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German Castles Cash in on Stimulus Programs

The economic crisis is like a fairytale come true for Germany's romantic castles, baroque palaces and historic town squares because the government is spending millions of euros on sprucing them up, not just to protect the country's heritage but also to boost the construction sector.

Visitor numbers have also been increasing at many sites because Germans have been shunning foreign holidays in the recession.

Three separate programs totalling more than €320 million ($452 million) have been announced this year -- a tiny fraction of what it costs to bail out an ailing bank these days -- in the biggest program of investment in historic monuments in decades.

Read entire article at Spiegel Online