Germany's major cities have plenty to offer in terms of art, culture and way of life. But the smaller towns often conceal great treasures too: beautiful historic town centres with winding alleys and little squares, picturesque town palaces and old town halls, cosy restaurants and interesting museums. Nowhere else will you find so many attractions in such close proximity as in Germany's charming little towns. Our journey begins in the far north, in Schleswig, delightfully set on the Schlei, a river-like inlet from the Baltic Sea. The history of Schleswig is closely tied to the old Viking settlement Haithabu, which was one of the key trading centres of Northern Europe in its day. The little town of Meien, in Saxony, is famous throughout the world for its porcelain.
Apart from a tour of the town itself, a visit to the china factory is a must for any visitor. During regular tours of the factory you can watch every stage in the manufacturing of the precious and fragile chinaware. A very different type of art catapulted the little town of Wasserburg on the Inn river into the international headlines. Gnter Dietz was in his day considered one of the best forgers of artwork in the world. Renowned artists such as Joan Miro and Friedensreich Hundertwasser actually commissioned copies of their own works with the forger. Today, a wide range of his reproductions can be admired in Wasserburg's Imaginary Museum.