The Elbe River flows through not only the 1200-year-old city of Magdeburg, which was home to Otto the Great, the first German emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, but also Dresden, royal seat to the Elector of Saxony and King of Poland, Augustus the Strong.

In this city, architects und sculptors created the most important works of the Baroque period, and this is where the Church of Our Lady, the church destroyed in World War II and rebuilt in 2005, stands.

Goethe created literary monuments to Leipzig by calling it ‘Little Paris' and setting part of his play ‘Faust' in the traditional restaurant ‘Auerbach's Cellar'.

Many are fascinated by Thuringia's nearly 1300-year-old capital Erfurt and its excellently preserved medieval city centre. Close by, the ‘boom town' of Jena shows signs of more recent history: the optical industry was founded here at the Zeiss factory.

For further information on this tour or sights along the route please refer to the "Service" section on the right hand side or send us an email on culturalheart@germany.co.uk.