The Best Sight in Coburg, Franconia and the German Danube

This fortress, one of the largest and most impressive in the country, is Coburg's main attraction. The brooding bulk of the castle guards the town atop a 1,484-foot hill. Construction began around 1055, but with progressive rebuilding and remodeling, the predominantly late Gothic–early Renaissance edifice bears little resemblance to the original crude fortress. Seek out the elaborate 17th-century Jagdintarsien-Zimmer (Hunting Marquetry Room), home to some of the finest woodwork in southern Germany, as well as the room where Martin Luther lived for six months in 1530 while he observed the goings-on of the Augsburg Diet.

Today, much of the castle is given over to two exceptional museums. The first is the Kunstsammlungen, an impressive art collection with works by Dürer, Hans Holbein, and Riemenschneider, among others, as well as furniture, historical weapons, and coins. The second is the Europäisches Museum für Modernes Glas, a vast and valuable antique glass collection, with most exhibits from the baroque age, along with some modern ceramics.