A huge array of architectural styles are to be found in Germany, with grand Gothic structures, fairytale castles , half-timbered houses and modernist glass and steel constructions all sitting happily side-by-side across the country. Although Germany has only existed as a united nation since the late 19th century, humans have been living, working and building on the land for thousands of years, so it should come as no surprise that architectural styles of all different ages are represented right here.
Human dwellings dating as far back as 5. The Roman Empire once covered much of modern-day Germany and an impressive array of constructions came from their time in power.
After the Romans departed from Germany, some of their architectural advances like baths, underfloor heating and aqueducts all but vanished, but their building methods survived to an extent. In Germany and the rest of western Europe, architects under the Merovingian, Carolingian and Ottonian dynasties continued to build large stone buildings, developing a new architectural style in western Europe known as Romanesque, that combined features of ancient Roman and Byzantine buildings with local traditions.
Romanesque architecture is characterised by its relative simplicity: semi-circular arches, thick walls, sturdy pillars, large towers and regular, symmetrical shapes. Although this period saw the building of many castles, they were greatly outnumbered by churches, as an increasingly Christianised Europe turned its gaze heavenward. Over time, Romanesque architecture evolved into Gothic architecture, a style that flourished in Germany and across Europe during the High and Late Middle Ages as religious fervour swelled and demanded grander, bigger and more spectacular structures, leading to a number of architectural advances like flying buttresses and vaulted ceilings.
The Renaissance - a revival of ancient Greek and Roman thought and culture - developed first in France and quickly spread to other parts of Europe, including Germany. The Juleum in Helmstedt is a great example of how the Weser region of Germany also developed its own style of Renaissance architecture during this period.
