10 famous German monuments and statues

Also known as the Holocaust Memorial, the vast monument is situated near the Brandenburg Gate in the heart of Berlin. The site is a sloping field covered with 2,711 concrete slabs, or "stelae." Built in 2005, the memorial commemorates the six million Jews killed by the Nazis. It includes an underground information center that documents the fates of individuals and families.

A bronze statue of Martin Luther stands among other key figures of the Reformation in the city of Worms, where Luther in 1521 refused to recant his writings. Unveiled in 1868, it is the world's largest memorial to the Reformation. The reformer's famous words "Here I stand, I can do no other" are engraved in the pedestal.

The bronze double statues of two of Germany's most revered literary figures, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Friedrich von Schiller, stand in front of the Deutsches Nationaltheater in the eastern city of Weimar. Larger than life, they have symbolized the men's friendship and the spirit of Weimar since 1857. The ensemble of "Classic Weimar" was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1998.

Not far from Weimar, the Nazis ran the Buchenwald concentration camp from 1937 to 1945. More than 250,000 people from all over Europe were imprisoned there, and about 56,000 were killed. In 1958, the East German government erected a memorial to commemorate Communist resistance in the camp.

In 1953, East Germany renamed Chemnitz as Karl-Marx-Stadt (Karl Marx City). In 1971, 250,000 people watched as a more than seven-meter-tall stylized bronze Marx bust was erected in the center of the city. The inscription in the wall behind the bust reads, Workers of the World, Unite — in four languages. After reunification, the city's name reverted to Chemnitz, but the monument remained.

Bonn is Ludwig van Beethoven's (1770-1827) hometown, so it comes as no surprise that the city dedicated a bronze statue to its most famous son in 1845. Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm IV and Queen Victoria were present for the inauguration of the imposing composer's likeness.

At 54 meters, the Hermann Monument near Detmold is Germany's highest statue. It was built between 1838 and 1875 and commemorates Arminius (Hermann), a Germanic war chief, and his victory over Roman troops in 9 A.D. In the 19th century, it stood for the German search for a national identity and unity.

This 91-meter-tall monument, one of Europe's largest, is dedicated to Napoleon's defeat to Russian, Austrian, Prussian and Swedish troops in the 1813 Battle of Leipzig. It was unveiled in 1913, a century after the battle. The structure towers over the "Sea of Tears" reflecting pool, a symbol of mourning for the 120,000 soldiers who died in the battle.

This monumental structure near Rüdesheim on the River Rhine commemorates the end of the Franco-Prussian war and founding of the German Empire in 1871. The monument stands 38 meters tall and features a huge statue of Germania standing in front of a throne, holding aloft the imperial crown.

The massive Walhalla Hall of Fame towers over the landscape in Donaustauf like a Greek temple. Inaugurated in 1842 and named after the resting place of fallen soldiers in Norse mythology, it honors distinguished celebrities in German history with marble busts and plaques — rulers, artists, writers, scientists, composers and freedom fighters, all in all 196 of which 13 are women.