Cultural highlights on Germany's unique stages

Heidelberg Castle is one of the best-known castle ruins in Germany. It was only partly restored after it was destroyed more than 200 years ago. Today it’s a magnificent backdrop for the Heidelberg Schlossfestspiele, a festival that dates back to 1994. This year’s program also features Cole Porter's "Kiss me, Kate".

The Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival was founded in 1896 and remains one of the largest and best-known events of its kind in Germany. Performances are held in churches, castles, barns, and country estates - like the Emkendorf estate near Kiel, pictured here.

Love and hate, pride and betrayal - it's the stuff the Nibelung myth is made of. The saga is said to have taken place in medieval Worms. And since 2002, it’s also been at the center of the Nibelung festival in that very city. More than 230,000 viewers have already basked in the saga of Siegfried and Kriemhild - and every year’s staging in front of the Worms Cathedral offers fresh surprises.

A craggy landscape full of beauty and mystery - that’s the Luisenburg Festspiele, set in the Fichtel Mountains near Wunsiedel. The festival kicked off in 1890, making it the oldest event of its kind in a German-speaking region. The repertoire ranges from popular Bavarian and children’s theater to classics like Mozart's "The Magic Flute."

To the left the cathedral, on the right St. Severi Church, and at the center a staircase with 70 steps. That’s the spectacular backdrop that transforms Erfurt’s landmark into a concert stage every summer. This year will feature "The troubadour" by Giuseppe Verdi.

Since 1952, Germany’s Wild West has flourished in the town of Bad Segeberg, not far from the North Sea. Every summer, one of Karl May’s adventures is staged at the Kalkberg Stadium open-air arena. With characters familiar to generations of German schoolchildren, the performances feature action and stunts galore, and are a festival of delight for the entire family.

Bad Hersfeld has long been known as one of the premiere locations for open-air theater. The festival at the ruins of the old church is now in its 67th year.

There are still legends galore about Klaus Störtebeker, a pirate who waged battles for freedom and justice on the North and Baltic seas in the 14th century. His adventures are the focus of a spectacular festival on the Baltic Island of Rügen. The event includes 150 actors and staff, four ships, 30 horses, and countless stunts and special effects.

Berlin’s Gendarmenmarkt, with its neoclassical architecture, is one of the loveliest squares in the city. For 25 years, the festival has offered a broad musical repertoire, ranging from Italian arias to bombastic symphonies, to classics of jazz and even film scores. But the highlight is always the fireworks that light up the night sky of Berlin.