6 Best Sights in Franconia and the German Danube, Germany

You could spend a lifetime exploring the largest and greatest ethnological museum in Germany. This vast museum showcases the country's cultural and scientific achievements, ethnic background, and storied history. Housed in a former Carthusian monastery, complete with cloisters and monastic outbuilding, the complex effectively melds the ancient with modern extensions, giving the impression that Germany is moving forward by examining its past. The exhibition begins outside, with the tall, sleek pillars of the Strasse der Menschenrechte (Street of Human Rights), designed by Israeli artist Dani Karavan. Thirty columns are inscribed with the articles from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. There are few aspects of German culture, from the Stone Age to the 19th century, that are not covered by the museum, and quantity and quality are evenly matched. One highlight is the superb collection of Renaissance German paintings (with Dürer, Cranach, and Altdorfer well represented); look out for the remarkable 1702 painting Gemäldegalerie (Picture Gallery) by Johann Michael Bretschneider, which incorporates hundreds of small, individual, fictional artworks. Others may prefer the exquisite medieval ecclesiastical exhibits—manuscripts, altarpieces, statuary, stained glass, jewel-encrusted reliquaries—the collections of arms and armor, or the scientific instruments including beautiful globes and astrolabes.

Opened in 2019 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Free State of Bavaria (which was in 2018, but who's counting?), this vast riverside museum walks visitors through the checkered history of the region, from the medieval Kingdom of Bohemia right up to the present day (and future). The tone is a little up-and-down—in the midst of a section on brutal Nazi rule, there's an exhibit about Karl Valentin's comedy film Flug Zum Mond (Flight to the Moon)—but there are fascinating deep-dives into Bavarian culture and clothing, the extravagance of Ludwig II, the 1972 Summer Olympics, the booming automotive industry, and, of course, Bayern Munich soccer club. German speakers will enjoy the collected audio snippets of spoken Bavarian alongside other German dialects.

With its tiny windows, weathered tiles, and pink plaster, this bridge tower has stood at the southern end of the city's famous Stone Bridge for more than 370 years—and for the past 25 of them, it's been home to Regensburg's tiniest museum. Step inside to discover an array of items relating to the construction and development of the bridge, or to simply take in the gorgeous views over the Regensburg roof landscape. The brooding building with a massive roof to the left of the Brückturm is an old salt warehouse.

The municipal museum vividly relates the cultural history of Regensburg. It's one of the highlights of the city, both for its unusual and beautiful setting—a former Gothic monastery—and for its wide-ranging collections, from Roman artifacts to Renaissance tapestries and remains from Regensburg's 16th-century Jewish ghetto. The most significant exhibits are the paintings by Albrecht Altdorfer (1480–1538), a native of Regensburg and, along with Cranach, Grünewald, and Dürer, one of the leading painters of the German Renaissance. Altdorfer's work has the same sense of heightened reality found in that of his contemporaries, in which the lessons of Italian painting are used to produce an emotional rather than a rational effect; his drawings of Regensburg's old synagogue, exhibited here, are priceless documents.

Step inside the beautiful Neue Residenz, through the stately baroque entrance revealing a magnificent staircase—a scintillating study in marble, fresco, and stucco—and you'll find this excellent cathedral museum. It's home to one of Bavaria's largest collections of religious treasures—the legacy of Passau's rich episcopal history—along with a baroque book collection, colorful frescoes, and antique furnishings.

While excavating a 17th-century pilgrimage church, archaeologists uncovered a stout Roman fortress with five defence towers and walls more than 12 feet thick. The Roman citadel Boiotro was discovered on a hill known as the Mariahilfberg on the south bank of the river Inn, with its Roman well still plentiful and fresh. Pottery, lead figures, and other artifacts from the area are housed in this museum at the edge of the site.