Franconian Rome
Like Rome Bamberg is also built on seven hills - something that fills its citizens with pride. Surrounded by a lush green landscape, the hills are a typical feature of the town, boasting many spires which can be seen from afar. Visit the famous Imperial Cathedral on Cathedral Hill and Altenburg Castle at the town's highest vantage point.
Museums on Cathedral Hill
Five institutions of international acclaim are based on Cathedral Hill - already a sight in itself - all within walking distance of each other. They harbour an abundance of treasures and exhibits you shouldn't miss. Bamberg’s Diocesan Museum emerged from Bamberg’s Cathedral Treasury. Its ...
Old Court
The Old Court ranks among the most impressive buildings in the city. The complex once served as the bishop's residence. The precursor to the Old Court was the Castrum Babenberg and the former palace of Emperor Heinrich II. After the foundation of the bishopric in 1007, it was also used as the ...
Diocesan Museum
Emperor Heinrich II and his consort Kunigunde embellished the diocese they founded with valuable liturgical items, relics, paraments and books. In the course of the centuries, these treasures were extended by donations, but were also decimated several times. Many works of art were lost to ...
Cathedral
St. Peter's and St. George's Imperial Cathedral is one of Emperor Heinrich II's legacies. It contains numerous impressive sights. Emperor Heinrich II. had the Cathedral constructed in Bamberg as early as 1002 and it was completed in 1012 after a building period of just ten years. However, this ...
Cathedral Square
One of the most impressive squares, featuring architectural styles from all periods, the Old Court, the New Residence and the Rose Garden The Imperial Cathedral with four spires is perched on top of one of Bamberg's seven hills and forms the heart of the city and the region's most significant ...
Museum of History
The museum boasts a large number of valuable exhibits. The extensive collections bear witness to the culture and history of this World Heritage City from pre-history right through to the 21st century. Besides the art gallery, the museum also hosts an permanent exhibition called “In the Flow ...
St. Michael's Monastery
On the initiative of Emperor Heinrich II., the former Benedictine monastery of St. Michael was founded in 1015. Today its imposing baroque style architecture cannot fail to impress. As early as 1117 the first church was destroyed by an earthquake. Bishop Otto then had a romanesque house of ...
Monastery gardens of St. Michael’s
The gardens of St. Michael’s, a former Benedictine monastery, invite visitors to linger and amble about or enjoy a cup of coffee in the café. A lovely walk is the “Benedictine path” traversing the former baroque gardens. One of the projects of Bamberg’s 2012 Bavarian gardening show is ...
New Residence, Bamberg
The New Residence with its splendid rooms and lavish furnishings is an impressive reflection of the prince-bishops' life. The state gallery contains a significant collection of old German and baroque paintings. Until 1802 the New Residence served as the seat of Bamberg's prince bishops. The more ...
New Residence, the State Gallery
The New Residence with its splendid rooms and lavish furnishings is an impressive reflection of the prince-bishops' life. The state gallery contains a significant collection of old German and baroque paintings. In 1604 construction work started on the New Residence on Cathedral Square. ...
Rose Garden
The Rose Garden in the inner court of the New Residence is not only filled with a sea of fragrant flowers but it also reveals a beautiful view of Michaelsberg and the Old Town. Prince-bishop Friedrich Karl von Schönborn had the garden designed by Balthasar Neumann. The symmetrically arranged ...
“Apoll” by Markus Lüpertz
The disputed German artist Markus Lüpertz often alludes to the great archaic motives of the classic era. Apoll is one of them and shows the Roman god in a very different light. Its final location near the little church St. Elisabeth, was proposed by the artist himself. The sculpture is set on a ...
Nativity Museum Bamberg
The museum shows a new selection of Nativity Scenes every year, different in origin, material, and age from all over the world. There is a small museum shop in the foyer where you can also buy figurines and nativity scenes. Information: 0174/9883306
Bamberg's puppet theatre
The Staub'sche House, a bourgeois town palace dating from the late 18th century, forms the backdrop of a very special gem: Bamberg's puppet theatre, founded by Klaus Loose. At the end of the 1950s, Klaus Loose discovered a travelling puppet theatre in Oldenburg which the owner was selling on ...
City on the hills
Narrow lanes, baroque and romantic facades, mediaeval flair and the magic of the centuries make Bamberg what it is today. The seven hills Bamberg's nicknames - the "Seven Hill City" or "Franconian Rome" - refer to the part of the city situated on the hills. Cathedral Hill was the spiritual and ...
Franconian Brewery Museum
In the historical, restored vaulted rooms of the former Benedictine Brewery on Michelsberg, the Franconian Brewery Museum is completely devoted to beer. You can admire more than 1300 exhibits in the 900m² museum, which traces the creation of beer from the crop to the mug - all in the unique ...
"Large sculpture 1982" von Joannis Avramidis
Abstract bronze sculpture by the Greek-born artist Joannis Avramidis who today lives in Vienna. Bought by the town in 1999.
Little Venice
The former fishermen's district in Bamberg's Island City is endearingly known as Little Venice. This district is characterised by half-timbered buildings that prop each other up and by tiny, pretty gardens. The half-timbered buildings were mainly built in the Middle Ages. They are squashed ...
Church of Our Lady
The church, which is called "Upper Parish" by the locals, is Bamberg's only purely gothic church. The simple nave was added 50 years after the late gothic choir whose foundations date from 1375 and the upper choir which is supported by flying buttresses. The wedding portal is a striking feature ...
"Pillar" by Micha Ullmann
Kaiser Heinrich II., who founded Bamberg in the year 1007, firmly believed, that his Rome of the North, his capital to be, marked the centre of his empire, the hub of the world. Up until the 18th century the Bamberg people designated this spot with a pillar – the Tattermannsäule -, which ...
St. Jakob's Church
Despite its baroque facade, St. Jacob's is the only completely romanesque church in Bamberg. In the 11th and 12th centuries, when the church was built, it was situated outside the fortifications around Cathedral Hill, and was used by numerous Jacob pilgrims on their way to Santiago de ...
St. Stephan's Church
The church, devoted to the martyr Stephanus, is built on the most eastern of the seven hills. It has been Bamberg's most important protestant church since 1807. The original building, which was probably donated by empress Kunigunde, was erected at the same time as Heinrich's Cathedral and was ...
State Library Bamberg
This cultural and humanities research library is steeped in tradition. It is charged with the task of supplying the city and region with literature and looking after outstanding literary treasures. Its international standing is documented by the fact that three Reichenau manuscripts dating from ...
City Archives
Bamberg's city archives see themselves not only as a documentation centre ("The administration's memory") but also as a centre for research on Bamberg's history and its associated institutions. In addition, literature, photos, posters and films etc relating to and from Bamberg are collected ...
"Wandlung (transubstantiation)" by Kazuo Katase
This work of art was introduced and erected on the occasion of the millennium celebration of the Bishopric of Bamberg in the year 2007. It was a project of the Villa Concordia, the international artists’ house in Bamberg. Placed on the slopes of St. Michael’s Mount, it is a dry fountain made ...