Metropolis Now: Germany's Eclectic Cityscapes
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Frankfurt am Main
(© picture-alliance/ dpa)
Germany is a land of great cities. The tapestry of towns that covers the entire country is a legacy of the rich history of once independent regions that formed modern Germany in the 19th century. Three of Germany's 16 federal states, moreover, are actually cities - Berlin, Hamburg and Bremen. This is also a function of history, dating back to medieval times, when cities across Europe emerged as thriving centers of commerce.
Among Germany's myriad other major cities are Munich, Frankfurt, Cologne, Hanover, Kiel, Düsseldorf, Stuttgart, Leipzig and Dresden. Regional charms, moreover, abound in northern maritime centers like Schleswig, Lübeck and Stralsund, southern fairytale towns such as Freiburg, Tübingen and Regensburg, and eastern German gems like Weimar, Erfurt and Wittenberg. The western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia - Germany's most populous state and one of the most densely populated regions in the world - is meanwhile home to a vast network of cities including Wuppertal, Essen and Dortmund.
Around 89 percent of Germany's 82.3 million inhabitants live in cities and urban conurbations. In Germany there are more than 81 big cities with over 100,000 inhabitants.
