Bamberg

We flew into Nuremberg late evening on Sunday in preparation for the annual Spielwarenmesse trade show. The event didn’t start until Tuesday so Garry and I took a day trip to Bamberg on Monday. The town was recommended to us by friends who’d stayed here while attending Spielwarenmesse last year.

Bamberg boasts a remarkably well-preserved medieval old town that straddles the banks of the Regnitz River. For a time, it was the ecclesiastical capital of Bavaria. When Henry II, Duke of Bavaria, became King of Germany in 1007 he made Bamberg the seat of a bishopric, intended to become a 'second Rome'.

 

As a result, the town boasts some impressive buildings including a massive cathedral, a sprawling hilltop monastery complex (complete with its own impressive church), and a series of secular government buildings. One of its most iconic buildings, is the old Town Hall, a colourful multi-story building straddling a narrow islet amid a river channel.

After a leisurely breakfast at our hotel, we caught the train to Bamberg, arriving shortly after 11:40am. We then spent several hours wandering the pedestrianized streets of the old town. This included Maximilianspl and on towards Obere Brücke, an elegant stone arch bridge that links to a passageway through the old town hall's eastern wing.

The Altes Rathaus is a landmark building for obvious reasons. Its eastern facade is framed by dark beams reminiscent of English Tudor architecture, while its northern and southern facades are decorated by massive murals covering the entire wall. Both ends of the building protrude over the edge of the river channel making the building look a little too big for the island on which it resides.

We then walked up to Michelsberg Monastery to soak in views of the region, including the red-tiled roofs of the old town. Unfortunately, the complex itself was closed for renovation and many of its picturesque buildings were enclosed in scaffolding. Instead, we walked back down the hill and stopped to explore the Bamberger Dom.

The cathedral was consecrated by Emperor Henry II on 6 May 1012. In 1185 the cathedral and the neighboring buildings were gutted by a devastating fire. The cathedral was rebuilt and reopened in 1237. This resurrected structure has remained largely unchanged until today.

I was surprised to learn that it’s also the final resting place for one pope. Although one of its weirdest highlights must be a venerated bone relic from Bishop Otto the First. This gruesome artifact sits in a bejeweled glass display in a small stone crypt under the main altar. Catholic traditions can be a little odd.

We then stopped for a leisurely late lunch at Kachelofen, a tiny hole-in-the-wall Franconian restaurant set in an old, ramshackle timber-clad parlor. The venue was full, but the staff found us space on a shared table where we made friends with a lively Bulgarian entrepreneur. He was very excited to meet his first real Australians. 

The image above, ripped from the restaurant's website, gives you an excellent feel for this quirky venue. Our table was to the left of this image in the opposing corner of the room. No prizes for guessing Garry's meal; another pork knuckle and potato dumpling platter.

Once lunch was done we made our way back to the station via the scenic Little Venice riverbank district where we caught the 4:00pm train back to Nuremberg. Bamberg was a picturesque old town. It was also clear from the infrastructure we saw that it’s a popular destination in Summer. I can only imagine the crowds it attracts when the weather is warmer.