| German Castle Road and Romantic Road |
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Contact : WEICHLEIN TOURS + INCENTIVES Day 1 Day 2 Speyer's imperial cathedral, which is laid out in the form of a Latin cross, is one of Germany's largest and most important Romanesque buildings. The Salian Emperor Konrad II ordered its construction around 1030 with the aim of creating the largest church in the western world. The cathedral was consecrated in 1061 during the reign of his grandson Henry IV. Its huge triple-naved vaulted basilica is the central element of a design layout that went on to exercise great influence on Romanesque architecture in the 11th and 12th centuries. As a burial site for Salian, Hohenstaufen and Hapsburg rulers and their wives, the cathedral is considered a symbol of imperial rule in the Middle Ages. Of particular importance is the crypt - still preserved in its original glory, it is the largest Romanesque columned hall in Europe. The cathedral bowl, which has a capacity of 1,560 litres, is located in the square outside the main cathedral door. It once marked the boundary between between episcopal and municipal territories. Overnight Day 3
Onwards to Bamberg (Würzburg-Bamberg about 95 km) One thousand years of history have shaped the Franconian imperial and episcopal town of Bamberg, leaving behind many valuable architectural monuments such as medieval churches and baroque town houses. The magic of the past hangs like a veil over the town and Coburg (Bamberg-Coburg about 50 km) Fortress Coburg to visit and the factory of the Hummel figurines Day 5 Day 7
Day 9 Pfaffenwinkel is home to the famous "Pilgrimage Church of the Scourged Saviour" in Steingaden, one of Overnight Füssen area Day 10
Day 11 Day 12 Contact : WEICHLEIN TOURS + INCENTIVES
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The home of the Würzburg prince bishops was built between 1720 and 1744 based on plans by Balthasar Neumann. It has been a UNESCO world cultural heritage site since 1981. The famous staircase with its unsupported vaulted ceiling features one of the largest ceiling frescos in the world, painted in 1752/53 by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo and an allegory of the four continents of the earth known at the time. The sequence of rooms is magnificent - from the vestibule to the Garden Hall and via the staircase and White Hall to the Imperial Hall, also featuring Tiepolo frescos. A particular highlight is the completely restored mirrored hall, which was reopened in 1987. The state rooms contain some Würzburg rococo masterpieces. The court garden was designed at the end of the 18th century by the landscape gardener Johann Prokop Mayer, featuring sculptures by Johann Peter Wagner. Venetian paintings from the 17th and 18th centuries are on display in the state gallery. 
Trip along the Castle Road to Rothenburg ob der Tauber (Ansbach - Rothenburg about 33 km)
the most famous rococo churches in the world. There is a figure of the flagellated Christ in the centre of this church. On 14 June 1738, a peasant named Maria Lory saw tears in the eyes of the statue of Christ at the whipping post. This miracle prompted a pilgrimage to the Scourged Saviour in Wies near Steingaden, and as the numbers of visitors grew, Dominikus Zimmermann built a remarkable place of worship between 1745 and 1754. The church is decorated in the rococo style at its very best. Around 1 million people from all over the world come to the church every year, many of whom are pilgrims. Visitors come to the Wieskirche Pilgrimage Church to look, marvel, pray, attend services, enjoy the summer concerts and, of course, for quiet contemplation in the presence of the flagellated Saviour. 
Neuschwanstein Castle, built for King Ludwig II between 1869 and 1886 on a rugged cliff against a scenic mountain backdrop, was intended to "embody the true spirit of the medieval German castle", as the king wrote in a letter to Richard Wagner. While the building itself replicates the 13th century Romanesque style, some of the images of the murals are based on themes from Wagnerian operas such as "Tannhäuser" and "Lohengrin". The singers' hall is modelled on the banqueting hall of Wartburg Castle in Eisenach and is decorated with murals depicting, amongst other things, the Parzival legend. Neuschwanstein Castle is not a copy of a medieval castle but a characteristic example of historicism
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