Amberg

Amberg was the regional capital of the Upper Palatinate until 1810, and its centuries as a fortified, wealthy trading city (built on the iron trade) left behind one of the most completely preserved medieval defensive rings anywhere in Europe -- nearly 3km of city wall, moat, and gate towers, almost all still standing today. Walking the full loop around the "Amberg Egg" (the old town's oval shape) takes just over an hour and is considered one of the best ways to see the city. The old town's most photographed detail is the "Stadtbrille" (City Spectacles) -- twin arched bridges over the Vils River whose reflections in the water form a shape that looks exactly like a pair of round glasses. The Gothic and Renaissance Rathaus (town hall) and its Wedding Fountain anchor the market square, and the Alte Veste (Old Fortress) is the oldest manorial building in the city, dating back to before 1269. Worth knowing for a military-family audience specifically: Amberg was home to Pond Barracks, a US Army post, until it closed in 1992 -- a genuine, if lesser-known, piece of shared history between this town and the American military community in the region.