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Germany City Travel Guide: Bamberg

Bamberg

• Picturesque UNESCO World Heritage city
• Located north of Nuremberg and west of Bayreuth in Bavaria
• Built on seven hills à la Rome
• Population of 70,000 people
• Baroque, beer, bridges & bread
• Mostly undamaged in WWII
• Set on the banks of the River Regnitz & the Main-Danube Canal

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Bamberg in Bavaria can rightly claim to be one of Germany's most beautiful small cities.

Bamberg is built along the banks of the Regnitz River and the parallel Main-Danube Canal and is best known for the sheer number of its historic buildings and its excellent beer - there are 10 breweries in the city and many more in the surrounding area, supposedly the highest concentration of breweries in the world.

Bamberg holds the record for the highest consumption of beer per inhabitant in Germany - and some outsiders call it "the town of pregnant men" due to the number of sizeable beer bellies on display.

The Alt Stadt (Old Town) radiates out from the Dom (cathedral) and its lovely Domplatz square. Concecrated in 1012 but subsequently destroyed by fires, the Romanesque Dom with its four spires dates from the 12th century with many later additions.

The cathedral contains the tomb of Pope Clemens II and outside the mysterious Bamberg Reiter equestrian statue - a medieval knight on horseback, possibly Konrad III, which has become an icon of the city and was previously glorified by the Nazis as the quintessential Teutonic warrior.

The striking 14th century Altes Rathaus (Former/Old Town Hall) is built on twin bridges over the River Regnitz and nearby are the pretty half-timbered houses of the Klein Venedig (Little Venice) district.

Among Bamberg's other sights is the 17th century Neue Residenz (Tel 0951 519 390) - the episcopal palace of Bamberg's prince-bishops which is now a museum. Visitors can enjoy the frescos on the ceiling of the Kaisersaal (Imperial Hall) and the Rosengarten (Rose Garden) outside with its beautiful views over the rooftops.

Germany's finest square the Domplatz contains the Renaissance Ratsstube and inside the Historisches Museum (History Museum) with displays of ecclesiastical riches and relics. The huge Alte Hofhaltung (Old Palace) dates from 1591 and has an annex of the Historisches Museum.

Daily markets are held on Maxplatz near to the Neues Rathaus (New Town Hall). Schillerplatz contains the former home of German writer E.T.A Hoffmann (1766-1822) at number 26 and the house is now a museum dedicated to the man and his Romantic outpourings of fantasy and horror stories.

Bamberg Churches

Among these are the 11th century Romanesque Jakobskirche, the Gothic Marienkirche (Obere Pfarrkirche) and the Jesuit St. Martinskirche.

Abtei St Michael (Abteikirche) was formerly the church of the Benedictine Michaelsberg Abbey. Abteikirche has a magnificent gilded pulpit and inlaid choir stalls, an almshouse (now an old people's home - the Bürgerspital) and the municipal art museum.

Bamberg Tourist Office

Geyerswörthstrasse 3
Tel: 0951 871 161
www.bamberg.info
Images courtesy Berthold Werner

Getting to Bamberg

Air

There's a small airport in Nuremberg, which is serviced by 14 airlines that fly throughout Europe, including a direct flight to London Stansted. Nuremberg airport is 6.5km north of Nuremberg center. Tel: 01805/99-66-33. Frankfurt International Airport and Munich Airport are the nearest large international airports.

Train

Bamberg has a direct rail connection to Nuremberg (1 hour or less on express trains). There are hourly ICE trains to Munich (2 hours, 30 minutes) and Berlin (4 hours, 30 minutes). The main station is on Ludwigstrasse north of town. Buses #1, #2 and #14 run to the bus station.

Bus/Road

Bamberg connects easily with Bayreuth to the east and Erlangen and Nuremberg to the south. The bus station (Zentral-Omnibus Bahnhof) is on Promenadestrasse, north off Schönleinzplatz. Bus #10 runs from Domplatz to the bus station.

Car Hire

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Accommodation

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Eating

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Drinking

There are some fantastic and historical taverns to enjoy Bamberg's fabled beer. The riverside Klosterbrau at Obere Muhlbrucke, 3, is the city's oldest brew pub going back to 1533. Schenkerla is known for is Rauchbier (Smoked Beer) at Dominikanerstrasse 6 and is not to be missed.

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