The 7 South German Counties
Bavaria: At 70,538km², Bavaria is the biggest county of Germany. It’s capital is the metropolis Munich, which is famous for its yearly Oktoberfest (beer festival) and a laid-back traditional atmosphere. Bavaria has a population of 12.5 million. It divides into 3 areas: 1. Franconia to the north, 2. Historic Bavaria around Munich, Regensburg and Passau, and 3. Swabia that begins in Augsburg. Also the popular Romantic Road leads through Bavaria and takes you to the world’s most famous castle Neuschwanstein. For more info about Munich read our blog München – A Guide to Munich
Baden-Württemberg: Its capital Stuttgart is famous for its futuristic car museums. Baden-Württemberg has got a population of 10.8M and spreads over an area of 35,751km². It begins with the Black Forest in the south, the Lake Constance in the south east and Mannheim in the north. Baden-Württemberg is home to Albert Einstein, DNA, the Zeppelin and Bosch. You will find baroque palaces in Karlsruhe and Ludwigsburg, and roman style in Baden-Baden’s spas. University towns such as Heidelberg, Freiburg and Tübingen are popular for their active nightlife. For more info about Stuttgart read our blog Stuttgart – A Guide to Stuttgart.
Rhineland Palatinate: This county covers 19,847 km² and has a total of 4.01M inhabitants. It’s capital is Mainz. The river Rhine runs through Rheinland-Pfalz and strechtes over 1390km from the Swiss alps to Rotterdam. The county is also famous for its wine as most of Germany’s wine comes from Rheinland-Pfalz. You will also find famous historic cathedrals throughout the county, for example in Mainz, Worms and Speyer.
Saarland: Little Saarland is 2,568.70 km², is in the south west of Germany and borders France. It has about 1 million inhabitants. The capital is Saarbrücken and has around 200,000 inhabitants. Saarland used to be an industrial centre. Nowadays its more known for its French flair.
Hesse: Hesse is in the heart of Germany. The total population of Hesse is around 6 million but most people live in the busy Rhine-Main area. Frankfurt, the financial centre of Germany, is the biggest city with more than 600,000 inhabitants. Frankfurt is the biggest city in Hesse but the capital is actually the attractive spa city Wiesbaden. The north of Hesse has some great scenery to explore like the Lahn River valley or the National Park Kellerwald – Edersee. For more info about Frankfurt read our blog Frankfurt – A Guide To Frankfurt 😀
Saxony: Saxony, the tenth-largest state, is located in the south east of Germany and covers an area of 18,413 km². With 4.3 Million inhabitants it is the sixth most populous state. Away from the city, the low hills of the Erzgebirge and the rock formations of the Saxon Switzerland are a tranquil bliss.
Dresden, the capital city, is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. It is best known for its beautiful baroque and rococo city centre, which has been restored after the bombings towards the end of World War II. It is definitely a must see.
Thuringia: Thuringia, which is also known as “the green heart of Germany”, is located in the central part of the country. It has an area of 16,171 square kilometers and 2,29 million inhabitants. Thuringia is well known in Germany for nature and winter sports. If you want to shake off all those civilizing influences, explore the Thuringian forests and the sleepy villages. Even though Erfurt is the capital city, Weimar has become a keystone of German culture. It´s been home to famous writers and musicians, such as Goethe, Schiller, Liszt and Bach.