Showing 1-12 of 12 results
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Alte Hofhaltung
The Renaissance-style 1570 Alte Hofhaltung is a former prince-bishops' palace, built on the site of an 11th-century fortress. Its prettiest section is the inner courtyard surrounded by half-timbered, balconied buildings, reached via the Schöne Pforte (Beautiful Gate; 1573). In summer, the Calderón Festival takes place in the courtyard.
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Bayerische Staatsgalerie
Inside the Neue Residenz you'll find the Bayerische Staatsgalerie. Its strengths are in medieval, Renaissance and baroque paintings, with works by Anthony Van Dyck, Hans Baldung Grien and Cranach the Elder.
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Böttingerhaus
Two of Bamberg's most beautiful baroque mansions are on the left bank in the southern Altstadt. Both are the former homes of wealthy privy councillor Ignaz Böttinger. The former, the 1713 Böttingerhaus, is a heavily ornamented grand Italian palazzo shoehorned into narrow Judenstrasse. Its interior is closed to visitors, but it rewards a photo stop from outside.
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Diözesanmuseum
A door in the Dom's south aisle leads to the cloister and the former chapter house built by Balthasar Neumann in 1730, which is now home to the Diözesanmuseum. There's Gothic sculpture and objects from the Dom's former baroque decoration on the ground floor, but the real treasures await upstairs. Besides a bevy of sculpture and liturgical objects, there's a superb collection of 11th-century textiles, including Heinrich II's famous 'star-spangled' cloak with heavy gold embroidery.
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Dom
The quartet of spires of Bamberg's Dom soars above the cityscape. Founded by Heinrich II in 1004, its current appearance dates to the early 13th century and is the outcome of a Romanesque-Gothic duel between church architects after the original and its immediate successor burnt down in the 12th century. The pillars have the original light hues of Franconian sandstone thanks to Ludwig I, who eradicated all postmedieval decoration in the early 19th century.
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ETA-Hoffmann-Haus
The 18th-century writer and composer Ernst Theodor Amadeus (ETA) Hoffmann (1776-1822) is best known for using the fantastical and supernatural to probe the complexity of human experience. Hoffmann came to Bamberg in 1808 as the local theatre's music director, but lost his job after a disastrous first performance. He nevertheless stayed in town until 1813, working as a tutor and writer. His former home, ETA-Hoffmann-Haus, is now a small museum.
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Fränkisches Brauereimuseum
The ex-monastery's vaulted cellars are an atmospheric backdrop for the Fränkisches Brauereimuseum. Exhibits show plaster(ed) dummies of monks, who began making beer here as early as 1122. There's plenty of historical equipment and documentation of the beer-making process.
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Historisches Museum
The gabled Ratsstube (Council Chamber) is home of the Historisches Museum, with an eclectic mix of art and historical exhibits.
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Neue Residenz
Home to Bamberg's prince-bishops from 1703 until secularisation in 1802, the Neue Residenz has some 40 stuccoed rooms stuffed with furniture and tapestries from the 17th and 18th centuries. The Altstadt's sea of red rooftops spread out below the residence's small but exquisite baroque Rosengarten (Rose Garden).
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Sammlung Ludwig Bamberg
For closer views, turning at the end of the Geyerswörthsteg then right again onto Obere Brücke brings you face to façade with the imposing tower, a baroque addition by Balthasar Neumann. It provides access to the precious porcelain and faïences - mostly from Strassbourg and Meissen - housed in the Sammlung Ludwig Bamberg.
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Schloss Concordia
After Böttinger's family of 14 outgrew the space three years later, he hired Johann Dietzenhofer to build the even grander Schloss Concordia, a moated palace a short walk south of Böttingerhaus. It's now the home of the Künstlerhaus Villa Concordia, a state-sponsored artists' residence, and is open during events and exhibits - the tourist office can let you know what's on when.
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St Stephanskirche
Much of Franconia is Protestant (whereas the rest of Bavaria is predominantly Catholic). Bamberg's main Protestant church, St Stephanskirche was consecrated in 1020 by Pope Benedikt VIII and turned baroque in the 17th century at the hands of Giovanni Bonalino and Antonio Petrini.
Showing 1-12 of 12 results
