Marksburg Castle high above the town of Braubach on the Rhine River is believed to date back to the early 12th century - and has remained intact to this very day. It's the only castle built on a hill along the Middle Rhine Valley that was never destroyed. Since 2002, the Upper Middle Rhine Valley is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. On average, you'll see a castle every 2.5 kilometers.

It's arguably Germany's most important castle. Built around 1067 above the central German town of Eisenach, Wartburg provided sanctuary to a fleeing Martin Luther in 1521-22. Here, he translated the New Testament into German. In 1206 it featured the legendary minstrel singing contest portrayed in Richard Wagner's opera "Tannhäuser." Wartburg has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999.

In medieval times, Nuremberg Castle was a prominent imperial palace. Emperors and Kings of the Holy Roman Empire resided here over the centuries. Demolished in World War II, the castle was rebuilt true to its historic architecture.

Eltz Castle featured prominently on the back of Germany's 500 Deutsche Mark note, making it one of the country's best known castles. Built in the early 12th century in a spectacular location at the top of a 70-meter (230-foot) rock spur in the hills above the Moselle River, Eltz Castle today is a tourist magnet.

Perched above the town of Burghausen in Upper Bavaria, it is the longest castle complex in the world, at least according to the Guinness Book of Records: it measures 1051 meters. The castle was built before 1025 and served as a residence to the Bavarian Wittelsbach dynasty.

First mentioned in 1323, Rheinstein Castle is also situated in the Upper Middle Rhine Valley. In 1823, builder and architect Karl Friedrich urged Prince Friedrich of Prussia to buy the castle that had fallen into disrepair in the late 16th century. In the Romantic period, Rheinstein Castle was the first Rhine River castle to be reconstructed.

It's the largest castle built on a hill along the Moselle River and is a prominent landmark for the town of Cochem. Cochem Castle was presumably built around the year 1100 and destroyed in the 17th century. Berlin entrepreneur Louis Ravené bought it for 300 gold marks and rebuilt the castle in neo-Gothic style around 1877, according to the romantic notions of a knights' castle.

In 1914, teacher Richard Schirrmann opened the world's first youth hostel here. Altena Castle in North Rhine-Westphalia is over 800 years old. After falling into disrepair over the centuries, its reconstruction was completed in 1918.

One of the best-preserved German castles with a moat can also be found in North Rhine-Westphalia. Called the Satzvey Castle, it dates back to the 12th century. Daunting moats were dug to keep hostile enemies at bay. In flat regions, they were an alternative to perching the castle on a rocky cliff or hill.

The spectacular appearance of Hohenzollern Castle in this photo is due to the effects of thermal inversion. The structure lies atop the 855-meter mountain of the same name in Baden-Württemberg. In 1850, Prussian rulers had the one-time residence of their ancestors rebuilt in its current, idealized form. Rulers of the German Empire were drawn from the Hohenzollern dynasty from 1871 to 1918.

Anyone who goes to Thuringia must visit the city of Erfurt. One special attraction in the Thuringian state capital is the Krämerbrücke, Europe's longest bridge, which is completely covered with dwellings. Don't miss some of Erfurt's other impressive sights, like the medieval town center, St. Mary's Cathedral (Erfurter Dom) and Europe's oldest preserved synagogue, to name but a few.

In this house, one of Germany's most famous writers worked on masterpieces like the novel "Elective Affinities" or the drama "Faust." In the town of Weimar, you can tour the house where Goethe lived for 50 years until his death in 1832. He shared the house with his lover, who later became his wife — Christiane Vulpius — and their son.

You can also tour Friedrich Schiller's house in Weimar. The author and his family lived here for three years. He regularly met with Goethe until Schiller died in 1805, at the early age of 45. Those eager to learn more about these world-famous authors can read many of their personal letters at the Goethe and Schiller archive in Weimar.

1920s Weimar was the birthplace of Bauhaus — a new approach to design and architecture. Founded by Walter Gropius, the Bauhaus art school was one of the most influential in shaping the 20th century. Architecture and design was reinvented by artists from all over the world. The Bauhaus-Museum Weimar offers in insight into their work.

The Thuringian grilled bratwurst is a specialty you can find anywhere in the region. It can be called this only if it was actually made in Thuringia. For a long time, over half the ingredients — pork, salt, pepper, marjoram, caraway seeds and garlic — had to be produced in Thuringia as well for it to be given this title. The sausage is eaten in a bread roll with mustard — Thuringian of course!

The Thuringian Forest is a hiker's delight. Germany's most popular hilltop hiking route, the Rennsteig, leads up along the mountain ridges of the Thuringian Forest to a lofty 1,000 meters (3,280 feet). And the Rennsteig path itself is long — most hikers spread the 170 kilometers (106 miles) over six stages.

Thanks to its ancient beech forest, Hainich National Park is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The canopy walkway allows visitors to enjoy the otherwise inaccessible parts of the park. It leads visitors through the treetops at a height of 24 meters (78 feet). Some fortunate visitors get to see bats, woodpeckers or other animal species that live in the primeval forest.

In 1521, Martin Luther translated the New Testament from Greek into German in just 11 weeks while at Wartburg Castle, where he was hiding out. As a seminal figure of what became the Protestant Reformation, he was banished and declared an outlaw.

Enjoy Bach's music on your own or with friends at the small concert performances held hourly at the Bach house in Eisenach. Johann Sebastian Bach was born in Eisenach in 1685 and lived there for 10 years. You can also enjoy the world-famous composer's music at various locations in Thuringia during the annual Bach Weeks, Thuringia's biggest classical music festival.

The Thuringians also invented a popular German card game. The card game Skat was created in Altenburg in 1813, based on both the three-player card game Tarok, also known as Tarot, and the four-player card game, Sheepshead. Altenburg is also where the oldest-preserved playing card was produced in 1509. Cards are still made and sold here — the perfect souvenir to take home from Thuringia.