Bamberg's sights
Ranking among the most outstanding buildings are the late romanesque/early gothic imperial cathedral, featuring the world-famous Bamberg Horseman, and the Old Bridge Town Hall. Bamberg also offers many other leisure activities and things to do. Find out more about the many sights or create your own sightseeing tour to make your stay in Bamberg truly unforgettable!
The World Heritage Visitor Centre
Located in the heart of the city, Bamberg's World Heritage Visitor Centre displays Bamberg's outstanding universal value and serves as an interpretation aid for the World Heritage site. Embedded in the international UNESCO context the special features of the World Heritage site “Town of ...
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 ...
Altenburg Castle
Altenburg castle is perched on top of Bamberg's highest hill and is one of Bamberg's major landmarks. The castle was first mentioned in 1109 and was used at this time as a refuge. In the 14th and 15th centuries it served as a richly furnished residence for Bamberg's bishops, but was almost ...
Old Town Hall
The Old Town Hall in Bamberg is quite a curiosity: The frescoes that adorn the facades are as amazing as the story behind the building's construction. According to legend the bishop of Bamberg did not grant the citizens any land for the construction of a town hall. This prompted the townsfolk 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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
Lock no. 100
Last of the locks of the old Ludwig-Main-Danube-Canal, built between 1836 and 1845. It connected the Danube near Kehlheim with the River Main just outside of Bamberg. Over the course of these 172 km ships had to pass 100 locks, surpassing around 200 metres of elevation, and needed to be towed ...
„Anxious moon“ by Rui Chafes
This sculpture by the Portuguese sculptor Rui Chafes seems to hover above the waterline of the River Regnitz. Made of steel it is fixed to a tree that has its branches hanging over the waters of the river and surprises visitors on a stroll through Bamberg’s big city park, the “Hain”. The ...
„Air-Earth“ by Jaume Plensa
This luminous sculpture from the Catalan artist Jaume Plensa is called „Air-Earth“. It was erected in the middle of the historic mill quarter in 2012, going back to an exhibition of eight of these sculptures „EIGHT POETS“ located all over town in that year. The figure changes its colour ...
"Anchor figure 2002" by Bernhard Luginbühl
The sculpture by Swiss artist Bernhard Luginbühl deals with civilisation and the environment and is made of disused objects. After an exhibition in 2004, the sculpture was acquired by the Friends of the International Artists' House Villa Concordia e.V. with the support of the ...
“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 ...
Studio Bernd Wagenhäuser
Artist Bernd Wagenhäuser presents his work in his new arts loft in the middle of Bamberg. On 200 sqm this new exhibition hall enables him to show some of his smaller works, models, graphic art and installations and sketches, even though he is well known especially for his large Cor-Ten Steel ...
The Leaning Observation Tower of Bamberg
The leaning tower offers an unusual panoramic view of Bamberg’s market gardeners’ district Located in the meadows of Böhmerwiese nursery in Heiliggrabstraße this tower was erected when Bamberg hosted the Bavarian Horticultural Show in 2012 and now belongs to the UNESCO model project ...
Benedictine Way
The cultivated garden of the former monastery is the ideal place to while away the hours. A lovely walk along the "Benedictine Way" leads through the former baroque gardens, to some lovely fountains and along the new vineyard.
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 ...
Bible gardens of St. Michael’s
A small garden within the walls of the former Benedictine Monastery of St. Michael’s shows a total of 49 plants mentioned in the bible. Each plant bears an annotation on the biblical context, the symbolism behind the plant and its medicinal effects. One patch shows selected plants also ...
Böttinger House
In 1707-1713 court counsellor Ignaz Tobias Böttinger had the baroque palace built like the Italian Palazzi. The interior contains a richly embellished court and a terraced garden. Today, the building is privately owned.
Stigma - Memorial for the victims of the 17. century witch hunt
The installation and sculpture was erected in memory of all the victims of the prosecutions and executions of at least 1.000 innocent men and women, and even children, who were accused of witchcraft, tortured and executed in 17. century Bamberg.
"Centurione I" by Igor Mitoraj
Bronze statue by Polish born sculptor Igor Mitoraj who works in Paris and Pietrasanta (Italy). The artist's heads, torsos and figures are reminiscent of the classical beauty of antiquity, but break away from it with intentional damage to each work of art. The sculpture was acquired by the ...
Bamberg's way of the cross
This is Germany's oldest, fully preserved way of the cross. Donated by Heinrich Marschalk von Raueneck in 1503 this „via dolorosa“ leads visitors and pilgrims from Bamberg's St. Elisabeth church up Michaelsberg Hill to the church of St. Getreu. Its donator wanted to enable the people to ...