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National Geographic

THE COMPASS

PHOTOGRAPH BY RUDY BALASKO / GETTY IMAGES

Half-timbered houses and baroque palaces, rolling vineyards and romantic river valleys: Germany brims with charm, history, and exquisite scenery. In this edition, we learn how Bach's anatomy may have handed him greatness, see how a grassroots push to save disappearing birds and bees is forcing change in the country, and discover why the next great whiskey trail is not where you think it is.

Let's explore Germany.

HISTORY & CULTURE

Records in the Stasi archives in Berlin. Nearly 70 miles of files are stored in the archives.

PHOTOGRAPH BY TOBIAS SCHWARZ, AFP / GETTY IMAGES

As Germany's secret-police archive shutters, reckoning for its victims continues

The Stasi archives, a repository of surveillance crimes against East German citizens, is moving to Germany’s National Archives to ensure its pivotal role endures.

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While archaeologists see the beginnings of social inequality in "have" and"have not" Bronze Age burials, new scientific analyses are now helping to illuminate genetic and geographical differences in household populations.

PHOTOGRAPH BY SCHELLHORN,
ULLSTEIN IMAGE / GETTY

Ancient European
homes had 'invisible' social complexities,
bones reveal

DNA and isotopic analysis of people who lived in Germany some 4,000 years ago show unexpected connections across Bronze Age farmsteads.

West Germans scale the Berlin Wall before East German guards as the Cold War barrier came down in November 1989.

PHOTOGRAPH BY HESSE, ULLSTEIN BILD / GETTY

Why the Berlin Wall rose—and how it fell

The ugly symbol of the Cold War was built to keep East Germans from escaping to the West. A decades-long fight to flee brought it down.

Baroque composer Johann Sebastian Bach’s fans included scientist Albert Einstein, who’s quoted as saying, “I have this to say about Bach’s works: Listen, play, love, revere—and keep your trap shut.”

FINE ART IMAGES / HERITAGE IMAGES / GETTY IMAGES

How Bach’s anatomy may have handed him greatness

A German anatomist analyzed a photograph of Bach’s skeleton, to calculate the composer’s impressive reach at the keyboard.

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ENVIRONMENT

Heavy rainfall resulting from a slow-moving low-pressure system over western Germany led to catastrophic damage and loss of life. Houses like the one shown here caved in after mudslides and sinkholes opened throughout the region.

PHOTOGRAPH BY DAVID YOUNG, PICTURE ALLIANCE / GETTY IMAGES

Experts fear Germany’s deadly floods are a glimpse into climate future

Climate change is making extreme rainfall more common, scientists say.

Norbert Schäffer, chairman of the Bavarian Association for the Protection of Birds, and his assistant Paul Kasko visit a roadside area in Bavaria that's been left to grow wild. These untended flowering strips are an important habitat for insects and birds.

PHOTOGRAPH BY LENA MUCHA

A grassroots push to save disappearing birds and bees forces change in Germany

Shocking declines in bird and insect numbers fuel a powerful, citizen-based movement for farms to protect nature, one that seems to be catching on across Europe.

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In one of the war’s most iconic images, Soviet soldiers raise their flag over the ruins of the Reichstag, Berlin, on May 2, 1945.

YEVGENY KHALDEI / GETTY IMAGES

The Soviet victory in the Battle of Berlin finished Nazi Germany

In May 1945, the Red Army barreled into Berlin and captured the city, the final step in defeating the Third Reich and ending World War II in Europe.

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IMAGE COURTESY BRIDGEMAN / ACI
OIL PAINTING BY J. H. TISCHBEIN

Meet the man who started the Illuminati

How did a Bavarian professor end up creating a group that would be at the center of two centuries of conspiracy theories?

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TRAVEL

DREAM NOW, GO LATER

A barley field in the Uckermark region, known as the granary of Brandenburg, glows golden at sunset.

PHOTOGRAPH BY PREUSSISCHER WHISKY

The next great whiskey trail is
not where you think it is

Germany has more distilleries than Scotland and longtime ties to American bourbon.

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The Landwehr Canal, constructed in the mid-1800s, flows through central Berlin.

PHOTOGRAPH BY PABLO CASTAGNOLA, ANZENBERGER / REDUX

What did travel have to do with the fall of the Berlin Wall?

Find out here—and discover what the fascinating German capital offers to today’s travelers.

A popular stop on the Romantic Road, medieval Rothenburg ob der Tauber is Germany's best-preserved walled town. Stay overnight to avoid the tour bus crowds and see the cobblestone lanes under the evening glow.

PHOTOGRAPH BY
MISSPASSIONPHOTOGRAPHY / GETTY IMAGES

Castles, vineyards, and fairy-tale villages: Drive the Romantic Road

Fall in love with Germany’s historic heartland.

This castle in southern Hesse, Germany, inspired legends since the 17th century.

PHOTOGRAPH BY IURII BURIAK / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

Go inside Frankenstein's castle

The tale of this monster blends myth and reality.

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RELATED: TOP 10 CASTLES OF EUROPE +

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