While I was writing a previous post on the origins of steampunk, inspired by a trip to Wuppertal, it occurred to me that I’ve actually been to several other very “steampunk” locations in Germany since moving here. As a country that boomed during the industrial era, it has a lot of these to offer, but they’re sometimes off the beaten track and not the first attractions listed among the ‘must-sees’ of a region (often displaced by castles or quaint villages, which I can completely understand!).

As a writer of science fiction and fantasy, however, these places filled me with a particular kind of thrill and wonder, as if I’d been transported into another century or stepped into the pages of a novel. Steam-era architecture, giant cogs, brass finishes, steel rivets, historic machines, old fonts… it all felt like fertile inspiration just waiting to be transformed into a steampunk tale or artwork.

It occurred to me that maybe other lovers of the genre, or just generally of historical places, might feel the same way. So in case anyone else finds themselves in Germany and looking for a similar experience, I thought I’d share a list of the most impressive steampunk-ish destinations I’ve visited, and highlight some fascinating things I learned about both the lighter and darker sides of their history: