The oldest buildings in Germany were built by the Romans, and the remains of them can still be seen in the towns of Trier, Cologne and Xanten. Trier is famous for its numerous Roman buildings such as the Roman baths (Barbara baths), Amphitheater and the world-famous Porta Nigra (Black Gate). Xanten is known for its amphitheater which has been reconstructed and an archaeological park has been formed here. The oldest cathedral in Germany is the cathedral in Trier, built on the foundations of a Roman building and later destroyed by the Normans, it was rebuilt again in 882 in a Romanesque style. Carolingian period has left some of the most impressive buildings of Germany , like the Byzantine-style cathedral built for Charlemagne in Aachen in 805, or Michaelskirche in Fulda. Carolingian style can be recognized for its big walls, doors and ceilings and colorful mosaics, miniatures and illuminations. Carolingian, Roman (early Christian) and Byzantine influences are altogether visible in the Romanesque cathedrals of Speyer, Worms and Mainz, and nice Stiftskirche St Cyriakus in Gernrode in the Harz mountains. Best presrved monastery of that time is the Kloster Maulbronn located in Baden - Würtemberg, listed by Unesco.

Gothic style was at first using the Romanesque elements - the blend can be seen in the cathedral of Magdeburg in state of Saxony-Anhalt. Later churches were mostly built in pure Gothic style, with pointed arches, big windows and many vaults. Best examples of Gothic architecture are Elisabethkirche in Marburg, the Dom in Cologne, Münster in Freiburg, Liebfrauenkirche in Trier and Marienkiche in Lübeck. In the 15th century they started to decorate the vaults and build the hall churches. Churches of Munich, Michaelskirche and Frauenkirche are best examples of the late Gothic period. During the Renaissance period in the middle of 16th century many buildings were built in Heidelberg and other towns in the south of Germany, using motifs of leaves and columns. In northern Germany Renaissance had a special form called the Weser Renaissance - typical representative of this style is the Schloss in Celle in the state of Lower Saxony.

Schloss Nymphenburg in Munich was designed by Barelli

Period between the beginning of 17th century and the middle of 18th century is when most of the feudal castles and residences were built, like the Karlsruhe residence in Baden - Würtemberg or the Schloss Nymphenburg in Munich, designed by an Italian architect Barelli. Baroque buildings of northern Germany weren't so decorated as the ones in the south, so the castle in Münster designed by Johann Conrad Schlaun or the baroque quarter in Dresden are much simpler than the buildings of same style in the south of Germany. Frauenkirche in Dresden is among the nicest baroque churches in Germany. It was torn down in the bombing of 1945 and later rebuilt to be opened again in 2005. Example of late baroque can be seen in Potsdam, in the rococo-styled Schloss Sansoucci. Neoclassicism appeared in the end of the 18th century and after the overly-decorated baroque period brought back geometric features, cupolas and columns, with visible Greek and Roman influence, like in the example of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin which was built in the Greek style. Berlin has some other buildings built in neoclassical style - Neue Wache, Schauspielhaus and the Altes Museum. All of them were designed by Karl Friedrich Schinkel, main architect of neoclassical period in Germany. Glyptothek and Propyläen at the Königsplatz in Munich were designed by Leo von Klenze, who used styles of different ancient civilizations.

Late 19th century in Germany was characterized by derivative architecture using different old styles. For instance, rainbow style used Roman and Byzantine elements, while renaissance elements were used by Georg Adolph Demmler to design the Schloss in Schwerin. Romanesque influence is visible in the castle of Ludwig II, the Neuschwanstein in Bavaria. Neobaroque style, also known as the Wilhelmian style, can be seen in the famous Reichstag building, designed by Paul Wallot. The building was restored in the 1990s and got a new dome made of steel and glass. The building was designed by Paul Wallot whose work had a major influence on the 20th century Art Noveau movement. Architects of Art Noveau continued to use steel and glass surfaces and built some of the most grandiose examples of industrial architecture, like the Wertheim bei Hertie department store in Berlin.

Castle in Schwerin was built in rainbow style

Bauhaus movement has had a huge impact on the development of modern architecture in the world. The movement was led by Walter Gropius who founded the Staatliches Bauhaus in 1919. Staatliches Bauhaus was an institute of art, design and architecture located in Weimar. Industrial architecture of Art Noveau was replaced with new style which united furniture design and architecture with painting and sculpture. Bauhaus was often accused for being too impersonal and functional and using constructivist and cubist forms too much. However, this movement was the first step towards the development of modern architecture. Visit the Bauhaus Building in Dessau (institute was moved here after 1925) or Master Craftsmen's Houses (Meisterhäuser) of Bauhaus school teachers like Klee and Kandinsky. When in Berlin, check out the Bauhaus Archive/Museum of Design, designed by Walter Gropius in 1964. School was shut down by the Nazis in 1932. New architecture was monumental and grandiose - check out the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, designed by Werner March. The Stadium was restored in 2004 and now has a new roof and lower playing field. Buildings of the Nazi period and the Cold War period can be seen around Berlin, especially along the Frankfurter Alee and on Alexanderplatz where the famous TV tower stands with its 361,5 meters. The most powerful symbol of the Cold War, the Berlin Wall, can still be seen in fragments along the town center of Berlin. 1960s were the years of experimental design, like the Thyssenhaus built by Herbert Petschnigg in Düsseldorf. Thyssenhaus has inspired the Eliyahu house in Tel Aviv. Olympic Stadium in Munich was built in 1970s with its famous tent roof, while Allianz Arena hosts FC Bayern - München. Football stadiums were built or renovated before the 2006 World Cup, like the Waldstadion in Frankfurt from 2005.

Famous German architect is Frank Gehry who designed the New Customs House in Düsseldorf, Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein, Hannover's Gehry-Tower and the DZ Bank in Berlin. Many new buildings are built in Berlin, the center of arts and culture. For instance, the DaimlerCity building designed by an Italian architect Renzo Piano was built on Potsdamer Platz, while famous Sony Center located at the same square was designed by Helmut Jahn, an architect from Nürnberg. Neues Kranzler Eck is another building in Berlin built by Helmut Jahn. American architect Daniel Libeskind has designed two impressive buildings - famous zinc-covered, weird-shaped Jewish museum in Berlin and Felix-Nussbaum-Haus in Osnabrück. At the moment Libeskind is working on an extension of the Militärhistorisches Museum in Dresden, which will be completed in 2010. Peter Eisenman returned to Berlin from New York city and designed a remarkable Holocaust Memorial, using 2700 concrete blocks.

In 2006 Berlin got another architectural wonder - the former devastated main railway station has become the Turmbahnhof, with its transparent roof and more levels, made of glass and steel. Station was built by a company from Hamburg, the 'von Gerkan, Marg und Partner', who were also responsible for designing Swissôtel-Kudamm-Eck, famous for its huge video screen. New architectural accomplishments are usually combining old with new elements, like the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum in Cologne, designed by Oswald Matthias Ungers. New Bundeskanzleramt (known also as the 'washing machine') was designed by Charlotte Frank and Axel Schultes, who won the German Architecture Prize for their building. Modernist Pinakhotek der Moderne in Munich was designed by Stefan Braunfels. If you like the game of architecture and light, check out the Luminale festival held in the Rhine-Main region every year in April. Light artists use lights and sounds to make their 'light laboratories' of museums, buildings and parks.