Bamberg is in Upper Franconia. The town has slightly over 70,000 residents. For its historical architecture and preserved heritage, the whole town of Bamberg is listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. It is a great place to see South German baroque architecture.
Bamberg can trace its history to a first mention in the year 902. It's main claim to fame is being seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bamberg, which was established in 1007 and consequently the Bamberger Dom (Bamberg Cathedral). It was a staunchly Catholic town through the reformation under the rule of "cuius regio eius religio" (roughly, the ruler decides the faith) and remains more catholic than the rest of Franconia to this day. Bamberg is said to have been built on seven hills and thus it sometimes calls itself "Franconian Rome", though whether the hills were conveniently counted to get to seven is anybody's guess. While the city had lost much of its relevance and influence by the 20th century, that was a blessing in disguise as it meant being spared the bombardments of World War II and surviving the war with much of the architectural heritage intact.
- Bamberger Dom, Bamberger Dom. contains the intruiging Bamberg Rider sculpture. No one knows for sure who the young royal rider is.
- Kloster Michelsberg.
- Altes Rathaus. is perched in the middle of a bridge above the Regnitz River and is a must-see.
- Alte Hofhaltung.
- Neue Residenz.
- Bamberg State Library, Neue Residenz, Domplatz 8. Temporary exhibition of rare books and manuscripts. Free of charge.
Bamberger Dom, Bamberger Dom. contains the intruiging Bamberg Rider sculpture. No one knows for sure who the young royal rider is.
Kloster Michelsberg.
Altes Rathaus. is perched in the middle of a bridge above the Regnitz River and is a must-see.
Alte Hofhaltung.
Neue Residenz.
Bamberg State Library, Neue Residenz, Domplatz 8. Temporary exhibition of rare books and manuscripts. Free of charge.
- Sandkerwa. Is held over the last weekend in August, Sandkerwa is a six day folk festival that consumes the entire town, with some 300,000 people attending. It is a festival with offerings of beer and food that rivals or even exceeds the likes of Oktoberfest and includes local traditions such as "fish jousting".
Sandkerwa. Is held over the last weekend in August, Sandkerwa is a six day folk festival that consumes the entire town, with some 300,000 people attending. It is a festival with offerings of beer and food that rivals or even exceeds the likes of Oktoberfest and includes local traditions such as "fish jousting".
- Ambräusianum, Dominikanerstraße 10, +49 951 5 09 02 62. Gasthausbrauerei
- Restaurant Altenburg, Altenburg 1, +49 951 5 68 28.
Ambräusianum, Dominikanerstraße 10, +49 951 5 09 02 62. Gasthausbrauerei
Restaurant Altenburg, Altenburg 1, +49 951 5 68 28.
- Backstübla, Obere Sandstr. 31, +49 176 63864152. W-Su 11-17. run by two sisters, this charming place is in an old village house with a magificient courtyard; further it offers some tables in two rooms decorated by the sisters running the place. The casual atmosphere is one thing, but the cakes are delicious, home baked by one of the sisters.
Backstübla, Obere Sandstr. 31, +49 176 63864152. W-Su 11-17. run by two sisters, this charming place is in an old village house with a magificient courtyard; further it offers some tables in two rooms decorated by the sisters running the place. The casual atmosphere is one thing, but the cakes are delicious, home baked by one of the sisters.
Many bars and clubs are on and around Sandstraße (actually, that's two streets, "Obere Sandstraße" and "Untere Sandstraße").
- Try Rauchbier (English: Smoked beer), unique to Bamberg. The two main brewers are Schlenkerla and Spezial, both of which have taverns where you can sample the beers. Rauchbier is a traditional Franconian beer style made all or in part from beechwood-smoked barley malt. Before modern kilns became common, most malt was dried over an open flame and most beers featured some smokiness. Today, Bamberg is one of very few locations where the old-school smoking takes place. Most Rauchbiere are medium-to-full-bodied lagers with pronounced smoke & malt character, light bitterness, and minimal hop flavor. Smoked versions of Weißbier and Bockbier are also available. Around Christmas Schlenkerla also produces a special Bock made with oak-smoked malt; called Eiche (meaning oak) and during Lent produces another special called Fastenbier available only on draught at the Schlenkera tavern. Schlenkerla malts and smokes their own barley, and Bamberg-based malting giant Weyermann produces a comparable version available for export around the world for home and commercial use.
- Spezialkeller, Sternwartstraße 1 (up the stairs near Concordia, turn left and left again, +49 951-54887. The open air location to drink Spezial-Beer with typical local food having a panorama view over the city.
Spezialkeller, Sternwartstraße 1 (up the stairs near Concordia, turn left and left again, +49 951-54887. The open air location to drink Spezial-Beer with typical local food having a panorama view over the city.
Nearby towns and cities: