![SWITZERLAND - JANUARY 01: Library of the monastery St. Gallen, Switzerland. 2000 hand writings, 1635 incunable and almost 100.000 books. The library was built between 1758 and 1767 und richly decorated. (Photo by Imagno/Getty Images) [St. Gallen, Schweiz: Ehemaliges Benediktiner-Kloster. Stiftsbibliothek mit 2000 Handschriften, 1635 Wiegen- und Fruehdrucken (Inkunabeln) und schliesslich 100.000 Buechern, 1758-1767 erbaut und kunstvoll ausgestattet. Stift St. Gallen: 612 Zelle des hl. Gallus, eines Gefaehrten Columbans, 719 wird durch den hl. Otmar das Kloster errichtet, das 747 die Regel Benedikts annimmt, 1805 saekularisiert.]
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Abbeys, Architecture, Books, Interiors, Libraries, Photo tgg06/01](https://lp-cms-production.imgix.net/2023-06/StiftsbibliothekStGallen.jpeg?fit=crop&ar=1%3A1&w=1200&auto=format&q=75)
Northeastern Switzerland
If the greatest masterpieces on earth are wrought for the glory of God, St Gallen鈥檚 Stiftsbibliothek (Abbey Library), is like a living prayer. Religious鈥
Must-see attractions in Central Europe
Bernese Oberland
This is the big one. At 3454m above sea level, Jungfraujoch is Europe鈥檚 highest train station: a once-in-a-lifetime trip, with views of the deeply鈥
Valais
If ever a view in Switzerland is going to leave you dumbstruck (and there are a few great ones to choose from!), it will surely be the infinite swoop of鈥
Montreux
If ever a castle could fit the fairy-tale bill, the dashingly handsome Ch芒teau de Chillon would be it, with its moat, double ramparts and riot of turrets鈥
Triglav National Park
Sitting at a view-enhanced elevation of 1611m, this mountain pass is about 13km southwest of Kranjska Gora, via a storied road that zigzags madly and鈥
Prague
Built over a time span of almost 600 years, St Vitus is one of the most richly endowed cathedrals in central Europe. It is pivotal to the religious and鈥
骋诲补艅蝉办 & Pomerania
Malbork鈥檚 blockbuster attraction is its show-stoppingly massive castle sitting on the banks of the sluggish Nogat River, an eastern arm of the Vistula鈥
Mal谩 Strana
Strolling across Charles Bridge is everybody鈥檚 favourite Prague activity. However, by 9am it鈥檚 a 500m-long fairground, with an army of tourists squeezing鈥
碍谤补办贸飞
Some 14km southeast of 碍谤补办贸飞, the Wieliczka (vyeh-leech-kah) salt mine has been welcoming tourists since 1722 and today is one of Poland's most popular鈥
骋诲补艅蝉办
Opened in 2016, this striking piece of modern architecture is a bold addition to the northern end of 骋诲补艅蝉办's waterfront. It has rapidly become one of鈥
Cologne
Cologne鈥檚 geographical and spiritual heart 鈥 and its single-biggest tourist draw 鈥 is the magnificent K枚lner Dom. With its soaring twin spires, this is鈥
Aachen
It鈥檚 impossible to overestimate the significance of Aachen鈥檚 magnificent cathedral. The burial place of Charlemagne, it鈥檚 where more than 30 German kings鈥
Bavarian Alps
A pocket-sized trove of weird treasures, Schloss Linderhof was Ludwig II鈥檚 smallest but most sumptuous palace, and the only one he lived to see fully鈥
碍谤补办贸飞
As the political and cultural heart of Poland through the 16th century, Wawel Royal Castle is a potent symbol of national identity. It's now a museum鈥
Castle District
Castle Hill is a kilometre-long limestone plateau towering 170m above the Danube. It contains some of Budapest鈥檚 most important medieval monuments and鈥
Southwestern Slovenia
What attracts most people to this little church is the famous Dance of Death or Danse Macabre, a fresco that shows 11 skeletons leading the same number of鈥
Warsaw
Warsaw鈥檚 top palace, 10km south of the city centre, was commissioned by King Jan III Sobieski in 1677. It has changed hands several times over the鈥
贵眉蝉蝉别苍
Appearing through the mountaintops like a mirage, Schloss Neuschwanstein was the model for Disney鈥檚 Sleeping Beauty castle. King Ludwig II planned this鈥
Innsbruck
Picturesquely perched on a hill and set among beautiful gardens, this Renaissance pile was acquired in 1564 by Archduke Ferdinand II, then ruler of Tyrol,鈥
Esztergom
The largest church in Hungary sits on Castle Hill, and its 72m-high central dome can be seen for many kilometres around. The building of the present鈥
Vienna
Vienna's foremost opera and ballet venue, the neo-Renaissance Staatsoper, is one of the finest concert halls in the world. Even if you can't get tickets鈥
Prague
Prague鈥檚 most popular attraction. Looming above the Vltava's left bank, its serried ranks of spires, towers and palaces dominate the city centre like a鈥
Eastern Slovakia
Crowning a travertine hill above Spi拧sk茅 Podhradie village, this vast, Unesco-listed fortification is one of Central Europe's biggest castle complexes鈥
Salzburg
A prince-archbishop with a wicked sense of humour, Markus Sittikus, built Schloss Hellbrunn in the early 17th century as a summer palace and an escape鈥
Vienna
Vienna鈥檚 Gothic masterpiece Stephansdom 鈥 or Steffl (Little Stephan), as it鈥檚 ironically nicknamed 鈥 is Vienna's pride and joy. A church has stood here鈥
Salzburg
Salzburg's most visible icon is this mighty, 900-year-old clifftop fortress, one of the biggest and best preserved in Europe. It's easy to spend half a鈥
Warsaw
For over 60 years this socialist realist palace has dominated central Warsaw. A 鈥榞ift of friendship鈥 from the Soviet Union, it was completed in 1955 and鈥
Salzburg & Salzburgerland
Billed as the world鈥檚 largest accessible ice caves, Eisriesenwelt is a glittering ice empire spanning 30,000 sq metres and 42km of narrow passages鈥
Danubiana Meulensteen Art Museum
Slovakia
The windswept location of this world-class art gallery is as invigorating as the works on display. On a promontory jutting into the Danube, the鈥
Budapest
Home to more than 40 statues, busts and plaques of Lenin, Marx, B茅la Kun and others whose likenesses have ended up on trash heaps elsewhere, Memento Park,鈥
Dresden
A collaboration between the architect Matth盲us P枚ppelmann and the sculptor Balthasar Permoser, the Zwinger was built between 1710 and 1728 on the orders鈥
Budapest
Budapest鈥檚 neoclassical cathedral is the most sacred Catholic church in all of Hungary and contains its most revered relic: the mummified right hand of鈥
Vienna
The MuseumsQuartier is a remarkable ensemble of museums, cafes, restaurants and bars inside former imperial stables designed by Fischer von Erlach. This鈥
Vienna
The Hofburg's Kaiserliche Schatzkammer contains secular and ecclesiastical treasures (including devotional images and altars, particularly from the鈥
Warsaw
This remarkable copy of the original castle blown up by the Germans in WWII is filled with authentic period furniture and original works of art鈥
Vienna
Nothing symbolises Austria's resplendent cultural heritage more than its Hofburg, home base of the Habsburgs from 1273 to 1918. The oldest section is the鈥
Budapest
The Eclectic-style Parliament, designed by Imre Steindl and completed in 1902, has 691 sumptuously decorated rooms. You鈥檒l get to see several of these and鈥
贵眉蝉蝉别苍
King Ludwig II grew up at the sun-yellow Schloss Hohenschwangau and later enjoyed summers here until his death in 1886. His father, Maximilian II, built鈥
Budapest
The Hungarian National Museum houses the nation鈥檚 most important collection of historical relics in an impressive neoclassical building, purpose built in鈥
