Visions of Germany - Along the Rhine (2011) - full transcript
it is always something of a mystery
trying to discover the various sources
of the world's great rivers and so it is
with a Rhine which runs through five
different countries on its journey to
the North Sea more than 800 miles away
most of the river sources are in the
high alts many of them in Switzerland
where in the spring melting snow and ice
rushed down the mountainside and fill
the Upper Rhine tributaries to
overflowing
but by summer the river usually becomes
one of the most Placid and navigable
waterways in the world on this
particularly rural section of the Upper
Rhine there is not usually a great deal
of commercial activity
here in the region of baden-württemberg
where the Rhine makes a sweeping turn
northward through one of the most
beautiful and beguiling parts of Germany
it might be interesting to leave the
river briefly and visit the Schwarz
vault or Black Forest the vast and
densely wooded forest covers most of the
region and if the name conjures up
images of Hansel and Gretel and a
frightful which it should the Brothers
Grimm had it in mind when they compose
their fairy tales
passage through the mountainous forest
is certainly neither fast nor easy it
isn't supposed to be this is a place for
tourists and vacationers a place
intended for visitors to savor and take
their time
among the special charms of Rybak were
Freetown are the bubbling Brooks that
constantly sing their way through the
old town
this fortified town gate was built in
the 13th century when you walk through
it the past seems to follow you like a
shadow
not all of the Schwarzwald region is
forest the high plateaus are fertile and
small farming communities abound
it's hard to tell which is more
impressive the natural site itself or
the magnificent fortress that was built
here the horn salon family dynasty which
ultimately ruled Prussia and later the
German Empire had its beginnings here a
good deal of the castle was remodeled in
the 19th century but much of the 15th
century Saint Michael's Chapel still
survives from the original
they say that rather than having a
university Tuebingen 'is a university so
important have students been to the life
of this attractive town in the nikah
river for over 500 years
the town is also justly famous for its
classic half-timbered house design
naturally the wood for them comes from
the Black Forest
the old palace fort which once protected
the town now houses several university
institutes as well as a cellar with the
largest colony of bats in germany
and yes the fame gone Dallas of Tubingen
still ply the river in this black forest
version of Venice Italy
Orem on the danube at the forest eastern
limits boasts the church tower that
measures 530 feet
reputed to be the tallest in the world
although these days Orem has a more
contemporary look as a modern scientific
research center which is only fitting
because Albert Einstein was born here in
Orem in 1879
most German autobahns are speedy and
efficient
there are however a few that require
just a bit more care
fortunately there are lots of other ways
to get around
situated on a plateau in the midst of
the forest esslingen is also in the
middle of a rich wine region the local
specialty is sparkling white wine best
served chilled after a nice evening walk
through the town
the traditional houses of esslingen have
been rigorously kept in their original
state
not an easy task built as they are on a
bridge right above the river itself
of course the motorcycle races here can
be exciting but there are some other
unexpected thrills as well
after Gutteridge damla and karl benz
began making an automobile named after
friend's daughter Mercedes they chose
Stuttgart as the site of one of the
largest plants the famed company logo
towers above the city and makes quite an
impression when illuminated at night the
industrial city one of the largest in
the Federal Republic is the capital of
Baden Wurttemberg thus to change
Stuttgart is the German word for
broodmare for originally this place was
the site of a royal horse breeding farm
what is left of the wonderful old town
is most visible around the Shilla plots
which is flanked by the shift scale here
were Collegiate Church
and the artists show us the old palace
the neues lusts a huge baroque palace
complex built in the ground style
occupies the open spaces of the city's
vast central parks
situated in nearby Ludwig's book is an
even more impressive Palace the splendor
of its formal gardens has earned it the
name the Versailles of Swabia
this elegant little pocket palace was
once the hunting lodge for the entire
state
the renounce city of Heidelberg a man
neckar river has attracted university
students since the 14th century but it
is the heidelberg castle and it's
remarkable view of the entire valley
that draws the tourists these days
University buildings around this church
built for the Jesuits in the 18th
century
a very highly respected University
Heidelberg is still remembered a bit too
much for its portrayal in the operetta
the student Prince for its rowdy
drinking bouts and dueling scars
the NECA River eventually joins the
Rhine well below where we had departed
it to visit the Black Forest
and it is the quiet flowing Rhine River
we will rediscover and follow once again
on its lyrical passage northward to the
sea
on peaceful days the Upper Rhine is as
much a watery Playland as it is a
commercial passageway
but commerce there is on this placid
section of the river is usually
relatively modest watersports have a
very different look at this popular
rhyme Playland only a few kilometers
from the river itself
north of Catherine the Rhine becomes a
much busier waterway tug boats and
barges sometimes convoys of them
container ships and tourist boats
freighters fishing boats and ferries
plied a narrow river continuously making
the Rhine one of the busiest shipping
lanes in the world
this is one of the youngest towns in
Germany built in the 18th century when
prince Colville hem decided to retire
here hence the name cows whore or calls
rest this palace was calls not so modest
retreat from the cares of life
in nearby Milan is one of the
best-preserved medieval monasteries in
Europe but restoration unfortunately
means that we're also bound to see lots
of scaffolding
the 12th century abbey and its
surrounding buildings have been a highly
recommended site on UNESCO's World
Heritage List since 1993
if there is room for just one more
eighteenth-century palace in our
itinerary it should be this one not only
for its neoclassical design but for its
unusual name Chevette singin
Manheim and its sister city Ludwigshafen
are primarily bustling hard-working
industrial cities and ports
today in Mannheim is an exception
because the populace has come to the
fairgrounds for a well-earned day of
food and fun
[Music]
the Friedreich's plots garden and it's
ancient Vasa tome or water tower are
located in one of Manheim's finest and
usually busiest of neighborhoods but
almost no one is here today naturally
not everyone's back at the fair
this bridge takes us to one of the
oldest towns in Germany bombs a
surprising name to English speakers and
it becomes even more humorous if you
recall from history class the strangely
named diet of worms which forced Martin
Luther to stand trial for his so-called
heresies here in whomps he refused to
recant his beliefs and was banished to
the outer reaches of the Empire
Vons Cathedral completed in the 12th
century remains one of the finest
Romanesque creations in all of Germany
ironically just on the other side of the
central marketplace a smaller and much
newer church commemorates the changes
brought about by the religious
Reformation begun by Martin Luther
vineyards abound along the shores of the
Rhine but these just north of bombs are
distinctive they produce leap flower me
a very popular sweet white wine intended
mostly for export
one of the main stops in the Deutsche
Bahn Strasse the German wine route is
bad dürkheim
also known for its annual host market
don't let the name of the event fool you
it really celebrates the wine harvest
divorced is secondary and the sheer size
of this wine barrel proves it
castle ruin starts the forested
landscape of the palace a vault almost
all the way back to the shores of the
Rhine River
Mainz is situated where the mine River
joins the Rhine and that fact alone
would make it a prominent City it is
Germany's most important wine market and
it's magnificent Cathedral has also been
beautifully restored but all of these
things pale before the fact that a man
who changed the world was born here
Johannes Gutenberg who invented modern
printing
touré Ruttenberg bibles are on display
at the gutenberg museum surprisingly a
bit further east along the quiet river
mine is one of Germany's and the world's
greatest cities prosperous cosmopolitan
Frankfurt headquarters of many
international corporations site of the
world's largest book fair and the
ancestral home of Germany's greatest
writer johann wolfgang von goethe the
city centre is really the restored old
town known as the looma back
a charming square round the other
hothouse for old town hall graced by
15th century timbered houses and the
churches of saint nicholas and st. paul
the old warmer back is a startling
contrast to the new Frankfurt only a few
blocks away
has a great modern banking and financial
center Frankfurt has the contemporary
skyscraper look to go along with it
which is why the city on the mine is
nicknamed mine Houghton the old opera
house was completely burned down during
World War two it was rebuilt in its
original neoclassical style but these
days it is used primarily as a
conference centre
Finance has been the lifeblood of
Frankfurt ever since the city was
granted the right to print money in the
16th century the first stock exchange
was established on this spot in 1558 so
international is the attraction and
flavor of this great city that one
Frankfurt resident in every four is
foreign-born
returning to the Rhine gives us a chance
to linger a while in Wiesbaden a
thriving and still very chic spa resort
Wiesbaden has been a bathing spa as far
back as Roman times but it was during
the town's heyday in the 19th century
that it became a rendezvous for royalty
in the wealthy from around the world
the graceful homes still reflect the
style of the town's golden days
the same castles along the Rhine are
really actually in the river but this
small fortress not only repelled
potential enemies it was also used as a
toll booth in the old days ship captains
had to pay up if they intended to go any
further on the Rhine our journey on the
river however is far from over
though the locals call this monument the
goddess of wine it is actually gem Manya
commemorating the reestablishment of the
empire in 1871 and certainly we can all
drink a toast to that
in one sense the Rhine Valley describes
the entire River setting but in fact it
is really only the short stretch of the
river known as the Rhine tyle famous
with the Rhine wine the breathtaking
succession of romantic castles and it's
world-famous legends and mystical tales
the most romantic and legendary stretch
of the river starts at the town of
Bingham easily recognized by the
towering book club an ancient castle
stronghold
one after another the castles of the
Rhine tiles slide by each always a
reminder of the mysterious history of
this place the tales of chivalry and
sorcerers the magical story of the
Nibelungen
upon which Richard Wagner based his Ring
cycle forerunner to the contemporary
Lord of the Rings these are just some of
the thoughts and feelings this
particular stretch of river can evoke
the legend of the Lorelei the rock of
lore is of a beautiful enchantress who
lures sailors to their deaths here with
her sirens songs a more practical
understanding is that the currents that
this narrow Bend can be very treacherous
and many boulders tumbled down from the
high cliff and lie dangerously just
beneath the water's surface
tour boats often stop here to allow for
lunch and a river sidewalk the town's
most famous tourist site is the remains
of a Roman military camp no town on the
winding river is more strategically
placed than this one
a castle that cannot quite be seen from
the rivers book s a fairytale fortress
situated in the untamed as Valley
it is not at all rare for the castle to
be suddenly enveloped in mist
the vineyards are terraced even more
steeply further downriver
and as we approach Koblenz weather Mosel
joins the Rhine the wine takes its name
from the river
it's a Mosin
the entrance of this major tributary
which joins the Rhine from France is
marked by Deutsche SEC the German corner
here stands an enormous equestrian
statue of Emperor Bill hem the first
the river promenade on the Mosel is the
perfect place to sample the local
bratwurst and although this is wine
country why not a bottle of dark and
tasty Schwarz beer
the activity is far more sedate at the
electoral palace the core firstly his
schloss the fun years mostly in just
trying to pronounce the name
this fortress on the heights above the
confluence of the Rhine and the Mosul
commanded and protected the city for
almost a thousand years
a very short ride from Koblenz is the
small volcanic crater lake of maria la
which is significant for the superb
Benedictine abbey built along its Shore
its construction is considered a
masterpiece of German Romanesque
architecture
several times each day to a quarry
enchants echoes through the church
galleries
only the towers of the Ville maggin
bridge remain it was over that bridge in
March 1945 that American troops crossed
the Rhine deeper into Germany only days
later under the weight of armored
vehicles the bridge collapsed
this bridge in bun is named after
President John F Kennedy widely admired
in Germany for his strong support of the
German Federal Republic during the Cold
War bun became its provisional capital
in 1949
the city is also well known as the
birthplace of ludwig van beethoven who
grew up in this prosperous residential
neighborhood his former home is now a
museum displaying precious musical
manuscripts and much early memorabilia
this geometrically perfect palace and
Botanical Garden is in the bun suburb of
Papa stove they belong to the University
but visitors are more than welcome
this late 17th century Palace now has a
spun University which may make it one of
the most beautiful educational settings
anywhere in the world since it is
getting a bit crowded up here and since
the storm clouds further north over the
river look rather threatening this might
be a good time to turn back up the river
and seek clearer skies a good time to
avoid the dangerous Lorelei's sirens
some and though wicked spirits conjured
up by the Brothers Grimm in the
Schwarzwald to allow the Setting Sun to
begin to settle slowly behind us above
the ever meandering Rhine River over the
river of memory and the river of time
which urban flow but never end.
trying to discover the various sources
of the world's great rivers and so it is
with a Rhine which runs through five
different countries on its journey to
the North Sea more than 800 miles away
most of the river sources are in the
high alts many of them in Switzerland
where in the spring melting snow and ice
rushed down the mountainside and fill
the Upper Rhine tributaries to
overflowing
but by summer the river usually becomes
one of the most Placid and navigable
waterways in the world on this
particularly rural section of the Upper
Rhine there is not usually a great deal
of commercial activity
here in the region of baden-württemberg
where the Rhine makes a sweeping turn
northward through one of the most
beautiful and beguiling parts of Germany
it might be interesting to leave the
river briefly and visit the Schwarz
vault or Black Forest the vast and
densely wooded forest covers most of the
region and if the name conjures up
images of Hansel and Gretel and a
frightful which it should the Brothers
Grimm had it in mind when they compose
their fairy tales
passage through the mountainous forest
is certainly neither fast nor easy it
isn't supposed to be this is a place for
tourists and vacationers a place
intended for visitors to savor and take
their time
among the special charms of Rybak were
Freetown are the bubbling Brooks that
constantly sing their way through the
old town
this fortified town gate was built in
the 13th century when you walk through
it the past seems to follow you like a
shadow
not all of the Schwarzwald region is
forest the high plateaus are fertile and
small farming communities abound
it's hard to tell which is more
impressive the natural site itself or
the magnificent fortress that was built
here the horn salon family dynasty which
ultimately ruled Prussia and later the
German Empire had its beginnings here a
good deal of the castle was remodeled in
the 19th century but much of the 15th
century Saint Michael's Chapel still
survives from the original
they say that rather than having a
university Tuebingen 'is a university so
important have students been to the life
of this attractive town in the nikah
river for over 500 years
the town is also justly famous for its
classic half-timbered house design
naturally the wood for them comes from
the Black Forest
the old palace fort which once protected
the town now houses several university
institutes as well as a cellar with the
largest colony of bats in germany
and yes the fame gone Dallas of Tubingen
still ply the river in this black forest
version of Venice Italy
Orem on the danube at the forest eastern
limits boasts the church tower that
measures 530 feet
reputed to be the tallest in the world
although these days Orem has a more
contemporary look as a modern scientific
research center which is only fitting
because Albert Einstein was born here in
Orem in 1879
most German autobahns are speedy and
efficient
there are however a few that require
just a bit more care
fortunately there are lots of other ways
to get around
situated on a plateau in the midst of
the forest esslingen is also in the
middle of a rich wine region the local
specialty is sparkling white wine best
served chilled after a nice evening walk
through the town
the traditional houses of esslingen have
been rigorously kept in their original
state
not an easy task built as they are on a
bridge right above the river itself
of course the motorcycle races here can
be exciting but there are some other
unexpected thrills as well
after Gutteridge damla and karl benz
began making an automobile named after
friend's daughter Mercedes they chose
Stuttgart as the site of one of the
largest plants the famed company logo
towers above the city and makes quite an
impression when illuminated at night the
industrial city one of the largest in
the Federal Republic is the capital of
Baden Wurttemberg thus to change
Stuttgart is the German word for
broodmare for originally this place was
the site of a royal horse breeding farm
what is left of the wonderful old town
is most visible around the Shilla plots
which is flanked by the shift scale here
were Collegiate Church
and the artists show us the old palace
the neues lusts a huge baroque palace
complex built in the ground style
occupies the open spaces of the city's
vast central parks
situated in nearby Ludwig's book is an
even more impressive Palace the splendor
of its formal gardens has earned it the
name the Versailles of Swabia
this elegant little pocket palace was
once the hunting lodge for the entire
state
the renounce city of Heidelberg a man
neckar river has attracted university
students since the 14th century but it
is the heidelberg castle and it's
remarkable view of the entire valley
that draws the tourists these days
University buildings around this church
built for the Jesuits in the 18th
century
a very highly respected University
Heidelberg is still remembered a bit too
much for its portrayal in the operetta
the student Prince for its rowdy
drinking bouts and dueling scars
the NECA River eventually joins the
Rhine well below where we had departed
it to visit the Black Forest
and it is the quiet flowing Rhine River
we will rediscover and follow once again
on its lyrical passage northward to the
sea
on peaceful days the Upper Rhine is as
much a watery Playland as it is a
commercial passageway
but commerce there is on this placid
section of the river is usually
relatively modest watersports have a
very different look at this popular
rhyme Playland only a few kilometers
from the river itself
north of Catherine the Rhine becomes a
much busier waterway tug boats and
barges sometimes convoys of them
container ships and tourist boats
freighters fishing boats and ferries
plied a narrow river continuously making
the Rhine one of the busiest shipping
lanes in the world
this is one of the youngest towns in
Germany built in the 18th century when
prince Colville hem decided to retire
here hence the name cows whore or calls
rest this palace was calls not so modest
retreat from the cares of life
in nearby Milan is one of the
best-preserved medieval monasteries in
Europe but restoration unfortunately
means that we're also bound to see lots
of scaffolding
the 12th century abbey and its
surrounding buildings have been a highly
recommended site on UNESCO's World
Heritage List since 1993
if there is room for just one more
eighteenth-century palace in our
itinerary it should be this one not only
for its neoclassical design but for its
unusual name Chevette singin
Manheim and its sister city Ludwigshafen
are primarily bustling hard-working
industrial cities and ports
today in Mannheim is an exception
because the populace has come to the
fairgrounds for a well-earned day of
food and fun
[Music]
the Friedreich's plots garden and it's
ancient Vasa tome or water tower are
located in one of Manheim's finest and
usually busiest of neighborhoods but
almost no one is here today naturally
not everyone's back at the fair
this bridge takes us to one of the
oldest towns in Germany bombs a
surprising name to English speakers and
it becomes even more humorous if you
recall from history class the strangely
named diet of worms which forced Martin
Luther to stand trial for his so-called
heresies here in whomps he refused to
recant his beliefs and was banished to
the outer reaches of the Empire
Vons Cathedral completed in the 12th
century remains one of the finest
Romanesque creations in all of Germany
ironically just on the other side of the
central marketplace a smaller and much
newer church commemorates the changes
brought about by the religious
Reformation begun by Martin Luther
vineyards abound along the shores of the
Rhine but these just north of bombs are
distinctive they produce leap flower me
a very popular sweet white wine intended
mostly for export
one of the main stops in the Deutsche
Bahn Strasse the German wine route is
bad dürkheim
also known for its annual host market
don't let the name of the event fool you
it really celebrates the wine harvest
divorced is secondary and the sheer size
of this wine barrel proves it
castle ruin starts the forested
landscape of the palace a vault almost
all the way back to the shores of the
Rhine River
Mainz is situated where the mine River
joins the Rhine and that fact alone
would make it a prominent City it is
Germany's most important wine market and
it's magnificent Cathedral has also been
beautifully restored but all of these
things pale before the fact that a man
who changed the world was born here
Johannes Gutenberg who invented modern
printing
touré Ruttenberg bibles are on display
at the gutenberg museum surprisingly a
bit further east along the quiet river
mine is one of Germany's and the world's
greatest cities prosperous cosmopolitan
Frankfurt headquarters of many
international corporations site of the
world's largest book fair and the
ancestral home of Germany's greatest
writer johann wolfgang von goethe the
city centre is really the restored old
town known as the looma back
a charming square round the other
hothouse for old town hall graced by
15th century timbered houses and the
churches of saint nicholas and st. paul
the old warmer back is a startling
contrast to the new Frankfurt only a few
blocks away
has a great modern banking and financial
center Frankfurt has the contemporary
skyscraper look to go along with it
which is why the city on the mine is
nicknamed mine Houghton the old opera
house was completely burned down during
World War two it was rebuilt in its
original neoclassical style but these
days it is used primarily as a
conference centre
Finance has been the lifeblood of
Frankfurt ever since the city was
granted the right to print money in the
16th century the first stock exchange
was established on this spot in 1558 so
international is the attraction and
flavor of this great city that one
Frankfurt resident in every four is
foreign-born
returning to the Rhine gives us a chance
to linger a while in Wiesbaden a
thriving and still very chic spa resort
Wiesbaden has been a bathing spa as far
back as Roman times but it was during
the town's heyday in the 19th century
that it became a rendezvous for royalty
in the wealthy from around the world
the graceful homes still reflect the
style of the town's golden days
the same castles along the Rhine are
really actually in the river but this
small fortress not only repelled
potential enemies it was also used as a
toll booth in the old days ship captains
had to pay up if they intended to go any
further on the Rhine our journey on the
river however is far from over
though the locals call this monument the
goddess of wine it is actually gem Manya
commemorating the reestablishment of the
empire in 1871 and certainly we can all
drink a toast to that
in one sense the Rhine Valley describes
the entire River setting but in fact it
is really only the short stretch of the
river known as the Rhine tyle famous
with the Rhine wine the breathtaking
succession of romantic castles and it's
world-famous legends and mystical tales
the most romantic and legendary stretch
of the river starts at the town of
Bingham easily recognized by the
towering book club an ancient castle
stronghold
one after another the castles of the
Rhine tiles slide by each always a
reminder of the mysterious history of
this place the tales of chivalry and
sorcerers the magical story of the
Nibelungen
upon which Richard Wagner based his Ring
cycle forerunner to the contemporary
Lord of the Rings these are just some of
the thoughts and feelings this
particular stretch of river can evoke
the legend of the Lorelei the rock of
lore is of a beautiful enchantress who
lures sailors to their deaths here with
her sirens songs a more practical
understanding is that the currents that
this narrow Bend can be very treacherous
and many boulders tumbled down from the
high cliff and lie dangerously just
beneath the water's surface
tour boats often stop here to allow for
lunch and a river sidewalk the town's
most famous tourist site is the remains
of a Roman military camp no town on the
winding river is more strategically
placed than this one
a castle that cannot quite be seen from
the rivers book s a fairytale fortress
situated in the untamed as Valley
it is not at all rare for the castle to
be suddenly enveloped in mist
the vineyards are terraced even more
steeply further downriver
and as we approach Koblenz weather Mosel
joins the Rhine the wine takes its name
from the river
it's a Mosin
the entrance of this major tributary
which joins the Rhine from France is
marked by Deutsche SEC the German corner
here stands an enormous equestrian
statue of Emperor Bill hem the first
the river promenade on the Mosel is the
perfect place to sample the local
bratwurst and although this is wine
country why not a bottle of dark and
tasty Schwarz beer
the activity is far more sedate at the
electoral palace the core firstly his
schloss the fun years mostly in just
trying to pronounce the name
this fortress on the heights above the
confluence of the Rhine and the Mosul
commanded and protected the city for
almost a thousand years
a very short ride from Koblenz is the
small volcanic crater lake of maria la
which is significant for the superb
Benedictine abbey built along its Shore
its construction is considered a
masterpiece of German Romanesque
architecture
several times each day to a quarry
enchants echoes through the church
galleries
only the towers of the Ville maggin
bridge remain it was over that bridge in
March 1945 that American troops crossed
the Rhine deeper into Germany only days
later under the weight of armored
vehicles the bridge collapsed
this bridge in bun is named after
President John F Kennedy widely admired
in Germany for his strong support of the
German Federal Republic during the Cold
War bun became its provisional capital
in 1949
the city is also well known as the
birthplace of ludwig van beethoven who
grew up in this prosperous residential
neighborhood his former home is now a
museum displaying precious musical
manuscripts and much early memorabilia
this geometrically perfect palace and
Botanical Garden is in the bun suburb of
Papa stove they belong to the University
but visitors are more than welcome
this late 17th century Palace now has a
spun University which may make it one of
the most beautiful educational settings
anywhere in the world since it is
getting a bit crowded up here and since
the storm clouds further north over the
river look rather threatening this might
be a good time to turn back up the river
and seek clearer skies a good time to
avoid the dangerous Lorelei's sirens
some and though wicked spirits conjured
up by the Brothers Grimm in the
Schwarzwald to allow the Setting Sun to
begin to settle slowly behind us above
the ever meandering Rhine River over the
river of memory and the river of time
which urban flow but never end.