Back Roads Germany (Dk Eyewitness Travel Back Roads)

174

VISITING BAMBERG

Parking

The City-Altstadttiefgarage, an

under ground parking lot, is located

near the tourist office.

Tourist Information

Geyerswörthstrasse 3, 96047; 0951 297

62 00; http://www.bamberg.info; open daily;

closed Easter Fri, Halloween,

Christmas, New Year

BACK ROADS GERMANY

WHERE TO STAY IN BAMBERG

St. Nepomuk moderate

This stylish hotel offers views of

the Altes Rathaus. The hotel has

two restaurants and a bar.

Obere Mühlbrücke 9, 96047; 0951

984 20; http://www.hotel-nepomuk.de

Messerschmitt moderate–expensive

Family owned since 1832, this beautiful

hotel is a mix of traditional and modern,

set in the house that belonged to the

parents of the famous aviation pioneer,

Willy Messerschmitt. The hotel also has

a renowned restaurant.

Lange Strasse 41, 96047; 0951 29 78 00;

http://www.hotel-messerschmitt.de

6 Bamberg

Bavaria; 96047

For centuries the seat of an independent Prince-Bishopric within the

Holy Roman Empire, Bamberg has survived the turmoil of Germany’s

history unscathed, with an exceptionally well-preserved historic core

that was added to UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites in 1993. The

city center is divided into three parts by the Main-Danube canal and

the Regnitz river, but most of the major sights are in the hilly Bergstadt

to the west of the river, dominated by a splendid four-spired cathedral.

This walk explores the Bergstadt and the riverside areas of Bamberg.

A two-hour walking tour

From the parking lot, walk to the

tourist office, where visitors can

pick up the key to the tower of

Schloss Geyerswörth 1 (open

Mon–Fri), which lies across the road

from the office. There are fine views

over Bamberg from the

top of this 16th-century

Prince-Bishop’s residence.

Afterward, cross the river

by the wooden foot bridge.

Then turn left into

Schranne, right into

Balthasargässchen,

then left again to reach

Judenstrasse, a street

of historic townhouses,

including the Böttingerhaus 2 ,

built for the privy councillor Ignaz

Tobias Böttinger between 1707

and 1713. Take the left fork into

Concordiastrasse to reach another

of Böttinger’s resi den ces, Concordia,

which dates from 1722. Return to

Judenstrasse. Thirsty walkers can

Where to Stay: inexpensive, under €70; moderate, €70–€150; expensive, over €150

stop at Klosterbräu (open daily)

on the right, which was once the

Prince-Bishops’ brewery.

At the end of Judenstrasse, turn

left to head up Untere Kaulberg to

reach the 14th-century Pfarrkirche

zu Unsere Lieben Frau 3. The parish

church of Our Dear Lady has

a lovely tabernacle in the

ambulatory and Tintoretto’s

Assumption just by the door.

Cross the busy road in front

of the church, des cending

the steps labeled Dom

to reach Hinterer Bach.

Follow this curving cobbled

lane uphill, admiring the

17th-cen tury Alter Ebracher

Hof on the climb up. At the top is

Domplatz, Bamberg’s show piece

square. On the left is the 13th-

cen tury Kaiserdom 4 (open daily), a

cathedral filled with art istic trea sures

such as the Bamberger Reiter, an

eques trian likeness of a medi eval

knight. The cathedral cloisters house

the Diözesanmuseum (closed Mon),

with a remark able collec tion of 11th-

cen tury cleri cal vest ments. Beyond

the Dom, on the left, is the elaborate

Renaissance façade of the Ratsstube

5 , a part of the Alte Hofhaltung, a

ram bling com plex that once housed

the Prince-Bishops’ house hold. The

Ratsstube houses the Historisches

Museum (May–Nov: closed Mon; Dec–

Apr: temporary exhi bitions only), with

displays relating to Bamberg’s history.

Return to Domplatz and cross the

road to reach the Neue Residenz 6

(open daily), whose Baroque façade

zigzags across the north side of the

square. Work started on it in 1613,

but the palace attained its current

magnifi cence under Prince-Bishop

Lothar von Schönborn between 1697

and 1703. The palace is the work of

Leonhard Dientzenhofer, from the

Traditional biscuits,

Bamberg

200

200

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0 yards

Above Impressive façade of the Neue

Residenz, Bamberg

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Schloss
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Böttingerhaus
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Neue Residenz
Missionshaus
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St. Michael
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