Travel

10 reasons to visit Bamberg

Half-timbered houses and imposing buildings make Bamberg memorable. Its historical center is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The title is well-earned, as a visit demonstrates.

Bamberg Cathedral

Like Rome, Bamberg was built on seven hills, which is why it bears the nickname "Franconian Rome." Each hill is crowned with a church. The most important one is the Imperial Cathedral of St. Peter and St. George. The first cathedral here was finished in 1012, but like the second, it burned down. The third has survived to this day and its four towers dominate Bamberg's skyline.
Bamberg Horseman

The main attraction in the cathedral is this 13th-century statue, the first life-sized equestrian statue since antiquity. The rider has graced a banknote and its depiction is also available as a Playmobil figurine, but nobody knows his identity. One theory is that he is King Stephan of Hungary. Legend has it that he rode into the cathedral on horseback.
New Residence

Bamberg Cathedral is surrounded by other splendid buildings. One is the Old Court, in which the prince-bishops once resided. Another is the New Residence, which took over the function of the Old Court in 1602. It houses Bamberg's state library and state gallery and more than 40 state apartments, among them the Marble Hall, the Hall of Mirrors and the richly embellished Imperial Hall (pictured).
Rose Garden

In the inner courtyard of the New Residence the scent of roses fills the air — at least in the summer months, when the Baroque rose garden blossoms in all its glory. Paths that meet in the middle lead through some 70 flowerbeds with about 4,500 roses. From up here, you have a lovely view over the rooftops of Bamberg and St. Michael's Church.
St. Michael's

St. Michael's, a former Benedictine monastery, was founded in 1015, on the initiative of Emperor Heinrich II, who also had the cathedral built. The church's Baroque facade, neo-Gothic reticulated vault and "celestial garden," a ceiling fresco featuring 578 flowers and herbs, are especially impressive. The complex is currently being renovated, so it can only be viewed from the outside for now.
Bamberg Town Hall

While the clergy resided on the hills, the townspeople had their own center of power in the valley. When they wanted a town hall, the Bishop is said to have granted them no land to build on. So they created an artificial island on the River Regnitz, and built it there. It marks the old boundary between the realms of the episcopal hill town and the bourgeois island town.
Little Venice

In 1993, Bamberg's old town was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site. There are more than 2,400 historically listed buildings here. The view of Little Venice is especially lovely: colorful timber-framed medieval houses packed together along the riverbank, with boats bobbing up and down by the piers in front of the tiny gardens. The idyllic ensemble recalls the lagoons of Venice.
Green Market

The popular Green Market lies right in the middle of town. Here cafes attract tourists and locals alike, and vendors sell local fruit and vegetables. Market gardening has a long tradition in Bamberg. Urban horticulture has been practiced commercially here since the 17th century. It is unique in Germany in this form, and another reason Bamberg has World Heritage status.
Gardeners' and Vintners' Museum

The Gardeners' and Vintners' Museum gives you an impression of these urban gardens. It devotes itself to the lives of the vegetable and wine growers in Bamberg. What do they cultivate and what tools do they use? You can find out by strolling through a typical market gardener's house from 1767 and the crop-growing area adjoining it.
Enjoying Franconian Beer

Bamberg is a paradise for beer-drinkers. There are 11 family-run breweries in the city area and about 60 in the surrounding countryside. They produce 400 different beers, among them traditional types and new specialties. Among the unusual beer-related activities on offer, the are beer pilgrimages, brewery marathons and beer diplomas. All have the same aim: combining Franconian beer with fun.

Bamberg Cathedral

Like Rome, Bamberg was built on seven hills, which is why it bears the nickname "Franconian Rome." Each hill is crowned with a church. The most important one is the Imperial Cathedral of St. Peter and St. George. The first cathedral here was finished in 1012, but like the second, it burned down. The third has survived to this day and its four towers dominate Bamberg's skyline.
Bamberg Horseman

The main attraction in the cathedral is this 13th-century statue, the first life-sized equestrian statue since antiquity. The rider has graced a banknote and its depiction is also available as a Playmobil figurine, but nobody knows his identity. One theory is that he is King Stephan of Hungary. Legend has it that he rode into the cathedral on horseback.
New Residence

Bamberg Cathedral is surrounded by other splendid buildings. One is the Old Court, in which the prince-bishops once resided. Another is the New Residence, which took over the function of the Old Court in 1602. It houses Bamberg's state library and state gallery and more than 40 state apartments, among them the Marble Hall, the Hall of Mirrors and the richly embellished Imperial Hall (pictured).
Rose Garden

In the inner courtyard of the New Residence the scent of roses fills the air — at least in the summer months, when the Baroque rose garden blossoms in all its glory. Paths that meet in the middle lead through some 70 flowerbeds with about 4,500 roses. From up here, you have a lovely view over the rooftops of Bamberg and St. Michael's Church.
St. Michael's

St. Michael's, a former Benedictine monastery, was founded in 1015, on the initiative of Emperor Heinrich II, who also had the cathedral built. The church's Baroque facade, neo-Gothic reticulated vault and "celestial garden," a ceiling fresco featuring 578 flowers and herbs, are especially impressive. The complex is currently being renovated, so it can only be viewed from the outside for now.
Bamberg Town Hall

While the clergy resided on the hills, the townspeople had their own center of power in the valley. When they wanted a town hall, the Bishop is said to have granted them no land to build on. So they created an artificial island on the River Regnitz, and built it there. It marks the old boundary between the realms of the episcopal hill town and the bourgeois island town.
Little Venice

In 1993, Bamberg's old town was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site. There are more than 2,400 historically listed buildings here. The view of Little Venice is especially lovely: colorful timber-framed medieval houses packed together along the riverbank, with boats bobbing up and down by the piers in front of the tiny gardens. The idyllic ensemble recalls the lagoons of Venice.
Green Market

The popular Green Market lies right in the middle of town. Here cafes attract tourists and locals alike, and vendors sell local fruit and vegetables. Market gardening has a long tradition in Bamberg. Urban horticulture has been practiced commercially here since the 17th century. It is unique in Germany in this form, and another reason Bamberg has World Heritage status.
Gardeners' and Vintners' Museum

The Gardeners' and Vintners' Museum gives you an impression of these urban gardens. It devotes itself to the lives of the vegetable and wine growers in Bamberg. What do they cultivate and what tools do they use? You can find out by strolling through a typical market gardener's house from 1767 and the crop-growing area adjoining it.
Enjoying Franconian Beer

Bamberg is a paradise for beer-drinkers. There are 11 family-run breweries in the city area and about 60 in the surrounding countryside. They produce 400 different beers, among them traditional types and new specialties. Among the unusual beer-related activities on offer, the are beer pilgrimages, brewery marathons and beer diplomas. All have the same aim: combining Franconian beer with fun.

Date 12.03.2019
Number of pictures 10
Author Elisabeth Yorck von Wartenburg
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Travel

10 reasons to visit Bamberg

Bamberg Cathedral

Bamberg Horseman

New Residence

Rose Garden

St. Michael's

Bamberg Town Hall

Little Venice

Green Market

Gardeners' and Vintners' Museum

Enjoying Franconian Beer

Bamberg Cathedral

Bamberg Horseman

New Residence

Rose Garden

St. Michael's

Bamberg Town Hall

Little Venice

Green Market

Gardeners' and Vintners' Museum

Enjoying Franconian Beer