cities of Wittenberg and Erfurt, and finish in Wurzburg.

Hamburg is Germany's second-largest city.

Like other "second cities" -- Chicago, Glasgow, St. Petersburg -- it has a spirited pride.

While yet to be discovered by American travelers, it's a popular destination with Germans for its music, theater, and river-side energy.

A century ago, Hamburg's port was the third-largest in the world, with strong connections both east and west.

Heavy damage in World War II devastated its commercial center.

During the Cold War which followed, trade to the east was cut off.

Port traffic dwindled, and so did the city's influence.

But Hamburg's been enthusiastically rebuilt and, since the reunification of Germany just a generation ago, it's gaining back its former status as a leading trade center.

And it's become one of Germany's most desirable places to live.

The city's delightful lakes were created in the Middle Ages when townsfolk built a mill that dammed the local river.

Back in the 1950s, a law guaranteed public access to the lake for everyone, and today, peaceful paths and bike lanes are a hit with locals.

On a nice day, the lake is dotted with sailboats.

On the far side, lush inlets reach into fancy residential neighborhoods.

Along with plenty of downtown parkland, the lakes provide Hamburg -- one of Germany's greenest cities -- with an elegant promenade that comes complete with top-of-the-line shops.

Just a block away, its massive city hall, built in the 19th century, overlooks the lively scene.

It's flanked by graceful arcades and surrounded by plenty of commerce.

Its bold architecture and maritime atmosphere gives this northern-most Germany city an almost Scandinavian feel.

With its trading heritage and a strong economy, Hamburg's downtown showcases a wealthy city that rose like a phoenix from a terrible recent past.

You'd hardly know that this was one of the most heavily bombed cities in Germany in World War II.

With its strategic port, munitions factories, and transportation links, Hamburg was a prime target for Allied bombers.

American and British commanders had an innovative plan with a horrific goal.

Its name -- Operation Gomorrah.

On July 27, 1943, they hit targets first with explosive bombs to open roofs, break water mains, and tear up streets.

The purpose -- to make it hard for firefighters to respond.

Then came a hellish onslaught of incendiary bombs.

-And the city of Hamburg... -700 bombers concentrated their attack on a relatively small area.

The result was a firestorm never seen before.

The intensity of the bombs actually created a tornado of raging flames reaching horrific temperatures.

Thousands suffocated inside their air-raid shelters and those outside were sucked off their feet, disappearing up into the fiery vortex.

In three hours, the inferno killed over 35,000 people, left hundreds of thousands homeless, and reduced eight square miles of Hamburg to rubble and ashes.

Somehow the towering spire of St. Nicholas Church survived the bombing.

It and the ruins of the church itself are now a memorial, left to commemorate those lost and to remind future generations of the horrors of war.

Where the original altar once stood is now a simple yet poignant concrete altar by Oskar Kokoschka.

The memorial's underground museum quietly tells the story.

You'll see scorched and melted fragments demonstrating the heat of the firestorm and examples of the futility of trying to survive such a bombing.

The museum also shows foreign cities that Germany destroyed.

That's because Germans make a point to acknowledge the suffering they inflicted on others when remembering their own suffering.

Though Hamburg is mostly rebuilt, many World War II-era bunkers were just too solid to destroy, so they survive, incorporated into today's contemporary scene.

This mammoth structure has 10-foot thick reinforced concrete walls.

With windows cut through the concrete, it's surprisingly inviting.

While once hosting gunners trying to shoot down allied planes, today, bomb-hardened staircases lead to music shops and dance clubs.

[ Drumming ] And drummers here will never draw complaints from their neighbors.

Nearby, another bunker -- this one with colorful graffiti -- is now a climbing wall in a pleasant neighborhood park.

While Germany is known for its order and efficiency, that social conformity comes with a flip side -- neighborhoods well-known for their energetic counter culture.

Hamburg's trendy Schanze Quarter offers a breath of fresh cultural air.

A popular neighborhood, it has so many cafés, its main street is nicknamed "Latte Macchiato Boulevard."

This fun-loving edge is nothing new to Hamburg.

Nearby, Hamburg's Reeperbahn neighborhood has long been Germany's most famous entertainment zone.

It gained notoriety as a rough and sleazy sailors' quarters filled with nightclubs and brothels.

But, as the city's changed, so has its entertainment district.

In one generation, the Reeperbahn has earned a new, more respectable image -- a destination for theater and live music.

Today, this street, where the Beatles launched their careers back in 1960, is a fun scene lined with playhouses.

Considered the Broadway of Germany for its many musicals, the boulevard attracts theater-goers from all over the country.

Hamburg, 60 miles from the North Sea on the Elbe River, has long been a vital port.

Its waterfront is designed to accommodate the Elbe's 13-foot tides.

And, in anticipation of a rising sea level and potentially devastating storm surges, miles of embankments have recently been fortified.

Along with making the city safer, this stretch comes with a design element that gives Hamburg a delightful new park-like stretch of harbor front.

Long a busy ferry terminal, this floating dock is now a thriving tourist zone.

From here, with the aroma of pickled herring and French fries, you can enjoy the harbor and the energy of the city's port.

For German Americans, Hamburg has a special meaning, because their ancestors likely sailed from this harbor.

Between 1850 and 1930, millions of Germans emigrated to the United States from right here.

The port has always been a central feature of Hamburg.

It evolves and grows with the city's needs and with changes in shipping technology.

The vast Speicherstadt, or Warehouse City, was originally a seemingly endless grid of riverside warehouses.

Today, these buildings, once filled with cotton, rubber, and tobacco, house engaging museums, offices, and hip restaurants.

While those venerable warehouses survived, much of Hamburg's old port was abandoned when the shipping industry moved to a larger and more modern port nearby.

Then, a generation ago, the city realized that what had become a derelict industrial wasteland was potentially prime real estate.

The result, HafenCity, a huge urban development project.

With this new green and integrated urban center, downtown Hamburg became about 40 percent bigger, and once again, the city faces its river.

The re-energized district seems a city in itself, mixing its maritime heritage with striking modern architecture.

Worked into the plan are both high-end condos and affordable subsidized housing.

Hamburg has created a healthy mix of business, culture, and leisure -- convenient for the modern citizen without a car.

Today, city planners from around Europe look to Hamburg for inspiration in designing integrated urban centers.

The centerpiece of HafenCity is the striking Elbphilharmonie, a combination concert hall, public plaza, hotel, and apartment complex.

Its daring design and huge size fit in well with the massive scale of the surrounding port.

And, when approached by water, it resembles the looming prow of the steamer ships that first put Hamburg on the world map.

An unforgettable capper to a Hamburg visit is its harbor tour, the best of its kind in Europe.

You'll see plenty of Hamburg's bold new architecture as well as its more-established beach communities lined with mansions.

But mostly, the hour-long cruise gets you up close to Hamburg's shipping industry -- all those enormous container ships, towering cranes, and dry docks.

Accommodating 12,000 vessels a year, it's Europe's second-busiest harbor and earns the tag-line "Europe's gateway to the world and the world's gateway to Europe."

Germany is compact, with an impressive infrastructure.

Within a few hours, we're in Eastern Germany and Martin Luther country.

In 1517, a German monk Martin Luther was a professor here in the university town of Wittenberg.

As professors routinely did back then, he tacked some points for discussion on the door of the church, which served as a kind of a bulletin board for the university community.

These 95 points, questioning practices of the Roman Catholic Church, kicked off more than a discussion.

They kicked off the Protestant Reformation.

Martin Luther unleashed a world of change.

The Reformation was a political and theological storm that divided Christendom in Western Europe into Roman Catholics and Protestants.

It ignited a century of religious wars, and, along with the humanism of the Renaissance, it helped bring Western civilization out of the Middle Ages and into the modern world.

2017 marks the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, and eastern Germany is famous for its Lutherstadts, or "Luther cities," and sights associated with that tumultuous time.

The three most interesting Reformation stops are Erfurt, where Luther studied and first became a monk, Wartburg, the castle where he famously hid out and translated the Bible into German, and Wittenberg, where he taught, preached, and led the Reformation.

Luther went to law school here in Erfurt, and today, this half-timbered medieval town, with a shallow river gurgling through its center, remains a charming destination that Luther himself would recognize.

Erfurt's atmospheric Merchants' Bridge is lined with shops and homes.

Then as now, merchants live upstairs above their shops.

This is the land of fairy tales and the Brothers Grim, fine woodcarvers and fanciful puppets.

You can peek into the workshop of Martin Gobsch.

Observe him at work.

And don't leave without popping a coin into his tiny theater.

The evil queen welcomes you into the dreamy world of Snow White.

Separate vignettes tell the story.

It all leads to the happy ending when the charming prince whisks Snow White away.

Back in 1505, as a young student, Martin Luther became a monk in Erfurt's Augustinian monastery.

In this church he gave his first mass.

Its little museum includes Luther artifacts and the simple cell where the novice monk lived.

Little did they know that this humble novice would change the course of European history.

Nearby is Wittenberg.

Around 1500, the local ruler, Frederick the Wise, was establishing the town as his capital.

He invited young Martin Luther to join the faculty of his university.

The main square is dominated by its town hall and a statue remembering the great reformer.

Wittenberg's top sight is the Lutherhaus, where Luther lived.

Today it's an excellent museum displaying original artifacts -- the pulpit from which Luther preached, portraits of Luther and the other reformers, and the Bible Luther boldly translated from Latin into the people's language.

500 years ago, the selling of forgiveness and church corruption stoked public discontent with the Roman Church, which led to the Reformation.

This is a letter of indulgence, one of countless fund-raising coupons the Church issued.

These were sold to the faithful for religious favors such as reducing time for dead loved ones in purgatory.

Their money would fill boxes like this and eventually ended up in Rome to fund the pope's lavish world.

Corruption like this inspired Luther to confront the Church.

And it was the invention of the printing press with movable type by Guttenberg in the same generation that enabled reformers like Luther to spread their ideas.

Luther wrote in the people's language and sold more than a quarter million booklets like these.

Like social media empowers popular movements today, Luther's pamphlets went viral.

He was the bestselling German writer of the 16th century.

The Wartburg Castle is a popular stop on the Luther trail.

When Luther spoke out against Church corruption, he was declared an outlaw and needed to run for his life.

A sympathetic German prince gave him refuge.

Disguised and under a fake name, Luther hid out here in this castle.

The actions of this solitary monk brought far-reaching changes.

Believing that everyone should be able to read the word of God, Luther began the daunting and dangerous task of translating the New Testament from the orinal Ancient Greek into German.

He used simplified language, as he said, "like a mother talking to her children."

Just as the King James version of the Bible did for English, Luther's translation helped to establish a standard German language that's used to this day.

Luther's translation brought the Bible to the masses.

As Germans actually read the Bible, they saw, as Luther had, that there was no mention of indulgences, purgatory, or even a pope.

Just as the Church had feared, this further fanned the fires of reform.

This part of Germany was ground zero for the century of religious wars Luther's reforms unwittingly unleashed.

A vivid portrayal of that tumultuous time with a intriguing communist twist can be seen above the town of Bad Frankenhausen.

It's a huge 360 degree panoramic painting commissioned in the 1980s by the communist East German government.

The Peasant's War Panorama, 400 feet around, was painted as communist propaganda.

It remembers the 6,000 peasants who were slaughtered in a single battle.

Armed with little more than shovels, they rose up against the Church and the ruling class during the Reformation.

The detail is vivid.

Using this popular revolt 500 years ago, it hammers home a familiar theme during the Cold War.

Whether 16th century peasants or 20th century workers, the people's struggle is long and ongoing.

The panorama portrays more than just a horrible battle.

It represents the bloody transition between the medieval and the modern worlds.

At the base gather 20 great humanists, change agents at the end of the Middle Ages -- Luther, Erasmus, Copernicus, Columbus, and more.

Above them rages the colossal battle under a rainbow, imperial troops on the left, doomed rabble on the right.

Nearby, an aristocratic couple dances before a gallows.

The message -- the elites continue to win.

Until German unification in the late 1800s, Germany was fragmented, a collection of small independent states.

After the Reformation, those in the north ended up Lutheran or Protestant and those in the south remained Roman Catholic.

A few hours south of Luther country takes us across that religious divide and into the enthusiastically Catholic region of Franconia and its capital city, Wurzburg.

Wurzburg is surrounded by vineyards and straddles the Main River.

Like so many German cities, it was devastated by World War II bombs.

But, while cities like Hamburg and Frankfurt rebuilt on a modern grid plan, Wurzburg recreated its charm by rebuilding according to its original layout.

The marketplace is an inviting scene.

Its 200-year-old obelisk features Romantic maidens selling their produce.

And to this day, the square still hosts a charming market.

This tourist-friendly town is easy to navigate by foot or by streetcar.

Today, nearly a quarter of its 130,000 residents are students, making the town feel young and vibrant.

The town bridge, from the 12th century, is one of Germany's oldest.

Its decorated with statues of Wurzburg's favorite saints and princes.

And it's busy with people out and enjoying the moment.

Scenes like this are ideal for connecting with locals.

Wurzburg was the capital of the German state of Franconia.

In the 1700s, it was ruled was a prince-bishop.

He exercised both secular and religious authority, and this grand palace was his home.

Opulent as a German Versailles, the prince-bishop's Residence is the main attraction of Wurzburg.

Imagine VIP guests arriving for lavish parties.

Met here by the prince-bishop, they'd glide gracefully up this elegant stairway, enjoying a grand fresco as it opens up overhead.

Dating from about 1750 and by the Venetian master Tiepolo, it illustrates the greatness of Europe with Wurzburg at its center.

The hero is the esteemed prince-bishop, honored by a host of Greek gods affirming his rule.

Ringing the room are allegories of the four continents, each with a woman on an animal and celebrating Wurzburg as the center of the civilized world.

America, desperately uncivilized, sits naked with feathers in her hair on an alligator among severed heads and a cannibal barbecue.

Africa lounges on a camel in a land of trade and fantasy animals.

Asia rides her elephant in the birthplace of Christianity, marked by crosses.

Europe is the center of high culture, and Lady Culture herself points her brush not at Rome, but at Wurzburg.

The adjacent Imperial Hall is a fine example of Baroque -- harmony, symmetry, light, and mirrors.

Its ceiling is also by Tiepolo.

Typical of the Baroque movement, he was a master of three-dimensional illusion, and he'd heighten the illusion with some fun tricks.

Notice how 3-D legs and other objects dangle out of the 2-D frame.

The art, like nearly all art of that day, was propaganda, paid for and serving either the State or the Church.

In this case, it's both.

Here, the Holy Roman Emperor bestows upon the bishop of Franconia the secular title of prince.

The bishop, now the prince-bishop, touches the emperor's scepter, performing an oath of loyalty.

From this point onward, the prince-bishop wears two very powerful hats at the same time.

A string of splendid rooms evolve from fancy Baroque to fancier Rococo.

It all leads to the 18th-century Mirror Cabinet.

This was where the prince-bishop showed off his amazing wealth.

It features kilos of gold leaf, lots of exotic Asian influence, and eye-popping extravagance.

As for the commoners, we were finally allowed inside this glorious palace about two centuries later.

I hope you've enjoyed our visit to dynamic Hamburg, the fascinating Luther cities, and Wurzburg, with its Baroque charm.

I'm Rick Steve Until next time, keep on travelin'.

Auf wiedersehen.

Hi, I’m Rick Steves, back with more of the best of Europe.

This time, we're in Saxony -- the great cities of Dresden and Leipzig.

It's eastern Germany, and you're in for some monumental travel experiences.

Thanks for joining us.

♪♪ Saxony is a proud region of Germany with a long and rich history.

Its two leading cities are Leipzig and Dresden.

Each had a tough 20th century history, and today they're coming back with a special vibrancy.

In this episode, we'll visit two great German cities bombed and tn rebuilt after World War II.

After visiting a beloved church that rose from those 1945 ashes, we'll go further back in time and brush up on some Saxon history with its royal palaces and their porcelain, jewels, and armor.

We'll ponder a massive war memorial from the time of Napoleon.

Then, after peeking into a secret police headquarters, we'll recall how people power brought down Communism -Chanting at the top of their voices, "We are the people."

-...and see how people today are enjoying their freedom.

After World War II, Germany was divided by the Iron Curtain into the free West and Communist East.

With the fall of Communism in 1989, Germany was reunited.

In the historic region of Saxony, we tour Dresden and Leipzig.

We start in Dresden with fanciful Baroque architecture and some of the best museum-going in all of Germany.

It's a city that mixes a dynamic history with a delightful-to-stroll cityscape.

At the peak of its power in the 18th century, this wealthy capital of Saxony ruled much of eastern Germany from the banks of the Elbe River.

Saxony's greatest ruler was Augustus the Strong.

To embellish his capital, he imported artists from all over Europe, especially from Italy.

Dresden's grand architecture and dedication to the arts earned it the nickname "Florence on the Elbe."

In spite of its resurgence, Dresden is still known for its destruction in World War II.

American and British planes firebombed the city on the night of February 13, 1945.

The bombing was so fierce it created its own climate -- a "fire storm."

More than 25,000 people were killed in just one night, and 75% of the historic center was destroyed.

Memorials, while understated, remember the horror of war.

This simple inscription recalls that after the air raids, "the bodies of 6,865 people killed in the bombing were burnt on this spot."

For 40 years, through the Cold War, Dresden was part of Communist East Germany.

It was in what was called "the Valley of the Clueless" -- one of the only places in East Germany that didn't get Western television.

Under the Communists, Dresden restored some of its damaged buildings, left others in ruins, and replaced many with modern, utilitarian sprawl.

Prager Street, a bombed-out ruins until the 1960s, was rebuilt as a showcase for Communist ideals.

Its vast, uniform apartment blocks goose-step up the boulevard to this day.

The design is typical of Soviet-Bloc architecture -- from Moscow to Bucharest.

Today, after a thorough update, they've become desirable places to live.

After German reunification, the rebuilding of Dresden accelerated.

The transformation has been impressive, and the city's once devastated historic center has been reconstructed.

The Frauenkirche, or Church of Our Lady, is the symbol and soul of the city.

When completed in 1743, this was Germany's tallest Protestant church.

Then, in February of 1945, after the city was bombed, in the last months of the war, the Frauenkirche collapsed.

For a generation, it lay there, a pile of rubble.

Then, Dresdeners decided to rebuild it completely and painstakingly.

With the help of international donations, Dresden's most beloved church was rebuilt and finally reopened to the public in 2005.

Stepping inside, you're struck by the shape -- not so wide but very tall.

The color scheme is pastel, to emphasize the joy of faith and enhance the uplifting atmosphere of the services held here.

The curves help create a feeling of community.

A Lutheran church, but built at the peak of the Baroque period, it seems the artistic style of the age trumped the Lutheran taste for simplicity.

The church's twisted old cross, which fell 300 feet from the tip of the dome and burned in the rubble, caps an inspirational story.

Climbing to the top of the beautifully reconstructed dome, you're rewarded with a commanding view over Dresden and its river.

The rebirth of the city is evident everywhere.

This central square was once ringed by the homes of rich merchants.

It's once again the heart of the city, alive with people and cafés.

Dresden's delightful terrace was originally a defensive rampart.

Today, it's a welcoming promenade overlooking the Elbe.

Its nickname -- "The Balcony of Europe."

And a fleet of 19th century paddleboats tempts visitors for a lazy river cruise.

Getting around the city by tram is easy, and a quick ride over the river takes us into a lively district called Neustadt, or "the New town."

Its inviting and tree-lined main drag, Hauptstrasse, opened in 1979.

It was a showpiece of Communist urban design -- a landscaped, utopian workers' district filled with affordable apartments and the best shops.

Because World War II bombs missed most of this district, the New Town has a retro charm.

This well-worn area has emerged as the city's trendy people zone.

Passages between apartment flats are enlivened by art galleries, cozy pubs, and crazy decorations.

While the New Town boasts no great sights, it's fun to explore, especially after dark.

The Parade of Nobles is a mural painted on 24,000 tiles of local pcelain.

It was built to soothe the pride of Saxony after it was incorporated into the newly formed country of Germany in the 1870s.

It celebrates Dresden's Saxon heritage and its Wettin family dynasty.

The artist carefully studied armor and clothing, accurately tracing the evolution of weaponry and fashions through the centuries.

Way up at the very front of the parade, an announcer with a band and 12th-century cheerleaders excitedly heralds the arrival of this wondrous procession.

There are commoners -- from miners and farmers to carpenters and students.

And ahead of them, the royals, with 35 names and dates marking 700 years of Wettin family rule.

At the year 1694 stands Augustus the Strong, the most important of the Saxon kings.

The Saxon ruler was one of the most powerful people in Germany.

He one of a handful of nobles who elected the Holy Roman Emperor.

In the 18th century, the larger-than-life Augustus the Strong kicked off Saxony's Golden Age.

His royal festival complex, called the Zwinger, is an example of how the king's extravagance made Dresden a European capital of culture.

Here at the Nymphs' Bath, aristocrats relaxed with royals among cascading waterfalls.

Today, the Zwinger is filled with fine museums.

The Mathematics and Physics Salon features scientific gadgets from the 16th to 19th century.

Finely crafted and incorporating new discoveries with exuberance, the instruments are displayed like dazzling works of art.

Imagine whipping out your pocket sundial in the year 1700, or a new-fangled packet watch in 1760 -- with a risqué painting.

This calculator from 1650, claiming to be the oldest surviving mechanical calculator, could carry the tens.

European royal families aspired to have their own porcelain works.

And the Wettin family had one of the best at nearby Meissen.

In those days, a king portrayed in porcelain was a happy king.

Augustus the Strong was obsessed with the stuff.

He liked to say he had "porcelain sickness."

Here you can enjoy some of his symptoms under chandeliers in elegant galleries.

You'll see fine table settings.

He had a veritable porcelain zoo of exotic animals and beautiful birds.

According to legend, for 151 of these Chinese vases, Augustus traded 600 soldiers, complete with horses, to Prussia.

And here at the Zwinger, it just makes sense that the glockenspiel comes with 40 bells made of Meissen porcelain.

The delightful chimes are far sweeter than your typical bell.

[ Chimes playing ] In the nearby royal palace, the official residence of Saxon rulers since 1485, is Dresden's historic Green Vault.

This glittering Baroque treasure collection is the sightseeing highlight of the city.

The collection was begun by Augustus the Strong -- featured here surrounded by ancient Roman emperors on the base of an obelisk.

It grew into the royal family's exquisite trove of ivory, silver, and gold treasures, displayed in rooms as opulent as the collection itself.

Its purpose -- a synthesis of the arts as an expression of wealth and absolute power.

The Amber Cabinet shows off what you can do with fossilized tree sap -- for example, this exquisite bowl from 1659.

The Ivory Room does the same for elephant tusks, with some strikingly delicate carving.

In this amazing ivory frigate, tiny sailors climb the gold wire rigging, all supported by Neptune and his horses.

In the aptly named Hall of Precious Objects, amid mother-of-pearl, ostrich-egg, and snail-shell goblets, is the ultimate coffee service.

This golden coffee service from 1700 is pure gold iced with enamel, crusted with thousands of precious stones, and crowned by a coffee pot filled with symbolism.

Coffee was exotic and trendy back then, and this extravagant centerpiece, while never actually used to serve coffee, certainly made an impression.

This captivating ensemble depicts a Grand Mogul on his birthday.

He ruled India when Augustus ruled Saxony.

And among earth's rulers, he was the embodiment of absolute power and endless wealth.

Like royal Legos on a silver stage, the figures, made of gold and glazed with enamel, were movable for the king's pleasure.

And the finale, in a place all its own, is this dazzling green diamond, one of the largest ever discovered.

The adjacent Royal Armory fills a long room with centuries-old armor.

The biggest space in the palace, this room was the scene of medieval war games.

Today, its exhibits of jousting models recall those breathtaking pageants of the 16th century.

Back then, jousting was something rich guys did when there was no war to fight.

The collection offers an unusual chance to see armor not standing at attention but displayed in action.

This ensemble -- designed for formal parades, not actual battle -- is considered the prize of the collection.

And the little princes needed their armor, as well.

Connecting German towns is easy these days on the country's fine train system.

And after a relaxing hour or two on the train, we arrive in Leipzig.

Leipzig once had the cobblestoned charm of many other German cities.

But long a leading trade center, in the late 19th century, city leaders decided to modernize.

They replaced the quaint medieval townscape with a grid of grand and efficient buildings dedicated to trade and commerce.

World War II bombs destroyed much of Leipzig, and the Communists followed that with four decades of neglect.

That left the town center a dreary urban wasteland.

But in the generation since 1989, the people of Leipzig have dramatically remade their city.

Augustusplatz is a busy people zone and a hub for the city's trams.

Overlooking that is the university center, rebuilt in a playful and modern echo of the pre-war buildings that once stood here.

Towering high above is a skyscraper, built in the 1970s.

An erection like this was a big deal in Communist times.

Locals and tourists alike gather on its rooftop terrace to enjoy a drink and the best view in town.

As they rebuilt the city center, one feature that survived was the tradition of inviting shopping galleries that burrow through office blocks.

Some of the galleries retain an Old World elegance with venerable shops and restaurants.

Others are playfully decorated by contemporary local artists.

Leipzig's Renaissance-style Town Hall, with its fine arcade, overlooks the Market Square.

Tonight the fruit and vegetable merchants have made way for a big open-air concert with music... ♪♪ -♪ You can leave your hat on ♪ -...and lots of sausages, kraut, and beer.

As a traveler, don't be shy.

Share a table and strike up a conversation.

An event like this is a perfect chance to meet locals.

[ Cheers and applause ] [ Organ playing classical music ] Leipzig is famous for its music heritage.

It was the hometown of the great composer Johann Sebastian Bach, shown here with his favorite instrument, the pipe organ.

In the early 1700s, Bach was the organist and choirmaster right here at St. Thomas Church.

Inside, the clean, stripped-down interior reflects the Protestant aesthetic of an uncluttered church.

Stained glass celebrates how in 1539, Martin Luther came here to perform Leipzig's first Protestant service and how, for nearly 30 years, Bach directed the boys' choir.

Bach's tomb, adorned with flowers, is like a pilgrimage for music lovers.

Leipzig remembers its tough 20th century with a little whimsy.

This statue represents how East Germany endured two harsh dictatorships in succession -- the flat-palmed "Sieg Heil!"

of the Nazis and the proletariat's raised fist from the Communist era.

This poor fellow, repressed by both regimes with his head scrunched down, seems to represent individuality under siege.

Somehow, he'll get through it all.

To learn more, step into Leipzig's Contemporary History Museum, which tells the 44-year story of Communism in East Germany.

After the devastation of World War II, the line between East and West was drawn, and Leipzig ended up in Stalin's camp.

In those desperate post-war years, the stability and security provided by East Germany's Communist government was appreciated.

Out of the squalor came a forced uniformity, and, if you played by the rules, life was not miserable.

Housing was a major priority, as so many were homeless after the war.

Locals recall how there wasn't a lot, but people had what they needed.

Generally what they had was what their neighbors had.

Children all had the same blocks, books, and cuddly stuffed pets.

Western pop music, while reined in and certainly controlled, was allowed, from the Beatles to Jethro Tull.

But of course, people eventually insist on freedom.

To learn more, I'm joined by Leipzig tour guide Gisa Schoenfeld.

The hated secret police force in Communist East Germany was the Stasi.

Its old headquarters now houses a museum dedicated to telling the Stasi's dirty deeds.

It offers a fascinating look at what it took to control the people.

-This is the symbol for the Ministry for State Security, Staatssicherheit, Stasi.

-Stasi, state security.

Modeled after the Soviet Union's secret police, the notorious KGB, the Stasi recruited over half a million informants from every walk of life.

It collected mountains of data on its citizens.

The former offices contain tools of the trade -- a small camera that could be concealed in a briefcase; easy-to-hide microphones, including one hidden in a button; disguises, and forged documents.

-The Stasi officers set people on chairs with a piece of cloth, and the piece of cloth would absorb the smell when the suspects sweated during the interrogation.

And then they placed the cloth into these jars, preserving the smell.

And whenever something suspicious turned up -- for example, a leaflet -- they brought in the dogs.

The dogs smelled the item, then smelled the jars.

-So the dogs would match the smell?

And that would be enough to send somebody to jail?

-That would be enough.

-All mail and packages coming into the country was searched.

These machines enabled agents to steam letters open, read them, then reseal them.

The Stasi stole millions in West German hard currency, sent to struggling East Germans by West German relatives.

And they confiscated piles of cassette tapes which contained forbidden Western pop music.

These cassettes which were then reused to record interrogation sessions.

After freedom, people were free to look at their personal files?

-Yes, but it was was an agonizing decision to make.

The Stasi had hundreds and thousands of informants, so there were colleagues, friends, family members spying on people, and then it was very difficult to choose.

Do I want to know what information the Stasi kept on me, but I would also find out who spied on me.

-So you could look at your file, but you might find your uncle was informing on you, and maybe you just better not go there.

-Exactly.

-Leipzig's beloved St. Nicholas Church played a pivotal role in the people's successful fight for freedom.

In the 1980s, this venerable church hosted weekly prayer meetings for peace.

These turned political, making St. Nicholas a staging ground for the Peaceful Revolution that would ultimately topple the Communist regime.

A column in the church square celebrates the church's contribution to German freedom.

So eventually these Monday prayer services for peace spilled out of the church and into the city at large?

-Yes, they got bigger and bigger every week.

The largest demonstration here in Leipzig was 450,000 protesters.

But they all remained peaceful, and that's the biggest accomplishment.

That's why there was no reason to shoot them.

-So, what eventually happened?

-Eventually, the wall came down in Berlin, and the borders were opened, and the people had gained their freedom.

-The Peaceful Revolution.

-Very much so.

[ Tram bell dings ] -Just outside of Leipzig is a gigantic monument to an earlier struggle.

It commemorates a pivotal battle in 1813 that involved forces from all over Europe.

Called The Battle of the Nations, it pitted France's army under Napoleon against a coalition of Prussian, Austrian, Russian, and Swedish fighters.

With a half a million soldiers and 100,000 casualties, it was the largest battle in European history until World War I.

The Battle of the Nations marked a turning point in the fight against Napoleon.

He was routed here and forced to retreat to France.

Basically, it was Germans who turned back the French invaders.

And exactly a century later, in 1913, during a surge of nationalism following the unification of Germany, Leipzig inaugurated this towering memorial on the site of this bloody battle.

The Archangel Michael straddles the main door with the same message that accompanies most military monuments -- "God is on our side."

Entering the monument, you stand under a towering atrium.

It's ringed by more soldiers, in front of giant death masks, heads respectfully bowed to honor the sacrifice of those lost in battle.

Above them, four enormous statues represent the virtues of the German people during wartime.

And high above, in the dome, hundreds of life-sized soldiers on horses return from battle.

It feels religious, but it's strikingly secular -- a powerful monument to more than a battle, to the power of nationalism and to the fact that war leaves even the winners saddled with grief.

Traveling through Saxony with its rich heritage, exquisite culture, and hard lessons, it's an inspiration to see the accomplishments of the people of Dresden and Leipzig.

Thanks for traveling with us.

I'm Rick Steves.

Until next time, keep on travelin'.

Auf wiedersehen.

-Hi.

I'm Rick Steves, back with more of the best of Europe.

And this time, we're cooking up some unforgettable German treats -- and that includes my favorite sausage anywhere -- Danke schoen.

We're in Frankrt and Nurnberg.

Thanks for joining us.

♪♪ Germany is Europe's economic powerhouse, and you feel that in its great cities, like Frankfurt and Nurnberg.

These are examples of how Germany has put the 20th century behind it and learned that the most effective way to be powerful is to be constructive.

In Frankfurt, a city of contrasts, we see today's Germany -- a vibrant mix of the new and the old sprinkled with people-friendly zones, parks, and a stunning riverfront.

Then, in Nurnberg, we marvel at remnants of Germany's First Reich with the Holy Roman Emperor's castle and we learn of Hitler and the Third Reich with the architecture of a megalomaniac.

Finally, we go underground for a peek at history seldom seen.

Dominating the north of Europe is Germany, the size of Montana.

We start where many trans-Atlantic flights stop, in Frankfurt, and then travel a couple hours to Nurnberg.

For an honest look at today's Germany, travelers need to venture beyond the ruined castles and cute cobbled towns.

Frankfurt may be low on Old World charm, but it offers a great look at no-nonsense, modern Germany.

Ever since the early Middle Ages, people have gathered here to trade.

Today, cosmopolitan Frankfurt, nicknamed "Bankfurt," is a trading hub of a united Europe, home to the European Central Bank and a center for global commerce.

With its trading heritage came people from around the world.

You'll notice the strikingly multi-ethnic flavor of the city.

A quarter of its 700,000 residents carry foreign passports.

Frankfurt is often avoided by tourists who consider it just a business and transportation hub.

But with its modern energy, Frankfurt is a unique and entertaining city well worth a look.

The city, with its forest of skyscrapers perched on the banks of the Main River, has been dubbed Germany's "Main-hattan."

While it leads the country in high-rises, mostly bank headquarters, it has plenty of people-friendly parks.

In fact, Frankfurters boast that a third of their city is green space.

This park is part of a greenbelt that circles the old center and marks the site of Frankfurt's long-gone medieval fortifications.

Today that greenbelt weaves through Frankfurt's banking district.

And history hides among these trees.

The Marshall Plan -- that massive American aid program that helped Germany rebuild after World War II -- was administered from this building.

After World War II, Germany was in ruins, and its economy was in chaos.

In 1948, the United States gave it a complete currency transfer.

It was like a blood transfusion -- literally printing up the new German Deutsche Marks, shipping them across the Atlantic, and, from here in Frankfurt, injecting them directly into the German economy.

That aid helped rebuild Germany, and it shaped Frankfurt, as well.

And, as if attracted to all that money, banks naturally grew up right here.

The architecture is striking.

By law, no German worker can be kept out of natural light for more than four hours.

That's why work environments are filled with windows.

And unlike any skyscraper I've been in, Germans have office towers with windows that open.

The Main Tower is open to the public and offers a breath-taking view.

From its rooftop, 650 feet high, you can survey the city.

With new construction nearly obliterating the river upon which the city was founded, its ever-expanding skyline exudes the vitality of the German economy.

In contrast to the glassy skyscrapers, Frankfurt's train station is a classic.

This late 19th-century glass-and-iron construction somehow survived the bombs of World War II.

The building's elegant facade dates from the Industrial Revolution and shows the pride of that age.

Atlas carries the world, but only with some heavy-duty modern help as figures representing steam power and electricity pitch in.

Stepping inside, you feel the energy of Germany's busiest train station, where 350,000 travelers catch 1,800 trains every day.

Kaiserstrasse, a grand 19th-century boulevard, was built to connect the station and the city with style.

Towering above and beyond its fine 100-year-old facades, and reflecting the glaring modernity of this ever-changing city, are the skyscrapers of Frankfurt's banking district.

Frankfurt is full of contrasts.

Just a few blocks away, under those same skyscrapers, is a red light district with about 20 legal brothels -- the pragmatic result of a policy of tax and regulation to take the crime out of a reality that just won't go away.

Just a couple blocks away, there are fashionable streets lined with top-end boutiques.

People-friendly pedestrian zones make it easy for both shoppers and diners.

And on a hot day, people of all ages enjoy the refreshing fountain fronting Frankfurt's fine opera house.

The many small German-speaking states finally united into modern Germany in about 1870.

Within a few couple of years, Frankfurt, which helped spearhead the unification movement, built this fine opera house.

It celebrated both high German culture and the newly created nation.

While bombed in World War II, it was rebuilt in the original style.

Mozart, whose operas were a hit here, and the esteemed Frankfurt writer Goethe flank the entrance, reminders that this is a house of both music and theater.

Lunchtime beneath the skyscrapers can be entertaining as herds of bankers fill countless restaurants.

This street is nicknamed Fressgass, roughl"the feeding street."

As a contrast to the many trendy restaurant chains, Frankfurt's Kleinmarkthalle, that's "little market hall," is a delightful, old-school alternative.

The venerable farmers' market was saved from developers by a local outcry and remains a neighborhood favorite.

Explore and enjoy the samples.

-This is anti-aging.

You have not need of it.

-I don't need it, no.

Immer jung.

-[ Chuckles ] -This stall is all about German sausages.

And amid this carnivore's delight hides this, the city's classic wiener, the frankfurter.

My best market tip -- find the most popular eatery, get local advice, and go for the town specialty.

Just around the corner is Romerberg, Frankfurt's old main square, lined with half-timbered buildings.

Because of its historic importance, it's one of the few bits of the town rebuilt after the war in its original medieval style.

On a sunny day, people head for the Main River.

A centerpiece of the riverside park is this welcoming 19th century iron bridge.

Enjoy the lively scene along the riverbanks in the shadow of Frankfurt's towering skyscrapers.

Taking a riverside stroll, I'm struck by how Germans, while so productive in the workplace, are also expert at relaxation.

From Frankfurt, trains zip travelers to all points.

Heading southeast, in a couple hours we cross into the state of Bavaria and arrive in Nurnberg.

Nurnberg was one of Germany's, in fact Europe's, leading cities 500 years ago with an imposing Imperial Castle.

The city's formidable walls were state-of-the-art.

They were redesigned from square towers, which worked just fine before the threat of cannon fire, to round ones so enemy cannonballs were more likely to glance off without doing any damage.

Back then, with 80 water wheels powering mills along its now sleepy river, Nurnberg was an industrial marvel.

The scenic remnants of its hard medieval past are now just an added dimension of a delightfully people-friendly historic center.

90% of downtown Nurnberg was destroyed in 1945.

To rebuild, city fathers had a choice -- go entirely modern like Frankfurt did -- that was The Manhattan Plan -- or maintain the pre-war footprint and rebuild modern while preserving the traditional character.

That was Nurnberg's choice.

With one of Europe's largest pedestrian zones, the city of half a million has the charm of a smaller town.

Playful street art, a series of bridges with scenic river views, and no traffic noise make it a joy to experience.

Nurnberg is dominated by its mighty castle.

In the Middle Ages, Holy Roman Emperors, Europe's most powerful rulers, stayed here when in town.

The Holy Roman Emperor ruled much of Europe for over a thousand years.

The institution was finally ended by Napoleon in 1806.

The emperor ruled a vast realm.

It was bigger than today's Germany, but it was never centralized like France or England.

Rather than inheriting his power, he was elected by the top bishops and nobles of the day.

They were called Prince Electors.

The emperor had to keep on the move and didn't have a real capital city.

While the emperor claimed supreme authority inherited directly from the emperors of ancient Rome, historians like to joke that the Holy Roman Empire was neither holy, nor Roman, nor an empire.

The most famous of these medieval emperors was Charlemagne, shown here in a painting by Nurnberg artist Albrecht Durer.

Charlemagne, or Charles the Great, was crowned by the pope in the year 800.

When ruling from Nurnberg, the emperor would have received visiting delegations in the castle's Lower Hall.

It's empty of furniture because the imperial court was mobile.

Each city would scramble to suitably furnish its royal quarters before the emperor arrived.

The castle's 800-year-old church is Romanesque in style and gives a peek at how structured even medieval society's top 1% was.

It has a triple-decker design.

The lower nobility worshiped from the lower floor.

The upper nobility worshiped at this level.

And the emperor, he worshiped above everybody else, from the balcony.

♪♪ As effective as the castle fortifications were, there was always an ultra-secure refuge of last resort -- the towering keep.

And security required more than stony towers.

Any good castle needs a secure water source within its walls.

And when your castle sits on a high rock, you need a very deep well.

This castle illustrates that in a fun and memorable way.

-[ Speaking German ] -Even without understanding much of our guide's German, he made it really clear that this well goes way, way down.

[ Water splashing ] [ Laughter ] -It's cool, huh?

[ Chuckles ] -Nurnberg's Germanic National Museum is dedicated to sharing the cultural history of the German-speaking world.

For German history buffs, this museum alone, with a vast and gorgeously presented collection, makes a visit to Nurnberg worthwhile.

When it comes to Germany's reputation for fine craftsmanship, its passion for quality goes way back.

These finely crafted, centuries-old precision instruments were intricate, innovative, and artful.

This is the world's oldest surviving globe, crafted by a Nurnberger.

Since it dates from 1492, the Americas are missing.

While they understood that the world was round, the Western Hemisphere was still just a huge and mysterious sea.

The delicate, wooden Nurnberg Madonna is also 500 years old.

This intimate, anonymous carving of the favorite hometown girl was a symbol of the city for centuries.

The German painter Lucas Cranach was famous for portraits of his contemporaries, like the great German Reformer Martin Luther.

Cranach also painted poignant psychological studies, paintings that came with a message.

In "The Ill-Matched Couple," the lecherous old man thinks he's got the young maiden.

But she looks knowingly out at us as if to say "he's a fool, and he'll get nowhere with me."

The great painter Albrecht Durer worked in Nurnberg around the year 1500.

This is a self-portrait of that ultimate German artist.

Durer, who was from the same generation as Michelangelo and Leonardo, was in tune with the Renaissance.

He was a genius with a curious mind, a love of nature, and a passion for realism.

After traveling to Italy and seeing how artists were becoming well-paid and respected rather than anonymous laborers, he returned to Germany bringing the spirit of the Renaissance with him.

He painted this portrait of his mother when he was a teenager.

While just 19, his passion for realistic detail is already apparent.

This painting of Durer's teacher was done after his experience in Italy.

Its realism was unprecedented in Germany, and it's signed.

Again, now the artist will be respected, and he proudly included his initials, A.D. Durer was a master at producing engravings from finely etched metal plates.

The detail and realism, a trademark of Durer, is extraordinary.

As he was famous in his own time, and because many prints could be made from a single master plate and therefore sold affordably, the engraving technique enableDurer to become the first best-selling artist in history.

And he made a lot of money -- enough to purchase this impressive mansion beneath the castle.

Today, it's a fine museum about the life of perhaps Germany's greatest painter.

A visit here includes a workshop where you can learn about Durer's craft.

It's with these tools that the artist engraves an image into the copper plate.

Visitors are treated to a demonstration of making a print from the plate.

The subject is a hare.

Durer was famous for his vivid portrayals of the natural world.

-Wow.

-To be able to enjoy such beautiful, yet mass-produced art must have been a marvel 500 years ago.

A few blocks away, towering nearly 300 feet above the pedestrians, is St. Lorenz Church.

When emperors paraded into town, they'd approach its magnificent facade head-on.

Stepping inside, you feel the splendor of that age.

Suspended over the altar is the Annunciation, by the great Nurnberg woodcarver Veit Stoss.

Carved in 1517, it shows the angel Gabriel telling Mary that she'll be giving birth to the Messiah.

Startled, she drops her prayer book.

The dove represents the Holy Spirit.

And God, looking as powerful as a Holy Roman Emperor, looks down.

This lacy tabernacle is rich enough to hold the consecrated Communion wafer, which Catholics consider The Body of Christ.

And supporting the tower on his shoulders is the artist who created it, Adam Kraft, gripping his noble tools with a proud confidence.

Again, this was around 1500, and the humanistic spirit of the Renaissance was moving into Germany.

While this church along with the rest of the city was heavily bombed in World War II, much of its art survived thanks to heroic and creative efforts by its citizens.

One part of Nurnberg that avoided bomb damage was underground -- its vast and long-established network of waterways, tunnels, and beer cellars.

They were outfitted as air-raid shelters.

During bombing raids, tens of thousands of locals took refuge down here.

It's also where countless art treasures, both local and looted, were safely hidden away.

To learn more about this, and not get forever lost down here, we're joined by my friend and fellow tour guide Thomas Schmechtig.

-So, Nurnberg was bombed quite late in the war, and we saw what happened to other cities, so we actually prepared for the war and reconverted these old beer cellars into air raid shelters.

That, for example, where guards used to be who protected the artworks which were stored in here during the second world war.

-The Nazis hid crates of great art in many different rooms in this sprawling underground network.

-This is one of the many rooms down here which were filled up with art.

Nurnberg was back then nicknamed "the treasure chest of the German Empire."

Plus, the Nazis looted lots of artworks.

-From countries that they conquered, and they brought it here?

-Correct.

For example, right in this room, they had the crown of the Holy Roman Emperor.

-So, right here in these cellars were some the great treasures of European culture.

-Correct.

We didn't just stash the art treasures down here.

They were carefully packed.

For example, here, Rick, you see the wonderful stained glass windows from our St. Lorenz church.

They were taken out pane by pane and then put into those wooden crates.

The humidity was very dangerous for the artworks, so they air-conditioned the whole place in here.

-So, this huge duct was made in anticipation of the war?

-Yes, and already in 1939, before the war broke out.

-The bombing, of course, eventually came, and this surviving underground network became the foundation for rebuilding the city.

-So it did make sense to rebuild the city on its original footprints.

We have miles of underground which survived the war.

They date back to the Middle Ages.

That, for example is an old water conduit system.

-Nurnberg, so steeped in German history, was nicknamed the most German of German cities.

That's one reason it was a favorite of Hitler's.

A short tram ride from the center is a collection of important Nazi sites.

When Hitler took power in 1933, he made Nurnberg's Zeppelin Field the site of his enormous Nazi party rallies.

The stark remains of this massive gathering place are thought-provoking.

For several years, increasingly elaborate celebrations of Nazi culture, ideology, and power took place right here.

-Imagine Hitler stepping out of that door, overlooking the massive 200,000 people being lined up.

He used propaganda to create a new community -- in fact, we even have a word for it.

It's called Volksgemeinschaft.

-The chilling images from Leni Riefenstahl's documentary "Triumph of the Will" were filmed at the 1934 Nurnberg rallies and then shown in every theater and schoolroom in the country.

The goal -- to bring a visual celebration of the power of the Nazi state to every person in Germany.

Looming over a now peaceful lake is another remnant of the dictator's megalomania -- his huge yet unfinished Nazi Congress Hall.

Hitler was enamored with the Roman Colosseum.

He had his Congress Hall modeled on that but built much bigger.

-Imagine 50,000 leading Nazis in here.

One third higher, covered by a roof.

A window inside the ceiling, Sunshine would have fallen down to the podium.

Once a year, one speech of Adolf Hitler.

Adolf Hitler liked huge buildings.

He was a big fan of the architectural style named Neoclassicism.

The idea was to make the individual feel small.

-This really makes me feel small here.

-Yeah, you give away the responsibility of your life, anyou get something back in return.

That is a bright new future.

-The Nazi Documentation Center fills one wing of the hall.

This superb museum does its best to answer the question "How could Germany's Nazi nightmare have happened?"

It traces the evolution of the Nazi movement, focusing on how it somehow both energized and terrified the German people.

This is not a World War II or a Holocaust museum.

In fact, those events are barely mentioned.

Instead, the center frankly analyzes the origin and evolution of the Nazi phenomenon, to help better understand it and help prevent it from ever happening again.

Exhibits offer insights into the creation of the messiah/pop star image of Hitler -- the mass hypnosis of the German nation.

You'll see his manifesto, "Mein Kampf," mementos that placed the dictator alongside Bismarck and Beethoven in the pantheon of German greats, and souvenirs from his rallies.

With postcards like these, the Hitler-mania generated by these rallies was shared across the land.

Of course, Hitler's promises were trumped up and led not to glory but to war, the Holocaust, and the devastation of Germany.

The challenges of building and maintaining a peaceful future are ongoing.

-Incorporated into this museum are classrooms like this.

-Why is that?

-Because every student, military, policeman should learn from our difficult history.

-So this really is today part of German education.

-Yeah, it finally arrived in our education system.

-Having learned powerful lessons from its 20th-century history, today Nurnberg celebrates its German character with a forward-looking gusto that seems to really value life.

You feel that throughout the town -- the farmers who sell their produce direct from stalls on the bridge... fountains designed to make kids giggle, along with their parents... and its tasty traditions.

Here in Nurnberg, you'll certainly eat well -- famous beer, classic pretzels, sauerkraut, and the thing about this city that steals my heart, these adorable little sausages.

Thanks for joining us.

I'm Rick Steves.

Until next time, keep on travelin'.

Guten appetit and Auf Wiedersehen .