Old Town Bamburg

Bamberg's well preserved old town comprises three historical districts, the episcopal town, the island town and the market gardener's town. All three are part of the UNESCO World Heritage site and provide a fascinating example of how central European towns were built up around the basic layouts established in the early Middle Ages.

Bamberg was given special status in 1007, when Heinrich II was building the town into a centre of episcopal and sovereign power, making it the centre of the newly founded diocese and turning it into a second Rome. Five churches in the form of a Latin cross mark the layout of the town. The historical townscape features numerous monuments from the 11th to the 18th century and some 1,200 architectural monuments. With its four towers, the imperial cathedral of St. Peter and St. George is the most prominent building.

Other highlights include the the rose garden with a view of the old town, the tanners' cottages by the old canal, the mill district and the fisherman's village known as Little Venice.Read more