Architectural, Cultural sights in Bavaria
- Sort by:
- Popular
-
A
Tiergärtnerplatz
Ringed by charming half-timbered houses, the eastern edge of Tiergärtnerplatz is graced by the beautiful Pilatushaus. Out front is Jürgen Goertz's 1984 bronze sculpture Der Hase - Hommage á Dürer (The Hare - A Tribute to Dürer). This nod to Dürer's watercolour original called Junger Feldhase (1502) shows the dire results of tampering with nature.
During WWII, prescient officials moved key artworks to the Historischer Kunstbunker (historical art shelter), a network of caves underneath the Kaiserburg, as early as 1940. This was technically a form of resistance, since Hitler forbade such 'defeatist' thinking. There's also a film of the bombing of Nuremberg. Tours also…
reviewed
-
B
Neue Bischöfliche Residenz
Pride of place on this showy square belongs to the 18th-century Neue Bischöfliche Residenz (New Bishop's Residence). Melchior Hefele, a student of Balthasar Neumann, drafted the stucco-draped façade, as well as the rococo staircase, which winds towards a wonderfully over-the-top ceiling fresco entitled The Gods of Olympus Protecting Immortal Passau.
The bishops resided in these splendid digs until 1871. Today, the diocese administration occupies most of the rooms, but several have been set aside for the Domschatz und Diözesanmuseum (Cathedral Treasury & Museum). The ecclesiastical finery - including monstrances, vestments, sculptures and paintings - exemplifies the…
reviewed
-
C
Bertolt-Brecht-Gedenkstätte
The Bertolt-Brecht-Gedenkstätte is a converted former tile factory where playwright and poet Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956) lived for the first two years of his life before moving across town. Among the displays are old theatre posters, and a great series of life-size chronological photos, as well as the bedroom of his mother (about whom he said 'I loved her in my way but she wanted to be loved in her own'). Information panels are in German, but you can buy a detailed English guide to its permanent exhibits.
reviewed
-
D
Alpines Museum
In a deceptively beautiful building on the island's southern tip, the Alpines Museum could deliver a fascinating exhibit about the Alps but is actually a pretty dry and predictable presentation. Paintings, photographs, scientific instruments and graphics illustrate the history of the mountain range, its settlement, expeditions and the popularity of Alpinism. Sadly it avoids the debate over the mountains' touristic exploitation and environmental problems resulting from global warming.
reviewed
-
E
Neue Residenz
Neue Residenz is a huge episcopal palace now housing a significant collection of baroque paintings. The 40-odd rooms vie with the artwork for your attention, especially the elaborately decorated Kaisersaal (Imperial Hall), where the ceiling is smothered in a complex allegorical fresco. The baroque Rosengarten (Rose Garden) behind the palace has fabulous views over Bamberg's red-tiled roofs.
reviewed
-
F
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.
reviewed
-
G
Fugger Stadtpalast
In between the two fountains on the Maximilianstrasse, at No 36-38, is the restored Fugger Stadtpalast (1515), the palatial town house and 'corporate' headquarters of Jakob Fugger. It embraces the Damenhof (Ladies' Court), a gorgeous inner courtyard arcaded in Italian Renaissance style. Outside is the spot where Luther famously stood his ground in 1518.
reviewed
-
H
Mozarthaus
Allow an hour to take in an audio-guided tour (in English) of the Mozarthaus , the house where Leopold Mozart - Wolfgang Amadeus' father, who was also his music teacher and creator of the acclaimed 'violin technique' - was born in 1719.
reviewed
-
I
Domschatz
At the Würzburger Domschatz you can wander through a rich display of church artefacts from the 11th century to the present.
reviewed