Bavaria

Historically and politically , Bavaria has always occupied a special position within Germany. Although a wealthy duchy within the Holy Roman Empire, its rulers preferred artistic patronage to the territorial expansionism and dynastic feuding characteristic of the rest of the nation. A fundamental change in Bavaria's status occurred at the beginning of the nineteenth century, when it profited from Napoleon's decision to re-order the map of Germany: it was doubled in size, and promoted to the rank of a kingdom. Thereafter, it retained much of its independence and its own monarch, even after the union of Germany in 1871. Following the demise of the monarchy at the end of World War I, Bavaria briefly became a free state, but quickly degenerated into a hotbed of right-wing extremism where Hitler had his first successes. This reputation for reactionary politics continues to the present day: Bavaria has continuously been ruled since World War II by the ultra-conservative CSU, whose stranglehold on power seems unshakeable.

Bavaria is made up of four distinct regions, each with its own identity and culture, and its cities are equally varied in character. In Munich the Land has a cosmopolitan, if conservative, capital that ranks as one of Germany's star attractions. The city lies at the centre of Upper Bavaria , the state's heartland, a region that ranges from the snow-capped peaks of the Alps to gentle hop-growing farmland. It's a traditional, deeply Catholic area whose rural traditions continue in spite of the inroads of mass tourism.

West of here is Bavarian Swabia . Detached by Napoleon from the rest of its traditional province (thereafter officially known as Württemberg), it remains stubbornly Swabian in culture - most obviously in its distinctive pasta-based cuisine. Even so, it is home to the most outrageous of the Romantic castles which form such a crucial part of the Bavarian stereotype. Outside of the mountainous Allgäu area in the south, this is a region of undulating agricultural country, ideal for walking and cycling holidays. The pristine local capital of Augsburg has been a place of importance since the days of the Romans, and its resplendent Renaissance buildings give it a highly distinctive appearance.

To the north lies Franconia , which was likewise absorbed into Bavaria in 1803. The most obvious evidence of its distinctiveness can be seen in the wine-growing area around Würzburg in the northwest, where a culture quite at odds with the beer-loving rest of Bavaria exists. In the northeast of Franconia the difference can be seen most obviously in the elegantly plain Baroque architecture of the Lutheran strongholds of Ansbach and Bayreuth : the Reformation left Franconia more or less split down the middle along religious lines. Nürnberg , a place risen from the rubble of wartime destruction and restored to the splendour of its Middle Ages heyday, was another city which quickly embraced Protestantism. The same is true of Rothenburg ob der Tauber , the most famous of the medieval towns on the Romantic Road , one of Germany's most famous tourist routes. Yet Bamberg , whose magnificently varied architectural legacy is unsurpassed in all of Germany, remained, like Würzburg, staunchly Catholic.

Eastern Bavaria , incorporating the provinces of Lower Bavaria and the Upper Palatinate, is the state's backwater: a rustic, relatively poor region where life in the highlands revolves around logging and workshop industries such as traditional glass production. However, the region also has a number of urban attractions, most notably the wonderfully well-preserved medieval cities of Regensburg and Landshut , and the border town of Passau , which is notable for its harmonious Baroque layout.

Travel is made easy by a generally good network of trains and regional buses, though public transport is sometimes a little thin on the ground in Bavarian Swabia and Eastern Bavaria - having a car makes life easier here. Cycling is an excellent and very popular way to get around, and is facilitated by a great many marked cycling paths throughout the state. Accommodation is uniformly good; it's normally not too difficult to find a bed, though problems may occasionally be experienced in the mountain resorts and some of the more popular tourist towns. An unfortunate restriction for travellers over 27 is that they're barred from using youth hostels, though reasonably priced private rooms in most places should compensate.