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Once you’ve cleared customs, you will be greeted by a Transcend Cruises representative and transferred to the luxurious Le Meridien Hotel Munich. Enjoy lunch on your own today and spend the afternoon relaxing, recharging, and exploring this idyllic city at your own pace. Join Rabbi Mark Goldman and your fellow travelers this evening for an exclusive opening reception. (R)
Your morning begins with a sightseeing tour of Munich, the Bavarian capital. Your tour includes the celebrated Maximilianstrasse, the 17th-century Residenz, the old town hall, and a visit to Nymphenburg Palace, which was a favorite home of generations of Bavarian royalty designed initially as their summer residence – explore the carriage museum at the palace.
The history of the Jews in Munich dates back to the beginning of the 13th century. By the time the Nazis rose to national power in 1933, there were about 9,000-10,000 Jews in Munich. Our afternoon tour will focus on the period of the Third Reich, 1933 to 1945, and we will visit former synagogues, the killing spot of Kurt Eisner, the first Jewish President of Bavaria, Fieldmarschalls’ Hall, where the Hitler putsch ended, Hofbräuhaus, where the Nazi party was founded, the new Ohel Jakob synagogue, the National Socialist documentation center, Kings square, and Hitlers former office. At the end of our walking tour there will be options to visit Munich’s Jewish Museum, or the Deutsches Museum, the world’s largest museum of science and technology, or the famed BMW Museum. (B, L)
This morning, we depart for a very moving visit to the site of the Dachau Concentration Camp. Dachau Concentration Camp is often referred to as the “model camp.” It served as a training ground for SS officers, who were later sent to oversee a network of camps across Nazi-occupied Europe. The SS themselves called it “The School of Terror.” At Dachau, they developed a brutal system where prisoners were subjected to torture, starvation, humiliation, medical experiments, mass executions, and death. Our expert historian guides lead you through the site of the remaining original buildings, and reconstructions testify to the place’s cruel history. Our Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial guides provide interesting facts and historical backgrounds. They convey this disturbing subject to you with dignity, sensitivity, and respect for the victims.
Throughout the visit, you learn about the inhumanity of the Nazi regime, such as the human medical experiments, torture, and mass executions. You visit the roll-call, the bunkers, the barracks, the camp street, and the crematorium. At the international memorial, take your time to process the information and impressions. The Dachau Concentration Camp Tour is insightful, knowledgeable, and thought-provoking. It’s a profoundly moving experience.
Following our visit, we make our way to Nuremberg, Germany, to embark aboard our floating hotel for the week, The Gentleman. We settle into our staterooms and enjoy a late lunch onboard, which allows us to recharge after an emotional morning. Later this afternoon, we attend a very special private symphony performance commemorating the 80th Anniversary of the Liberation of Dachau. Following, we return to the ship for an extraordinary welcome dinner and 4th of July celebration onboard. (B, L, R, D)
Nuremberg has a rich history that includes its role in the Holy Roman Empire, the Nazi Party, and the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials. Jewish history in Nuremberg dates back to the 1200s. In the late 15th century, Jews were expelled from the city for 350 years and only allowed to return in 1850. Many Jews became hop (used in the making of Beer) merchants and developed Nuremberg as the center of the hop trade in Germany. Jews were involved in the banking sector, the toy industry, wholesale and retail trade, bicycle manufacture and the paper industry.
Nuremberg was a center of the Nazi Party in the 1930s. Hitler held his annual Nazi party rallies at Zeppelin Field, and the city was the site of the antisemitic Nürnberg Laws of 1935. After visiting Zeppelin Field, Reichsparteitagsgelände, we enter the old town still surrounded by the medieval wall that somehow survived intense bombing during WWII. We walk down Weißgerbergasse, a picturesque alley in the heart of Nuremberg with its cobblestone pavement and colorful half-timbered houses lining both sides, and arrive at the Church of Our Lady, originally the Hauptsynagoge that was converted into a church in the Middle Ages. We then view the disturbing antisemitic sculptures, depictions of Jews, chiseled into the facade of Saint Sebaldus Church and the Jewish tombstone used in the building of the Church.
After visiting Albrecht Dürer’s House, the home of German Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer from 1509 to his death in 1528, we tour Nuremberg’s Imperial Castle.
After World War II, the Allies held the Nuremberg Trials in Nuremberg to prosecute former Nazi leaders for war crimes and crimes against humanity. The trials were held by the International Military Tribunal (IMT), which was made up of France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States. We will also make a visit to Courtroom 600 where the major War Crime Trials took place. (B, L, D)
Your floating hotel takes you to Bamberg today, a well-preserved town that offers a fascinating glimpse of medieval times along the Main River. A pleasant city with a lively student population and a world-famous symphony orchestra, Bamberg was the center of economic and political life for a vast swath of Central Europe in the Middle Ages. Spared by WWII bombing, the entire heart of historic Bamberg is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its medieval layout remains intact, along with 2,000 historic buildings; it is yours to explore today. In the splendid late-Romanesque Imperial Cathedral, you will find the only papal tomb in Germany, that of Pope Clement II (who was the bishop of Bamberg before he became Pope), as well as the tomb of Emperor Henry II (who established the bishopric). Nearby is the magnificent Old Palace, the late-Gothic imperial residence (if you saw the 2011 3-D version of The Three Musketeers, you’ll recognize it immediately), which sits across from the New Residence, where the 17th-century prince-bishops lived, separated by a lovely rose garden. Cross the cobblestone footbridge to the Old Town Hall, adorned with colorful frescoes, and ramble along the narrow lanes lined with picturesque half-timbered houses.
Following an included lunch in Bamberg, we then travel to Würzburg. Here we visit the Würzburg Residence, a stunning palace considered one of Europe’s best examples of Baroque architecture. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and museum, it is known for its ornate frescos, intricate stonework, and grand halls. Our guests will enjoy an exceptional private performance and reception featuring some of the finest regional wines after our tour.
In Bamberg we will visit a medieval Jewish mikvah from the 15th century which is on display on the grounds of a new city quarter encompassing remnants of the former city walls and buildings from the 13th and 15th century. On display in the Reckendorf Synagogue, a former synagogue which now functions as a “House of Culture”, are objects that came from the local genizah that were found in the attic of the synagogue. These objects, collected over 400 years, include religious texts as well as profane writings, contracts, and writing exercises. We then move on to the Levi-Strauss Museum, the former home and birthplace of Levi Strauss, featuring informative interactive presentations, and then a stop at the Memorial for Resistance and Civil Courage which honors three heroes of the German resistance movement and the locals involved in the resistance to the Nazi Regime: Willy Aron, Hans Wölfel and Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg.
Throughout the city, we will encounter ten iron columns, each four metres high, encased in Cor-Ten steel, which have been placed at various locations in Bamberg. The art installation, the “kunstwerk10” project, was created by Bamberg artist Bernd Wagenhäuser, and commemorates the once flourishing Jewish life in Bamberg. (B, L, D)
In Würzburg, we first visit the Museum Shalom Europa, a Jewish community center presenting the history of Jewish life in Würzburg over the past 900 years and fragments of medieval Jewish tombstones found in the 1980s.
As we enter the Würzburg Cathedral, we see the enormous Menorah welcoming visitors and devotees. On our way to the ancient Jewish cemetery we pass by the Holocaust memorial of Suitcases, installed at the main railway station, commemorating the place from where the Jews of Würzburg were deported.
This morning we dock in Worms arriving in Jerusalem of the Rhine.
In 1961, the city reconstructed the synagogue destroyed for the last time during Kristallnacht. Located in the former Jewish quarter (the Judenhof), the synagogue is composed of a Männerschul (prayer room for men) and a Frauenschul (prayer room for women). The former yeshiva, a study hall known as the “chapel of Rashi”, is located behind the synagogue. Beyond the study hall, underground, is one of the oldest mikva’ot in Europe, dating from the twelfth century.The Rashi House ( Raschi-Haus) located near the synagogue on the Hintere Judengasse contains the collections of the Jewish Museum (Jüdisches Museum).
After a short drive, we arrive in Speyer, one of Germany’s oldest cities. Along with the other ShUM-cities of Worms and Mainz, Speyer was the hometown of one of the most important Jewish communities in northern Europe during the Middle Ages. The Jewish courtyard (also known as the Speyer Jewry-Court) is a historic archeological site located in the inner city. Built in stages between 1104 (when the synagogue was consecrated) and the 14th century, the courtyard contains some of the oldest and best-preserved Jewish community buildings in Europe. The Speyer Jewry-Court consists of the remains of the synagogue, its courtyard, and the Frauenschul (prayer room for women), an intact mikvah, used for ritual bathing and washing, and a yeshiva for teaching and studying, Because of its historical importance and its testimony to the European Jewish cultural tradition, the Jewish courtyard was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2001. In Speyer, we will also visit the largest Romanesque cathedral in Europe—also a UNESCO World Heritage Site—and the medieval Altpörtel, Old Gate.
Early in the afternoon we arrive in Heidelberg, sometimes referred to as the most romantic city in Germany. Heidelberg is not just a picturesque destination but also a vibrant hub of learning. Home to the nation’s oldest university, a charming baroque Old Town along the banks of the Neckar River, and magnificent castle ruins, Heidelberg offers a unique blend of history and modernity. After lunch, we tour the castle, with its views of the red-tile roofs of the city below, the handsome Old Bridge and the wooded hillsides beyond, and then into Old Town, where you will see the late-Gothic Holy Spirit Church, and the longest pedestrian street in Germany. (B, L, D)
You will set off on foot accompanied by your expert guide and visit the town of Mainz. The Romans founded the capital of the Rhine Palatinate, Mainz, more than 2000 years ago. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the top architects and sculptors created the basic shape of the town, with fine palaces and churches. Here you can admire the magnificent historic houses which have been outstandingly well-restored. Located on the banks of the Rhine opposite the confluence of the Rhine with the Main, Mainz will captivate you with its incomparable lifestyle, unique charm, and openness to the world. You will be able to enter the magnificent Cathedral, whose construction began in 975 and has left a deep mark on the town’s history.
Finally, you will visit the Gutenberg Museum, the world’s finest museum for printing equipment, materials, and books. Born in Mainz around 1400, Johannes Gensfleisch Gutenberg prepared a copy of the Bible, referred to as “the 42-line Bible,” published in 1455 – the oldest printed book in the world. Out of the 46 copies still in existence, the museum has just one, along with a “Mainz Psalter”, the first ever document printed using three different colors of ink. The museum extends over five floors and provides a quite remarkable exhibition on the history of the book and written word in Europe and the world as a whole. Return on board on foot.
Following lunch on board, enjoy your afternoon exploring Mainz independently, or join us for a very short drive to Wiesbaden, the state capital of Hesse, with its 26 thermal springs simmering below this city has a watery past. The Wiesbaden, Germany hot springs have been renowned for centuries. Like the famous spa town of Baden-Baden, the Romans settled here for the hot springs. Some 2,000 years ago, it was known as Aquae Mattiacae and Roman soldiers soaked their aches, pains, and battle scars here. Today, you’ll relax like the Roman soldiers in the renowned Kaiser Friedrich Baths.
This Roman bathhouse, constructed in 1913, is decorated with intricate Art Nouveau-style tile work, arches, and frescoes. The bathhouse is built on the site of the original Roman baths, which means you are seriously soaking up history. Transcend has arranged an incredible spa day for our guests, and we’ll return to the ship rested, relaxed, and ready to enjoy our final day touring in Cologne and Bonn. (B, L, D)
Much of Jewish Mainz has been destroyed. Today, the New Synagogue, built in 2010 has replaced the old one, originally built in the 15th century. The Synagogue is part of the Jewish Community center which also holds a mikvah, a school, a Library and a cultural center. In Mainz, we will visit the ancient Jewish Cemetery in which we find the tombstone of Rabbi Gershom ben Yehuda (960-1028).
Historical documents from the 14th century mention the presence of Jews in Wiesbaden, then capital of the Duchy of Nassau. During the 16th century, Jewish families settled in three streets that became known as the “Jewish Alley”. Between 1832 and 1838, Abraham Geiger was the rabbi of the Jewish community in Wiesbaden. Geiger was one of the leaders of the German reform movement, and one of the most prominent researchers of the newly-founded discipline of Jewish Studies (Wissenschaft des Judentums). During his tenure as the rabbi of Wiesbaden, Rabbi Geiger laid the foundations for the Reform Judaism movement
The history of the Jews in Cologne dates to 321 C.E., when they were first recorded in a census decreed by Emperor Constantine I. As such, it is the oldest European Jewish community north of the Alps. In Cologne, we first visit Cologne’s Archeological Zone, which boasts impressive relics from its Roman past, a mikvah from the Middle Ages, and the future site of an expansive Jewish Museum.
Germany’s most visited landmark – the UNESCO-listed Cologne Cathedral – dominates the skyline here, its magnificent Gothic twin spires reaching toward the heavens. A timely visit to the cathedral this morning gives a glimpse of the gilded shrine, one of the largest in the world believed to contain relics of the Three Kings, or as we commonly know them, the Three Wise Men.
During our visit to the Cologne Cathedral we will also view the Judensau which is a medieval, antisemitic wood carving located at the side of one of the seats in the choir of Cologne Cathedral. It was produced between 1308 and 1311 and shows a Jews’ Sau, a folk art image of Jews in obscene contact with a large female pig. It is one of the oldest representations of this theme. Directly beside is another antisemitic motif, which is generally interpreted as an illustration of the blood libel legend. This area is normally roped-off, and can only be accessed on special occasions with one of our tour guides.
We then move on to the great Cologne Synagogue on Roonstraße which is the only one of Cologne’s six synagogues that was rebuilt after the Second World War. The synagogue, which was built between 1895 and 1899, was severely damaged, along with all of Cologne’s other synagogues during Kristallnacht (the November pogroms in 1938). Pope Benedict XVI visited the synagogue on World Youth Day in 2005. This was a very special occasion, because it was the first time a head of the Roman Catholic Church had visited a synagogue.
This afternoon we travel to Bonn, located at the heart of North Rhine-Westphalia, the former capital of the Federal Republic of Germany. However, it is also a gem for classical music lovers. We’ll start with a visit to the Schumann Haus, where you’ll gain insights into Robert Schumann’s life and works. Next, visit Beethoven Haus, Ludwig van Beethoven’s birthplace (December 1770), and enjoy a memorable performance that brings his legacy to life. Spend the day surrounded by history and music, immersing yourself in the stories of these great composers.
In Bonn, we will also visit The Bonn Memorial and NS-Documentation Center which features a permanent exhibition showing how political opponents, the Jewish population, Sinti as well as other inhabitants of Bonn and the region were no longer allowed to belong to German society after the National Socialists seized power.
Following breakfast, we bid you farewell and provide airport transportation to the Cologne/Bonn Airport (CGN) or Frankfurt International Airport (FRA )with memories of a remarkable cruise.
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