Bamberg: Franconian Rome

Story & Photos By Stan Wawer

Bamberg, Germany’s Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It doesn’t take you long to understand why. Five minutes in this Upper Franconia city and you are charmed out of your socks. Its history dates back 1,000 years.

Bamberg was built on seven hills and is often referred to as the Franconian Rome. It is famous for its architecture, with styles ranging from Romanesque to Gothic, Renaissance to baroque. Bamberg, a city of 70,000, has narrow cobblestone streets, ornate mansions and palaces and a string of 48 impressive churches. The U.S. Army Garrison Bamberg has been here since 1945.

Bamberg also may be the beer capital of Germany with its nine breweries in the city and 170 in the area. The average German consumes about 129 liters of beer a year; in Bamberg it’s 288 liters a year.

“Bamberg is named the town of the pregnant men,” said our guide Christine Conrad, “because of all the beer they drink. They have these big, round barreled bellies.

“Beer is much more important than wine in Bamberg,” she continued. “Wine is important for the churches but it is strange that we sell a lot of vinegar here.” Beer has been brewed in Bamberg since 1015 (that’s the year not the time).

Bamberg is best known for Rauchbier (smoked beer). And the best place to drink it is Schlenkerla tavern on the Dominikaner Strasse in the Old Town, according to the locals. I took them up on it and wasn’t disappointed. “We’ve been practicing for a couple hundred years,” was owner Matthias Trum’s answer when I told him the smoked beer was excellent. “Lots of people say smoked beer tastes like smoked pork,” he added, “but it’s the other way around. Smoked beer was here first.” You can’t come to Bamberg and not experience Schlenkerla. It is indeed a special place.

Schlenkerla opened in 1310 as a monastery. The root’s of today’s name Schlenkerla lie within the Frankish vernacular, in which “schlenkern” is an expression for not walking straight — much in the way of a drunken person.

Allegedly one of the former brewers had a funny way of walking because of an accident, or maybe because he drank too much beer, and so he was called the “Schlenkerla” — the little dangler. The ending, la, is the typical diminutive for the Frankish dialect. After a while, the residents of Bamberg called the inn Schlenkerla as well and today it stands for the tavern, the brewery and, most importantly, for the smoke beer.

Bamberg, its geography shaped by the Regnitz River and the foothills of the Steigerwald, was never destroyed by any war. It now has 2,500 protected buildings. Alternburger Hill is the highest of Bamberg’s hills and the home of Altenburg Castle. It was the residence of bishops during the 14^th and 15^th century. The castle commands a stunning view of the city. After its destruction in the 16^th century, it was rebuilt in a makeshift fashion, but served only as a prison and fell increasingly into disrepair. In 1801 it was purchased by A.F. Marcus, a Bamberg doctor, and completely restored.

Set on a hill overlooking the town, Bamberg Cathedral is one of the most magnificent buildings from the Middle Ages and the most important monument to the transition from Romanesque to Gothic architecture in Germany. Its origins are traced back to Emperor Henry II who founded the diocese of Bamberg in 1007. The cathedral’s St. George’s or east chancel is the final resting place of Henry II and his wife Cunigunde. Pope Clemens II (1047) is buried in the St. Peter’s or west chancel.

Bamberg Cathedral is best known for the Bamberg Rider (from 1235), the earliest equestrian statue in Germany since Classical Antiquity. The old town hall was built on an artificial island in the middle of the Regnitz River in the 14^th century, the only construction of its kind in Germany.

At that time the river was the boundary between the merchant and Episcopal parts of town. According to local legend neither side could agree on the location of the town hall and so the boundary river appeared to be the ideal compromise.

The town hall’s façade is painted in a baroque style but the core of the Gothic building of 1463 has been preserved. The adjoining half-timbered Rottmeister house (1688) appears to float above the river.

There is a row of neatly kept historical houses along the Regnitz, which is known as Little Venice. Most of these houses date back to the Middle Ages.

Passing through the beautiful gateway to the Old Court, you will be enchanted by the romantic inner court, which is surrounded by half-timbered buildings. The Rose Garden is opposite the Old Court. Prince Bishop Friedrich Karl von Schonborn commissioned this garden as a symmetrical plan based on designs by Balthasar Neumann.

Bamberg also is known as the city of Christmas. As a child, I went from church to church to see the nativity scenes, which changed from week to week,” said Anna-Maria Schuhlein, a city employee.

Bamberg has a number of outstanding museums, an impressive concert hall, a brewery trail and Venetian gondola rides on the Regnitz River.

If you go

Lufthansa has daily flights to Frankfurt and connecting flights to Munich. Go to www.lufthansa.com.

Where to stay

Hotel Residenzschloss Bamberg, Untere Sandstrasse 32, 96049 Bamberg (www.welcome-hotels.com/en/welcomehotel_residenzschloss. The hotel was a former hospital built in the late 19^th century. It has excellent and charming rooms and a complimentary buffet breakfast.

Final Note

Bamberg, like all the towns in Bavaria, has cobblestone, narrow streets, lots of steps and is not handicap accessible. Bring good walking shoes. It also gets a lot of rain. Bring a folding umbrella and rain gear.

All information is accurate at the time of publication but prices, dates and other details are all subject to change. Confirm all information before making any travel arrangements.