B A M B E R G Germany

Bamberg is a town in Bavaria, Germany. It is located in Upper Franconia on the river Regnitz, close to its confluence with the river Main. Bamberg is one of the few cities in Germany that was not destroyed by World War II bombings because of a nearby Artillery Factory that prevented planes from getting near to Bamberg. Bamberg is home to nearly 7,000 foreign nationals, including over 4,100 members of the United States Army and their dependents.




This part of the city is known as "Little Venice"
The Old Town Hall in the middle of the river, linking the two parts of the bourgeois town (1453/1755)


The oldest brew-pub in town:





New Residence, built by Leon-hard Dientzenhofer for Prince Bishop Lothar Franz von Schonborn.

Michelsberg Monastery:

N Ü R N B E R G Germany

Nuremberg (German: Nürnberg) is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. It is situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal and is Franconia's largest city. It is located about 170 kilometres north of Munich. The population of Nuremberg, and its closest suburbs, make up an urban area of 1,020,000 habitants.

Nuremberg held great significance during the Nazi Germany era. Because of the city's relevance to the Holy Roman Empire and its position in the centre of Germany, the Nazi Party chose the city to be the site of huge Nazi Party conventions–the Nuremberg rallies.

N Ü R N B E R G Castle

Nürnberger Castle (Kaiserburg) is located on a sandstone rock in the north of the historical city of Nuremberg, Germany. It comprises three parts: the Emperor's buildings, the mostly built buildings of the rulers of Nuremberg ("Burggrafenburg"), and the buildings on the eastern side ("städtische Burganlage"). The castle was damaged in the Second World War but then reconstructed; today it is one of the main landmarks in Nuremberg.



Part of the oldest groundwork found on site indicates that the castle was built about 1000 a.d






http://stronghold.heavengames.com/history/cw/cw42

MONTE CARASSO

Monte Carasso is a municipality in the district of Bellinzona in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland in which Italian is the sole official language.
Until 1878 the three largest cities, Bellinzona, Lugano and Locarno, alternated as capital of the canton. In 1878, however, Bellinzona became the only and permanent capital. This area is one of my favorites in all of Switzerland


Looking north, down at Bellinzona: