Altstadt

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Altstadt is the German word for "old city." Almost every German settlement has an Altstadt, though the ravages of war - especially the Thirty Years War and World War II - have destroyed most of them. A few remain intact, such as those in Tübingen or Rothenburg, while others in Freiburg, Berlin and famously Weimar have been painstakingly restored. Many "authentic" German Altstädte, with gabled half-timbered houses and cobblestone markets, are actually younger than the "unauthentic" places built to mimic them, such as Fantasyland in Disneyland.

Arguably, certain cities outside of Germany feature Altstädte, such as Old Sacramento in Sacramento, CA, compared to other cities in the same country - like San Francisco or New York City - which have over time lost most of their original city centers.