Today we visited the Bavarian town of Bamberg. Founded in 902, Bamberg remains a medieval-looking city known for its symphony and rauchbier, a specialty smoked beer. Bamberg is especially noted for its Altes Rathaus, or Old Town Hall, situated on a twin-arched bridge over the Regnitz River near its confluence with the Main. One of the loveliest of all German towns, Bamberg is scenically situated on seven hills, each crowned by a beautiful church. Bisected by rivers and canals, the town embraces an atmospheric jumble of crooked lanes, medieval buildings and a skyline punctuated by church steeples.
Bamberg’s prosperity has always been linked to the river. In the Middle Ages, it was the starting point for shipping on the Main, and it is now the northern starting point of the Main-Danube Canal, built between 1960 and 1992.
One of the few cities in Germany not destroyed by World War II bombing, Bamberg has the largest repository of original medieval structures in its remarkably preserved Old Town. Because of this, it was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993.
The original Town Hall built on a manmade island in the middle of the Regnitz River in the 14th century. It was replaced by a New Town Hall in another location in 1736 and today is a museum.
This is the architect’s own little joke. These legs belong to a baby whose body is higher up on the building.
One of the major cathedrals in Bamberg. This is the only cathedral in the world to have a statue of a full-size horse in it (see below).
And nobody knows who the rider is.
The old Bishop’s Residence which was later replaced with a new residence. I do like the buildings and especially all of the live flowers growing along the balconies.
A lovely garden near the old Bishop’s Residence. When the Bishop was still living there, they grew orange trees in this garden, not the roses we see today.
A close-up of the cobblestones we’ve been walking on for the last several days. Oh, my aching feet!
A nice and secluded rooftop patio.
Another lovely Bavarian building.
A look up the Regnitz River. It’s a very touristy area and all of that patio seating on the bridge gets put to good use.
And a look downriver from the old Town Hall.
The back side of another cathedral on top of one of the 7 hills.
Tomorrow we’re off to Nuremberg.
Our Viking River Cruise 
Another very interesting town. Living in the US where the architecture is all relatively “new”, it’s great to see how old buildings and bridges etc… were built and decorated. So glad they’ve withstood the tests of time. I love the Bavarian buildings and statues but I think the cobblestone streets would hurt my feet too.
LikeLike