Coburg Castle

Coburg Castle, the ancient residence of the Dukes of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, is one of Germany's largest and most beautiful remaining medieval fortress complexes. It is located close to the Itz River, some 100 kilometers north of Nuremberg. The self-styled "Fränkische Krone," or Franconian Crown, dominates the town of Coburg in Upper Franconia and was first identified as "Koburk" in a record from 1056. It is a gorgeous castle and the location of one of the most significant collections of art and cultural history in Germany.

The Heated Stone Chamber (Steinerne Kemenate), the Memorial Room, the 19th-century Lutherkapelle, and the Bear Enclosures are some of the highlights of today's trips to the castle, which showcase centuries worth of architecture and painstaking restoration. There are works by the famous 15th and 16th century sculptor and woodcarver Tilman Riemenschneider, as well as pieces by the old German masters Cranach, Dürer, Grünewald, and Holbein. There are also stunning collections of Venetian glassware, hunting weapons, carriages and sleighs (including Europe's oldest operating stagecoach), carriages and sleighs, and copper engravings.

From April to September, the castle is open every day (closed on Mondays), and from October to March, it is only open in the afternoons (closed on Mondays). You want Veste Coburg; if you want to make a day of it, the same organization also runs the neighboring European Museum of Modern Glass.

Location: Lobelstein, Bavaria, Germany