Posted October 18, 200915 yr Bamberg is a small city of 70,000 in the Upper Franconia region of Bavaria. Being one of the largest cities in Germany to escape any bombing during WWII, it is rich in medieval architecture. The Bamberger Dom (Bamberg Cathedral) was the temporary seat of the Holy Roman Empire in 1020 during the reign of Pope Benedict VIII. He was buried in the Dom and is the only papal burial outside of Italy and France. The Dom is also home to the famous Bamberg Reiter (Bamberg Rider) which is considered to be the first equestrian statue since classical antiquity. Bamberg's other claim to fame is beer. Having 9 large breweries in the city along with nearly 300 in the region gives Bamberg the highest number of breweries per capita anywhere on the globe. The most famous of these is Schlenkerla Rauchbier (Smoke Beer) Here's just a small sampling of what I saw in this amazing little town. The Altes Rathaus Neue Residenz This is Sunday in the Grunermarkt. Nothing was open and it still felt more alive than many places I'm familiar with in the states This is the Schlenkerla Brewery, home of the famous and unique Rauchbier (Smoked Beer). At one point in history this brewery burned down and the beer that was found in the barrels afterward had a distinct smoky aftertaste. I'm not sure how they recreate it today without burning down a brewery every time, but it's fantastic with bacon. This is called Little Venice: I love watching busses maneuver medieval streets The prideful people of Bamberg refuse to acknowledge that this statue is Poseidon and instead called it Gabelmann (Man with a fork) This probably killed a few people back in the day That's Altenberg up there Michelsberg The Bamberg Dom Domplatz Little Venice The greatest building on the face of the earth. (Locals don't even give this place credit. It's a private residence tucked away in a quiet alley) History Museum The view from the Neue Residenz Rose Garden provides a breathtaking view of medieval layers This is Schloss Seehof Adorable public restrooms at the Bamberg ZOB (City bus tranfer point) Bikes are everywhere! More GABELMANN! That's it. It's amazing how much you can find in every single small village in Bavaria.
October 18, 200915 yr Absolutely Beautiful! I wish I could go back over there and visit. It's been about 31 years since I was in Germany.
October 19, 200915 yr Wonderful gingerbread town! "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
October 19, 200915 yr Wow,yeah. This place is pretty amazing. That beer is available here in Ohio, BTW. I know of two places you can get it in Dayton. Bacon in a bottle. Bamberg does have a darker side in history as it was a center for wich trials and executions back in the bad old days. And I think there is a story from either Bamberg or elsewhere in Franconia where a craftsman or carver made this great altarpiece and the bishop had the carvers hand or hands cut off so he could never duplicate such a great work of carving for anyone else.
October 19, 200915 yr WAIT! You're now allowed to leave the country?!?! :wtf: Amazing that we saw a bus and bikes yet no trolley. The Schloss Seehof is my kind of joint!
October 19, 200915 yr Not all successful cities need streetcars and trolleys :) Great pics... looking at it from an aerial, the city looks quite small!
October 19, 200915 yr Not all successful cities need streetcars and trolleys :) Great pics... looking at it from an aerial, the city looks quite small! True, but seeing a trolley in European city is so common.
October 19, 200915 yr The Schloss Seehof is my kind of joint! Yeah, there were dozens of whiny little princesses in dresses running around with their estranged photographers. You'd fit right in. Not all successful cities need streetcars and trolleys :) Great pics... looking at it from an aerial, the city looks quite small! The city is very small. We walked (no meandered) from one end to the other in under an hour. That's the part that really got me about Europe. All the villages feel larger than they are. It's because they built them dense, kept them dense, and have absolutely no suburbs. You can go to the edge of town and clearly see the line between the cornfield and the 6 story low income housing. This was true everywhere I went, including Munich.
October 19, 200915 yr The Schloss Seehof is my kind of joint! Yeah, there were dozens of whiny little princesses in dresses running around with their estranged photographers. You'd fit right in. Personal paparazzi! I love it. Hata!
October 19, 200915 yr Bamberg and the various palaces. They where all for the prince-bishop. In Germany right up to the French Revolution there were territorial states ruled by bishops, monastaries, and convents. So the territorial lord my also have been the local prelate. So you can imagine the extra taxes and church collections forced on the peasants so the prince-bishop could build things like the Resizdenz and a lustschloss like Seehof.
October 19, 200915 yr Bamberg and the various palaces. They where all for the prince-bishop. In Germany right up to the French Revolution there were territorial states ruled by bishops, monastaries, and convents. So the territorial lord my also have been the local prelate. So you can imagine the extra taxes and church collections forced on the peasants so the prince-bishop could build things like the Resizdenz and a lustschloss like Seehof. That's why the Altes Rathaus (Old town hall) is built int he middle of the Regnitz river. When the townspeople started to organize into a village, the bishop refused to give up any of his land for the project. So the people began hammering pylons into the river. The Bishop had no control.
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