Once its strength, water now threatens Germany

Floods have caused tens of billions of euros of damage - a much bigger economic hit than any of Germany's neighbours have suffered from inundation.

Bad Muenstereifel's transformation from a picturesque but sleepy German tourist town into an outlet shopping centre put it on the map for millions of visitors. Then floods laid waste to its medieval streets and half-timbered buildings, highlighting the vulnerability of Europe's top economy to an increasingly unpredictable climate. Beyond the town, the flooding stretched from an area close to the western city of Cologne down to southern Bavaria, hitting the historic centres of Aachen and Trier and leaving a trail of destruction behind it.