Goslar

The lovely, unofficial capital of the Harz region, Goslar is one of Germany's oldest cities and is known for the medieval glamour expressed in the fine Romanesque architecture of the Kaiserpfalz, an imperial palace of the German Empire. Thanks to the deposits of silver ore close to the town, Goslar was one of the country's wealthiest hubs of trade during the Middle Ages. In this town of 46,000, time seems to have stood still among the hundreds of well-preserved (mostly typical northern German half-timber) houses built over the course of seven centuries. Despite Goslar's rapid decline after the breakup of the Holy Roman Empire, the city—thanks to its ore deposits—maintained all the luxury and worldliness born of economic success.