Day 8 of 18: Bamberg, Germany (Monday, July 24)

Founded in 902, Bamberg remains a medieval-looking city known for its symphony orchestra and rauchbier (specialty smoked beer). The city's winding streets are filled with baroque houses and are home to the breathtaking 11th-century Imperial Cathedral. One of the few cities in Germany not destroyed by World War ll bombing, Bamberg has a large collection of original Gothic, baroque and Romanesque architecture in its remarkably preserved Old Town; because of this, it was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993. 

Our tour guide Michael from Wales is a PhD candidate ("Deep Learning on Non-Euclidean Geometry") in the local university, defending his dissertation next week. He pointed out interesting decorative details on countless buildings throughout the city.

Surgical building adjacent to 200-year-old hospital building in Bamberg

15th century beer hall; a caricature of the current owner's great-granfather hangs above the entry 

In 1007, Emperor Heinrich ll made Bamberg the center of the Holy Roman Empire and the capital of his reign. He wanted the city to become a second Rome. He ordered the building of a new cathedral, on the site of what remains the architectural and spiritual heart of the city. Both the emperor and his wife were buried in the cathedral, as was Pope Clement II (the only papal grave north of the Alps). Unfortunately, the cathedral suffered two fires; the current structure was actually built in the 13th century.

Bamberg's Imperial Cathedral

Archway above the Prince-Bishop's entrance to the Imperial Cathedral, with a somewhat creepy-looking frieze depicting Judgement Day.

Adjacent to the Imperial Cathedral is the 17th-century Neue Residenz, the former Prince-Bishop’s residence in Bamberg. It is now home to a museum and Bavarian Palace Administration. The Residence's Rose Garden looks out over the city.

Prince-Bishop Residence

Rose Garden adjacent to the Residence

Keith photographing the model of the Bamberg Cathedral, Courts and Residence

Nine breweries producing over 50 distinct beers operate in Bamberg. The signature local beer is rauchbier, a smoky medium-dark beer made wìth malt that has been dried over open flame. It's said that the first batch was a mistake when the brewmaster accidentally badly burned the barley. Keith and I were happy to try rauchbier, but we both agreed that we probably wouldn't order it again (at least until another visit to Bamberg).

Bamberg Rauchbier

Bamberg is especially noted for its Altes Rathaus, or Old Town Hall, situated on a twin-arched bridge over the Regnitz river. The residents of Bamberg wanted a town hall to serve both sides of the town, so they built a bridge across the Regnitz and placed the Rathaus on a man-made island in the middle. Today the building houses a museum.

Approach to the Bamberg Old Town Hall

Old Town Hall on left, across a short bridge in the Regnitz river

Opposite side of the Old Town Hall, with Kayak race markers in the river below

View from the Old Town Hall, up the Regnitz river

I mentioned that Bamberg is also famous for its symphony orchestra. The orchestra was formed in 1946 mainly from German musicians expelled from Czechoslovakia after WWII, who had previously been members of the German Philharmonic Orchestra of Prague. The orchestra received the title of Bavarian State Philharmonic in 1993. Coincidentally, the symphony's Concert Hall was our Viking meeting point for the bus transfer to our ship.

Bamberg Symphony Orchestra

Bamberg Concert Hall

Bamberg marks the northern terminus of the Main-Danube Canal, which connects the river Main to the Danube. The canal was 1,200 years in the making, the 3rd and only successsful attempt constructed 1960-1992 at a cost of 2.3 billion Euros. We entered the canal during dinner tonight on our way to Nuremberg, tomorrow's destination. 

Our cruise encountered a travel challenge in that it has been a dry summer in Europe and a section of the river ahead is too shallow to pass. So we're going to bypass that section with a 1.5-hour bus ride tomorrow, picking up Viking's sister ship on the other side and continuing on our journey as scheduled.



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