Achieving more together – under this slogan, the German National Tourist Board (DTZ), in collaboration with by.TM and Tourismus Marketing GmbH Baden-Württemberg (TMBW), launched the project "The Young Danube" at the start of the year. The aim is to make it possible to experience the second longest river in Europe as a single holiday destination, from its source in the Black Forest to Passau in Bavaria. Anyone who travels "against the current" will experience extraordinary insights into natural phenomena and unexpected activities on offer on and by the Danube. At the same time, some of the oldest sites in the cultural history of mankind turn a trip along the river into a journey through time, back to the "source of Europe". On its way, the young Danube flows through partly undiscovered landscapes and historic towns that are worth discovering. BAYERN TOURISMUS Marketing GmbH has summarised some of the varied highlights along the river.

Danube city with 55 million bricks – Günzburg

Daring treasure hunters, pirates, explorers and knights have come to the right place at LEGOLAND Germany. In March 2016, the amusement park in Günzburg in Bavaria is going to open its gates again after the winter break. With more than 50 attractions and thousands of models made from more than 55 million LEGO bricks, the resort offers a unique experience for families with children aged between two and twelve. Rapid roller coasters, imaginative children's carousels, a variety of live shows and a fantastic 4D cinema provide variety. The heart of the park is the MINILAND. Here, at a scale of 1:20, European towns and landscapes, as well as famous scenes from STAR WARS in the LEGO STAR WARS model exhibition, are replicated with a lot of attention to detail.

The historic city guide in Günzburg's labyrinthine old town opens up a whole new episode of your visit. Where the Romantic Road meets the Danube, the night watchman once looked after the welfare of the sleeping citizens, and warned them of fire, enemies and thieves. His wife accompanied him on his nightly rounds, but was really on the lookout for the latest gossip that she could pass on. These little anecdotes and a tour of the most attractive tourist attractions, such as the magnificent Church of Our Lady, can be heard and seen during the night watchman tour in Günzburg.

Where the dolls dance – Donauwörth

Käthe Kruse has achieved worldwide fame with her craft: more than 150 of her valuable collector dolls from the past 100 years are presented in charming displays in the Käthe Kruse Doll Museum in Donauwörth. As early as 1988, the town on the Romantic Road received a large proportion of the private collection of Hanne Adler-Kruse and Heinz Adler as a gift with the condition that it would open a museum. Today, soldier dolls, doll's houses and mannequins are accommodated in the historic walls of the former Capuchin monastery, which is a listed building. All the exhibits have been arranged with a great deal of finesse and incorporated into original scenes with attention to detail. In another room, the delicate art of the production of the dolls is explained; a film tells the history, from the first order placed by an American toy company to the development of today's doll museum, and an interview with the great doll maker can be heard at a telephone station. Here, children and adults experience a colourful world of dolls, find out a lot of details about the history of the family and the company, and about doll production from 1912 to the present day.

A toast to 500 years of the purity law – Aldersbach and Ingolstadt

The young Danube is traditional beer brewing country, as the rock cellars carved in limestone have always provided the perfect fermenting temperature for the beer from local brewing kettles. Next year, there will be a very special reason for drinking a toast in Aldersbach: for the House of Bavarian History, the district of Passau and the municipality of Aldersbach, together with the Aldersbach brewery, are organizing the Bavarian state exhibition "Beer in Bavaria". The 500th anniversary of the Bavarian purity law is thus to be celebrated in one of the oldest cultural landscapes of Bavaria. The exhibition venue is the former Aldersbach Abbey: 1,400 square metres of exhibition space will be dedicated to the cultural history of beer. The scope of the exhibition will range from beer monopolies to beer riots, from beer pioneers to famous paintings with a connection to beer, from drinking vessels to gems of the brewery guilds. Contemporary media installations and projections are to reveal everyday working practices from former times, featuring the kiln, the brewing vessel or other authentic historic brewing equipment. The exhibition is to be supported by a number of "beery" concerts and events. The state exhibition is a good opportunity to explore the most attractive sides of Bavaria, beer and baroque, in more depth. In Ingolstadt too, a fitting tribute will be paid to the beer anniversary: in 1516, the Bavarian purity law for beer was passed there by Duke William IV. From that time, only water, hops and and barley could be used for brewing beer. The excellent quality of Bavarian beer is founded on this purity law; at the same time, it is the oldest piece of food legislation that is still valid in the world. Next year is the 500th anniversary of the proclamation of the purity law for beer. The anniversary will be extensively celebrated with brewery tours, beer trips, city tours on the subject, culinary events, a historic beer festival on St George's Day (24th April) and the longest beer table in Bavaria.

Christmas spirit and Advent magic – Ingolstadt

From 25th November to 6th December, Ingolstadt is bathed in a very special glow. For when the days are getting shorter and the temperatures are falling, the "Advent magic" invites you to take a stroll around one of the oldest Christkindlmarkts in Germany in front of the medieval Duke's castle. With mulled wine and biscuits, the festively decorated pedestrian zone can be enjoyed to the full. A walk down the impressive crib walk or a visit to the large crib exhibition in the Spitalkirche church is also extremely worthwhile. For everyone who prefers to enjoy the Advent period actively, there is an ice rink for skating and turning pirouettes in front of the backdrop of the New Castle.

On foot by the river – Danube panoramic trail

Discovering the Danube on foot is a particularly calming holiday experience. The 220 km long, well-signposted Danube panoramic trail runs from Neustadt an der Donau, through Kelheim, Regensburg, Straubing and Deggendorf to Passau. The route leads all walking fans along the bank to very special highlights, such as the Danube gorge, Weltenburg Abbey or the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Regensburg. Lush green meadow landscapes alternate with oxbow lakes and nature conservation areas. Along the trail, active holidaymakers frequently encounter relics from the Roman period. The east Bavarian towns of Straubing, Deggendorf and the "Town of Three Rivers" Passau invite you to linger. Ten stages are recommended, which each walker can split or extend at their discretion. Individual stages can conveniently be covered by ship or ferry on the Danube. Culture and nature are combined in a diverse way on this walking trail.

City with two faces – Regensburg

Monument to the past and modern metropolis: Regensburg, with around 150,000 inhabitants, the fourth largest city in Bavaria today, has experienced a real Renaissance since the Second World War. Once a flourishing European trading metropolis and the political centre of the Holy Roman Empire, Regensburg is now the best preserved medieval city in Germany and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2006. The whole World Heritage Site covers 183 hectares and encompasses approx. 1000 architectural monuments. Since 1945, Regensburg Old Town with Stadtamhof has been the only medieval city in Germany that is preserved in its entirety and is continuously functioning to this day. In spite of its far-reaching past, Regensburg presents a youthful face as a lively university town, in which culture and joie de vivre are lived out.

Further information at: www.die-junge-donau.de

Photo: Die Donau bei Regensburg, Val Thoermer/Shutterstock