Germany is full of places that have made history–literally. Fifty-five natural and cultural sites in the country currently hold the title of UNESCO World Heritage. These include impressive buildings, well-known landmarks, beautiful landscapes, and natural areas, as well as places where you can see how people’s lives have changed over time.

The UNESCO title is more than just an award; it comes with responsibilities. All sites are under special protection due to their “outstanding universal value,” as explained by the German UNESCO Commission. The goal is to preserve them long-term, maintain them sustainably, and make them accessible for future generations. TRAVELBOOK has compiled a list of these sites, sorted by federal state.

Germany ranks third for most World Heritage sites

Internationally, Germany is a leader: Behind Italy and China, we rank third among countries with the most World Heritage sites. Italy leads with 61 sites, China follows closely with 60, and Germany has 55 in total, including 52 cultural sites and three natural sites. All 16 federal states have at least one, and some sites span multiple states.

Germany is particularly strong in cultural heritage–the country is even a frontrunner, ranking second right behind Italy. A history spanning over 2,000 years has left its mark on Germany, as noted on the official German World Heritage site.

The large number of World Heritage sites in Germany is also due to the diligent nomination work of the federal states. Each year, they can submit proposals to UNESCO. Established criteria then determine whether a site is added to the World Heritage list.

New candidates for the UNESCO World Heritage list

Each year, a committee consisting of 21 elected member states of the World Heritage Convention meets. It decides on the inclusion of new cultural and natural sites in the World Heritage list and also addresses the conservation status of already listed sites.

The 48th session of the World Heritage Committee will take place from July 19 to 29, 2026, in South Korea. Germany has already submitted a new nomination proposal: The Waldsiedlung Zehlendorf is to complement the existing World Heritage entry “Berlin Modernism Housing Estates.” Additionally, there is a German tentative list that collects potential candidates for the coming years.

One of the first sites ever to be included in the UNESCO World Heritage list was Aachen Cathedral in 1978. The list below shows all current heritage sites in Germany, sorted by federal state and in chronological order of their year of inclusion, from the oldest to the most recent. In 2025, the so-called fairy-tale castles of Bavaria’s King Ludwig II were added to the World Heritage list.

Also interesting: UNESCO designates 26 new World Heritage sites–including a German tourist magnet

All current UNESCO World Heritage sites in Germany sorted by federal stateBaden-Württemberg

Maulbronn Monastery Complex

Reichenau Monastic Island

Architectural Work of Le Corbusier (Weissenhof Estate Stuttgart)

Caves and Ice Age Art in the Swabian Jura

Bavaria

Würzburg Residence and Court Gardens

Pilgrimage Church of Wies

Old Town of Regensburg with Stadtamhof

Margravial Opera House Bayreuth

Augsburg Water Management System

Frontiers of the Roman Empire: Danube Limes

Castles of King Ludwig II of Bavaria: Neuschwanstein, Linderhof, Schachen, and Herrenchiemsee

Berlin, Bremen, Hamburg

Berlin Modernism Housing Estates

Town Hall and Roland in Bremen

Speicherstadt and Kontorhaus District with Chilehaus in Hamburg

Hesse

Lorsch Abbey and Altenmünster

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

Old Towns of Stralsund and Wismar

Lower Saxony

St. Mary’s Cathedral and St. Michael’s Church at Hildesheim

Mines of Rammelsberg, Historic Town of Goslar, and Upper Harz Water Management System

North Rhine-Westphalia

Castles of Augustusburg and Falkenlust at Brühl

Industrial Complex Zeche Zollverein in Essen

Carolingian Westwork and Civitas Corvey

Rhineland-Palatinate

Roman Monuments, Cathedral of St. Peter and Church of Our Lady in Trier

Upper Middle Rhine Valley

SchUM Sites of Speyer, Worms, and Mainz

SaarlandSaxony

Erzgebirge/Krušnohoří Mining Region

Herrnhut as Settlements of the Moravian Church

Saxony-Anhalt

Collegiate Church, Castle, and Old Town of Quedlinburg

Luther Memorials in Eisleben and Wittenberg

Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz

Schleswig-Holstein

Hanseatic City of Lübeck

Archaeological Border Complex of Haithabu and Danewerk

Thuringia

Bauhaus and its Sites in Weimar, Dessau, and Bernau

Jewish-Medieval Heritage in Erfurt

Cross-state

Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin (Brandenburg, Berlin)

Frontiers of the Roman Empire: Upper Germanic-Rhaetian Limes (Rhineland-Palatinate, Hesse, Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria)

Wadden Sea (Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg)

Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe: five areas in national parks and forest areas (Brandenburg, Hesse, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Thuringia)

Prehistoric Pile Dwellings around the Alps (Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria)

Great Spa Towns of Europe: Baden-Baden, Bad Kissingen, and Bad Ems (Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Rhineland-Palatinate)

Frontiers of the Roman Empire: Lower Germanic Limes (North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate)

The post Germany is among the countries with the most UNESCO World Heritage sites. appeared first on TRAVELBOOK.