Sights in Braunschweig
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Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum
Duke, Anton Ulrich (1633-1714) left Braunschweig with an impressive legacy. Like Bruce Chatwin's compulsive collector Utz , Anton Ulrich had an eye for miniature porcelain figures - as well as for crockery, furniture and all types of painting, from Chinese to European. Now the thousands of pieces he assembled in his lifetime are found in the Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum. Artefacts, including an ancient Roman onyx cup that survived some escapades through the years, and the most complete museum collection of Fürstenburg porcelain anywhere, are here. Unfortunately, lack of funding often means that opening times for different floors are staggered (as at Burg Dankwarderode), so …
reviewed
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B
Landesmuseum
The city's Landesmuseum covers German history from a regional perspective. Although the descriptions are only in German, the museum has lots of engaging exhibits that speak for themselves, starting with a large Foucault pendulum illustrating the principle of the Earth's rotation, and augmented by a myriad of artefacts assembled chronologically to tell the story of Germany's past. It is a fascinating museum, not least because of eclectic objects like the strands of hair allegedly belonging to Heinrich der Löwe and Mathilde. They are in cases of silver, gold and marble, specially constructed in 1935 as part of Hitler's propaganda offensive to present Heinrich posthumously a…
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C
Dom St Blasii
Heinrich's tomb is in the crypt of Dom St Blasii, where he lies alongside his wife Mathilde. In a macabre postscript to the duke's life, the Nazis decided to co-opt his image and in 1935 exhumed his tomb to conduct an 'archaeological investigation'. Even Hitler paid a visit. However, the corpse found inside had one leg shorter than the other (it's known that Heinrich suffered a terrible horse-riding accident late in life) and dark hair, and the master-race propagandists went very quiet on the subject after that. There were also questions over the body's gender and some doubt as to whether it's really Heinrich in the sarcophagus.
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D
Happy Rizzi House
Particularly eye-catching is the Happy Rizzi House, which is actually three colourful buildings decorated by American pop artist James Rizzi. Hearts are a recurring theme on the facade, while curved windows form integral parts of facial murals.
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E
Burg Dankwarderode
Heinrich's former Burg Dankwarderode is now a museum. It houses a glittering medieval collection, including golden sculptures of arms, medieval capes, and the original bronze lion statue cast in 1166. Upstairs is a huge, spectacularly adorned Knights' Hall.
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F
Magnikirche
Don't miss this arty precinct-cum-traditional quarter around the 11th-century Magnikirche. Restaurants and bars have colonised the area's many restored half-timbered houses and there are some great boutique stores.
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Castle
Heinrich's former castle is now a museum. It houses a glittering medieval collection, including golden sculptures of arms, medieval capes and the original bronze lion statue cast in 1166.
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