
Fortunately, it is not on the over-crowded tourist routes so it is possible to enjoy this city without hordes of visitors for most of the year.
In parts, Bamberg looks like one of those classic imperial German towns that time has forgotten. This is one of the reasons Bamberg is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The city has meandering streets, lined with both half-timbered and highly decorated baroque houses and other buildings. The first one we discover is the improbably shaped but delightfully attractive Altes Rathaus (the old town hall), which sits on a tiny island. Locals tell us that the bishop of Bamberg refused to provide land for a town hall, so the locals made an island for it. The Altes Rathaus is a remarkable structure, with baroque and rococo touches - including painted walls.
Old Town Hall This is a great area to linger. There are many taverns, pastry shops offering all kinds of tempting specialties, and cheerful crowds strolling past. We joined locals sitting on the bridge railings, talking and drinking, and we had a great time.
The area on the high ground to the west of the River Regnitz is quite different. Its centre is the Domplatz-the square ringed by Bamberg's imperial cathedral, the massive New Residence palace, and the former bishop's palace, the Old Court. A visit to the plaza ticked off some of the city's highlights right away.
The 13th-century Roman Catholic Cathedral, with its four spires, towers over the city. Begun in 1200, the building is a masterful combination of Romanesque and Gothic. The two entrances are grand and inside there is much to see.
Cathedral We see the Bamberg Horseman, a statue created around 1235, which depicts a young ruler on horseback, and the dazzling quality of the carved wooden marienaltar finished in 1523. We also see the tomb of Henry II and his wife, and another of Pope Clement II, the only Papal tomb in Germany.
We go for a walk around here at night and the narrow cobblestoned streets, empty of all traffic, take us back to the time when Bamberg was a small independent state ruled by an elected Prince-Bishop.
The nearby New Residence was once the home to the prince-bishops and it displays a series of lavish rooms that portray their grand lifestyle. There is antique furniture, numerous grand rugs, elaborate stucco work, and a collection of old German and Baroque paintings.
Altenburg Castle, which sits at the top of the city's biggest hill, provides a fantastic view. You see the red-tiled rooftops, with spires here and there and on the other side, the green rolling hills of Franconia.
Back on the other side of the river, Bamberg's long, pedestrian-friendly Gr ner Markt is full of caf s and boutique stores and it's also home to a popular weekday market. There are also many important historic structures here, including the St. Catherine Hospital and Seminary, the Gabelman fountain with its statue of Neptune, and the Baroque Church of St. Martin that contains many interesting features and artefacts.
Close by is Little Venice filled with half-timbered buildings, built mainly in the Middle Ages, crowded together along the riverbank, and surrounded by little gardens. The best way to see this is from a boat or from across the river.
Around the world, this city is known for its wonderful symphony orchestra but in Germany, it is synonymous with Rauchbier, or smoke beer . This is an age old style of beer where the malt is roasted over a beech wood fire instead of being dried in an oven and the smoke from this fire imparts a distinct flavour when the beer is brewed. It is unusual but we thought it was excellent.
Benedictine monks came to Bamberg in 1008, and began brewing beer shortly afterward. Today, with 9 breweries and brewpubs, the city is still well served. A trip here wouldn't be complete without tasting a couple of the local brews. Schlenkerla is arguably Bamberg's most famous brewery, producing six smoked beers.
The brewpubs don't differ much in style as all have plenty of dark wood and country-style furniture. In many, you drink standing up and patrons spill out onto the road, but they share that certain conviviality that is attractive. While here, try the Bamberg onion which is filled with minced meat and cooked in the oven, served with mashed or boiled potatoes in a bath of beer sauce.
Brew pub For some, the Franconian Brewery Museum is an attraction. Built in the magnificent vaults of the former Benedictine monastery, the brewery museum is a fascinating journey through the history of beer.
If a different type of culture is your thing, check the calendar of the Bamberg Concert Hall which hosts multiple performances a week. You might even catch the orchestra.
Getting there There are non-stop flights from Johannesburg and Cape Town to Frankfurt, and one-stop flights from Durban. Bamberg is about three hours by train from Frankfurt airport and the trip involves one change of train.
South African passport holders require a Schengen visa to enter Germany, and youneed to apply at one of the four Intergate Visalink Visa Application Centres.
www.LenRutledge.com
Most recent headlines
13/03/2025
WASHINGTON FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced that the agency has launched a massive, new deregulatory initiative that could potentially subject virtually all ...
13/03/2025
SUNNYVALE, Calif. SDVI has announced that it has integrated its Rally media supply chain management platform with the Spectra Vail multi-cloud data management s...
13/03/2025
ATLANTA Gray Media has announced that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has granted a waiver of its local ownership rules to permit Gray Media to acqu...
13/03/2025
TV Tech: What do you anticipate will be the most significant technology trends at the 2025 NAB Show?...
13/03/2025
Watch Student Naomi Soleils Folk Pop Performance on The Voice The songwriting major sang Stars by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals during the blind auditions.
...
12/03/2025
O Spotify acaba de lan ar o relat rio Loud & Clear deste ano, uma vis o transpar...
12/03/2025
Spotify acaba de presentar el informe Loud & Clear de este a o, una mirada trans...
12/03/2025
Ramadan, a period of profound spiritual significance for Muslims worldwide, is a time for fasting, prayer, reflection, and community. Enrich your experience thi...
12/03/2025
Spotify has just unveiled this year's Loud & Clear report, a transparent loo...
12/03/2025
More than 70% of FAST programming has been produced since 2010, according to new Gracenote report
NEW YORK March 12, 2025 Gracenote, the content data busin...
12/03/2025
GEONA, Nev. Independent digital and linear advertising rep firm Viamedia will adopt cloud-based ShowSeeker Pilot as its primary ad campaign and order management...
12/03/2025
BRUSSELS Mediagenix has announced that Wael Yasin has joined the company as sales director Central Europe....
12/03/2025
LONDON A new study highlights opportunities for shoppable TV and the massive impact online consumer spending is having on the economy, with Omdia predicting tha...
12/03/2025
CUPERTINO, Calif. Interra Systems has announced that Comcast Technology Solutions has integrated recent updates to BATON Version 9 into its operations....
12/03/2025
Nevion announces new 400G addition to its eMerge SDN media fabric offering
Brie Clayton March 12, 2025
0 Comments
High-capacity switch enhances existi...
12/03/2025
DaVinci Resolve Studio Delivers Cinematic Sound for Adam Bol
Brie Clayton March 12, 2025
0 Comments
Feature film relies on DaVinci Resolve Studio for ...
12/03/2025
SVT Leverages Ateliere Live to Pioneer 100% Software-Defined Production at Rally...
12/03/2025
Berklee Awards Fenway Neighborhood Improvement Grant to Four Organizations A total of $17,000 will be distributed among the Boston-based nonprofits.
By
Madd...
12/03/2025
TVBEuropes Jenny Priestley sits down with new SMPTE president Richard Welsh to discuss his aims for the organisation going forward, its efforts to attract a you...
12/03/2025
The new process has significantly enhanced operational efficiencies, with automation freeing up creators to concentrate on higher value tasks
By Matthew Corrig...
12/03/2025
Jellyfish Pictures, which has offices in London and Sheffield, said it has been battling hard in the face of strong headwinds over the last 12 months
By Jenny ...
12/03/2025
Visit Booth #W2213 to Experience the Latest in AI-Driven Content Discovery and Workflow Automation
Bitcentral, a leader in media workflow solutions, is set to ...
12/03/2025
CHICAGO Jeff Lilly has been named WGN-TV director of technology effective March 17, 2025, according to Ric Harris, WGN-TV vice president and general manager....
12/03/2025
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. A new study from LG Ad Solutions indicates that consumers want more features that would allow them to shop for products on the connected T...
12/03/2025
BOTHELL, Wash. The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS), Advanced Media Workflow Association (AMWA) and the Video Services Forum (VSF) will once again present...
12/03/2025
PHILADELPHIA Comcast announced that it has upgraded Xfinity Internet speeds for more than 20 million customers for no additional cost....
12/03/2025
Create with Maxon: Cinema 4D Fundamentals Workshop - March 12-14
Brie Clayton March 11, 2025
0 Comments
Makin' Waffles with Elly Wade
During Marc...
12/03/2025
Ottawa, Canada - March 12, 2025 - Ross Video is pleased to announce the appointment of Aaron Tunnell as Business Development Director, Cloud Solutions, reinforc...
12/03/2025
12 Mar 2025
VEON to release 4Q 2024 trading update on 20 March 2025 Dubai, 12 March 2025 - VEON Ltd. (NASDAQ: VEON), a global digital operator, today confirms ...
12/03/2025
Getting set for the Winter Olympics: Inside SVT's ongoing software-based pro...
12/03/2025
THE PLAYERS Championship 2025: AI Commentary, Shared-Reality Viewing at COSM, La...
12/03/2025
Seamless SMPTE 2110: A Discussion on Making the Move to IP Less Painful Leaders from Netflix, Monumental Sports & Entertainment, LinkedI, and Megapixel address ...
12/03/2025
Opening Doors of Perception: Meta's Ajit Ninan on Rethinking AR/MR Perceptua...
12/03/2025
With the 2025 Formula 1 season set to begin in Melbourne on March 16, Sky Sports is gearing up to deliver its most comprehensive F1 coverage yet. Following a th...
12/03/2025
Unicanal and Trece TV revolutionize Digital TV in Paraguay with Rohde & Schwarz ...
12/03/2025
Honoring Service, Celebrating Sport: Rohde & Schwarz UK Sponsors NavyFit Rugby D...
12/03/2025
New HVS-Q12 Represents a Quantum Leap in Switcher Design...
12/03/2025
Telespazio and ABS Expand Partnership to Deliver Tailored C-Band Connectivity So...
12/03/2025
ABC conducts independent audits across the TAG programs. In the March 2025 TAG s...
12/03/2025
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Moonlight: ESA program to create a satellite con...
12/03/2025
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
In 2025, Thales ranks among the top 0.01% of the...
12/03/2025
Consumer show back following hugely successful first series
10 March 2025 Following a hugely successful first series, The Complaints Bureau returns to RT ...
11/03/2025
By Lucy Spicer
One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival...
11/03/2025
Salsa is making a comeback, captivating new listeners with its infectious energy...
11/03/2025
For many people, music can serve as a reflection of their roots and upbringing. ...
11/03/2025
The solution delivers reliable, scalable and secure connectivity for critical pu...
11/03/2025
SAN JOSE, Calif. Harmonic has announced that Weigel Broadcasting has deployed Harmonics VOS Media Software, which offers playout-to-delivery capabilities, inclu...
11/03/2025
NEW BERN, N.C. Wheatstone will introduce a Linux audio driver for its WheatNet IP audio network during the 2025 NAB Show, April 5-9, at the Las Vegas Convention...
11/03/2025
NEW YORK A new study finds that as TV viewership for women's sports surged by 131% in 2024, the programming also saw a 56% year-over-year increase in ad im...
11/03/2025
Powerful switcher for news studio
FOR-A, a cutting-edge video broadcast technology company backed by more than 50 years experience, has installed its HVS-1200 ...