The Atlas Obscura Guide To Germany

687 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Germany

Updated September 28, 2023

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Berlin, Germany

Spreepark

An eerie, derelict amusement park in Berlin.

Rakotzbrücke

Gablenz, Germany

Rakotzbrücke Devil's Bridge

This jaw-dropping 19th-century bridge uses its reflection to form what appears to be a perfect circle.

Gesundbrunnen Bunker - Entrance from inside

Berlin, Germany

Berliner Unterwelten (Subterranean Berlin)

A tour of underground Berlin takes you through WWII air raid shelters and tunnels used to smuggle people out of East Germany.

Peaks of the Tempodrom

Berlin, Germany

Liquidrom

This futuristic German spa allows visitors to float in a pool of salt water while zoning out to underwater techno.

Berlin, Germany

Monster Kabinett

Part art gallery, part haunted house, this robotic art display is a terrifying experience.

Berlin Botanic Garden

Berlin, Germany

Berlin Botanical Garden

Started as a kitchen garden, now the second largest botanical garden in the world.

Schwangau, Germany

Neuschwanstein Castle

The fairy tale castle of the "fairy-tale king."

Berlin, Germany

Tajikistan Tearoom

A slice of central Asia in the middle of Berlin.

See All 687 Things To Do in Germany

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Germany

Berlin, Germany

Tajikistan Tearoom

A slice of central Asia in the middle of Berlin.

Burgermeister at night, sailor's delight

Berlin, Germany

Burgermeister

Where once there was a train station bathroom, there is now this German burger joint.

Late afternoon coffee and cake.

Berlin, Germany

Café Strauss

Berliners take their coffee and cake in one of the city’s most restful spaces: a cemetery.

Berlin, Germany

Prinzessinnengarten

Berliners converted a bombed-out, disused lot into a community-run urban farm with its own cafe and bar.

See all 10 Places to Eat in Germany

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Military 82

World War Ii 77

Architectural Oddities 66

Museums And Collections 63

Nazis 47

Sacred Spaces 44

History 42

Churches 40

Collections 40

Memorials 38

Art 37

Statues 37

Places To Stay 8

Unique Restaurants & Bars 7

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has been to Astronomical Clock at St. Mary's Church

Stories About Germany

The limestone canopic jars of lady Senetnay featured lids shaped like human heads. Two jars are kept at the Museum August Kestner in Hanover, Germany.

Get a Whiff of Ancient Egypt’s 'Scent of Eternity'

Experts reconstructed the smell of mummified organs—and it’s actually pretty pleasant.

by Roxanne Hoorn

September 14, 2023

The beautiful, renovated "cow chapel" at the Kruger-Rumpf winery.

The Beauty and Brilliance of Germany's 'Cow Chapels'

“The shape of the interior feels sacred, but it’s not. It’s where the cows were fed.”

by Christie Dietz

August 17, 2023

A commemorative head, part of the so-called Benin Bronzes, which were looted from the royal palace in Benin City in 1897. The image was taken in December 2022 in Nigeria's capital, Abuja, when the piece and several other objects were formally repatriated from Germany to their homeland.

Are the Benin Bronzes Made From German Brass—And Does It Matter?

The famous West African artworks, long at the center of repatriation debates, were made from materials sourced in Rhineland.

by Gemma Tarlach

Though the mettigel is popular now, chefs have been crafting mock hedgehogs from food for centuries.

Meet the Mettigel, Germany's Hedgehog Sculpted From Meat

Now a cult-favorite party food, hedgehog-shaped snacks have a long history in Europe.

by Rachel Glassberg

Podcast: Sites of Vision with the Places Team

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.

by The Podcast Team

February 22, 2022

Part of the breeding herds from the Auerrind Project.

The Once-Extinct Aurochs May Soon Roam Europe Again

After a decade, scientists are getting close to bringing back the massive wild cattle.

by Diana Hubbell

January 26, 2022

The punch is equal parts delicious drink and light show.

A Brief History of Germany’s Favorite Flaming Punch

How a fiery bowl of booze became a Christmas classic.

December 13, 2021

Podcast: The Real Alchemist of Castle Frankenstein

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.

by The Podcast Team

October 25, 2021

Lists Featuring Germany

The "pet ham" is 119 years old.

Bog Butter, Ancient Beef, and Other Remarkably Old Foods on Display in Museums

Some of these foods are centuries past their expiration dates.

Including Ancient Bog Butter, Preserved Victorian Wedding Cake, and World’s Oldest Edible Ham

Bolivia's Witch Market

Dubrovnik Maskeron

The Statue of St. Anthony's Pig

The Guardhouse Monkey

15 Unlikely Places to Re-Up Your Luck

Luck be a... llama fetus?

Including Bolivia's Witch Market, Dubrovnik Maskeron, and Statue of St. Anthony's Pig

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