Located in the southern Germany district of Franconia, Bamberg is an amazingly preserved early medieval town because it escaped bombing during World War II. Wandering around Bamberg is like looking directly into the town and life in the middle ages. It’s definitely a wonder to behold. Many of the historic buildings are authentic, thanks to the continuous high level of conservation. It is not a surprise that the entire town is categorised and protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Imagine that.  A whole town from the 10th century that still exists today?!? Amazing.

Bamberg has a rich history from the middle ages. In 1007 it became the seat of a bishopric, and was intended to be a ‘second Rome’ by the King of Germany. It  has many surviving grand ecclesiastical and secular buildings from this time. Its layout and baroque architecture influenced the urban evolution of lands in Central Europe from the 11th century onwards. In the late 18th century it became the center of Enlightenment of South Germany with famous philosophers and writers living there.

Sources: UNESCO World Heritage List

BAMBERG AT NIGHT

After checking in the hotel and having a quick bite with Bamberg’s famous smoked beer we decided to go for a little walk to explore the city at night. Though it was around midnight, it felt safe and we were in awe of the features of this medieval town. Some pubs were still open and in some streets there were still people about. Bamberg has a really unique otherworldly beauty – perhaps because it is from a completely lost time.

The sign on the right says: “Claus Graf Stauffenberg Colonel I.G., Symbol of the German resistance for his act on 20 July 1944.” The colonel is the German hero who tried to kill Hitler, portrayed by Tom Cruise in Valkyrie.  Incidentally,  the German public rejected Tom Cruises’ portrayal of the role because he is a Scientologist. I wonder if Stauffenberg used to live there?

I was glad I was wearing really comfortable walking boots, because the cobblestone streets were winding and hilly. As you can see, some doors have diagonal bottoms because of the steepness of the street.

BAMBERG IN THE DAY

Despite walking around until about 1am the night before, we woke up at 8am to a glorious spring view (this was in July 2014), brisk chilly air and the sound of the rushing river from our open window. The temperature was perfect. We didn’t even use the fan in the room.

The first thing we saw was the Brauerei-Gaststätte Klosterbräu, which is right beside the hotel. Imagine a brewery established in 1533 that is still standing to this day?

The tiny street cleaners were sweeping the tiny cobblestone streets, passing by irregular corners, like this sharp sliver of an area tipped with a fountain which I guess is the “horn” of the unicorn of Haus zum Einhorn or Unicorn House. Walking is the recommended way to get around, because the streets are narrow and winding and there is not much visible parking areas.

via

Look at that impressively kept baroque architecture straight out of history books, mixed in with all this lovely greens of spring. Oh and the windows and doors! Aren’t they just lovely?

I hope you loved the pictures we took to remember walking around this lovely World Heritage Site. I hope they weren’t too much but I want to be able to look back to this post and relive this magical time in an amazing place.

I am not an expert on Bamberg, so I recommend reading this article: 10 Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in Bamberg

Old Town Hall Image via Planetware

Bamberg extends over seven hills, each crowned by a beautiful church. This has led to Bamberg being called the “Franconian Rome” — although a running joke among Bamberg’s tour guides is to refer to Rome instead as the “Italian Bamberg”. – The 7 Hills of Bamberg

Up next is the Bamberg Cathedral or what the locals call Bamberger Dom.

TOWN OF BAMBERG

google maps • UNESCO listing • travel guide • time travel turtle