Berlin will be a host city for the World Cup seventeen years after the fall of the Wall.
The towers of the Cologne Cathedral are visible above the city from far and wide. At a height of 157 meters, it is still only the second tallest building in the city, but the Gothic cathedral is still Cologne's most popular symbol.
Dortmund is located in the heart of the Ruhr region. Coal and steel production were once key factors in the local economy.
Frankfurt am Main’s famous skyline has earned the city the nickname "Mainhattan". The skyscrapers of the banks and insurance companies line the bank of the river Main.
Soccer reigns supreme in Gelsenkirchen. There are very few cities that are so closely identified with their football club as is the case here with FC Schalke 04.
Even though it is not situated on the coast, Hamburg is Germany's largest seaport. Ships coming in from the North Sea have to travel 120 kilometers inland on the Elbe River to get here.
When you think of Hanover, often you immediately think of the trade fairs, which fill the capital of Lower Saxony with millions of visitors several times a year: this was particularly true in the year 2000, when the world exhibition EXPO gave the city an unforgettable summer.
There is a strong emphasis on soccer in Kaiserslautern. 1st FC Kaiserslautern, nicknamed the 'Red Devils' for the color of their jerseys, contributed five players to the national team that won the World Cup in Switzerland in 1954.
In the fall of 1989 tens of thousands of people took part in peaceful demonstrations in the streets of Leipzig once a week after evening prayer services at St. Nicholas Church.
Large numbers of people come to Munich from around the world to enjoy its cosmopolitan atmosphere and almost Mediterranean air.
A stroll through the old section of Nuremberg takes visitors back to the city's heyday in the Middle Ages.
In Stuttgart, there beats the heart of the German automotive industry. But it also provides culinary specialities - a Württemberg Trollinger wine is recommended to accompany hefty helpings of "Spätzle" and "Maultaschen".
