Würzburg: Exploring the Fortress, Residence, and Cultural Sights

Unlike in Speyer, Worms or Mainz, the cityscape in Würzburg is not shaped by the cathedral. The fortress and the residence are more the focus. However, all of the sights are of cultural and historical significance.

“Which church is the cathedral now?”: In the Lower Franconian city on the Main, many tourists who do not immediately find the bishopric ask themselves this question. The number of magnificent places of worship is also too large. However, the Marienberg Fortress towers prominently over the city. If you don’t need a car or bus, it’s best to walk up the mountain. The path begins at the Old Main Bridge, which the people of Würzburg say is much more than a bridge. Life is blooming there: groups of young people, couples and families with children stroll over the stone building, listen to street musicians and drink a glass of wine or grape juice at an outdoor bar. There is also Bavarian Obatzda, a hearty cheese preparation.

Penitent’s robe for newly elected bishop

Where today the “bridge shop” is served, there was a chapel at the time the first bridge was built around 1133, which had an important task: a newly elected bishop was given a penitent’s robe made of coarse material there, in which he hung a hemp rope up to his neck Domportal was led, where he was only allowed to take over his office.

The path to the fortress goes in the opposite direction from the bridge, up the steep vineyards. With a view of the Käppele, the town’s pilgrimage church, walkers are on the road for a good half hour. With every step, you realize more and more how huge the fortress area around the Marienberg is. Several ring walls have been laid around the core of the former castle, which was first converted into a defensive Renaissance castle and then expanded into a baroque fortress after the Swedes conquered it in 1632. The general renovation and redesign of Marienberg Fortress will begin this summer and will last until 2026. Therefore, visitors must expect restrictions when visiting.

Dom fourth largest Romanesque church in Germany

Back at the Main Bridge, the path leads straight into the old town to the St. Kilian Cathedral. The church is the fourth largest Romanesque church in Germany, the construction of which began around 1040 and was completed in 1237 with the erection of the towers. Since the bombing of 1945, only fragments of the high baroque stucco with which the interior was furnished at the beginning of the 18th century have survived in the transept and chancel. Like so many things in Würzburg, the Schönborn chapel on the north transept was built by the great master builder Balthasar Neumann, whose likeness once adorned the 50 DM note.

A stone’s throw away from the cathedral, the baroque facade of the originally Romanesque basilica in Neumünster draws attention to itself. A short distance away is the Church of St. John in Haug Abbey with its 60-metre-high towers and the late Gothic Lady Chapel clad in red and white, in which works of art by the carver and sculptor Tilman Riemenschneider can be admired. Balthasar Neumann was buried in 1753 in the chapel, which looks like a parish church because of its size.

In the beating heart of the city

Three squares around the church – the lower and upper market and the Marienplatz – today form the pulsating heart of Würzburg. Specialty markets take place there, and guests jostle in the restaurants and cafés to eat Franconian bratwurst, dumplings or elderberry cakes (made from elderberry plants). At the Oberer Markt you can see the “Falcon House” with its three-gabled rococo facade.

At the other end of the old town there is hardly less going on. This is where the Residenz is located, which in 1981 was the third building in Germany to be named a UNESCO World Heritage Site after the Aachen and Speyer Cathedrals. Under the direction of Balthasar Neumann, the baroque palace was created by just one generation of architects, sculptors and painters, which explains why it is considered the most extraordinary and homogeneous of its kind. In addition to the grandiose stairwell and the artistically furnished halls inside, the spacious Residenzplatz and courtyard garden also give an idea of ​​the feudal wealth of that time.

Insider tip in the courtyard garden

Those who want to rest after sightseeing are in good hands under the geometrically trimmed trees of the courtyard garden. Or in the Hofkirche: Small and inconspicuous from the outside, the little church is hidden in a corner of the mighty castle. Many visitors overlook it. In addition to baroque of the highest quality, they also miss out on a surprising spatial structure: Balthasar Neumann gave the church elegant curves and three oval vaulted domes – and still integrated them harmoniously into the corner.

signpost

Residence

Visits daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (November to March 10 a.m. to 4.30 p.m.), Hofgarten until nightfall.

Roentgen Memorial

Original laboratory in which Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen discovered the rays named after him in 1895, as well as historical lecture hall and experiments. Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Museum in the Kulturspeicher

Art from the 19th to the 21st century in a historic granary in the Old Port. 11am-6pm (Tuesday 1pm-6pm and Thursday 11am-7pm).

Museum am Dom

Works of art from the 10th to the 21st century. 12pm-5pm (except Monday).

Museum for Franconia

State Museum of Art and Cultural History. Prince Bishop’s living quarters and collection of Franconian works of art, including sculptures by Tilman Riemenschneider, in the armory of Marienberg Fortress. Tuesday to Sunday 10am-5pm (10am-4pm from November to March).

fortress

According to www.wuerzburg.de, “from the summer of 2023, the main castle with the courtyard, keep, Marienkirche, fountain house and access to the Fürstengarten will be closed due to renovation work. Visits to the inner courtyard of the fortress are only possible as part of public tours organized by the Bavarian Palace Administration. The general renovation and redesign of Marienberg Fortress is expected to last until 2026. The castle restaurants are closed, the kiosk remains open and offers refreshments. Info: www.schloesser.bayern.de/deutsch/schloss/objects/wu_fest.htm

Nearby destinations

On the Main are Veitshöchheim with its castle and rococo courtyard garden, as well as wine towns such as Randersacker, Weibelstadt, Sommerhausen and Kitzingen. In the Tauber Valley, Rothenburg ob der Tauber and Tauberbischofsheim can be reached quickly.

cycling and hiking

Würzburg is a stage on the 600-kilometer Main Cycle Route from Mainz to Bayreuth. There are wine trails around the city. Longer routes lead into the Rhön (73 kilometers) and on the Main hiking trail (492 kilometers) along the river.

Gem: Frankonia fountain in the courtyard of the residence.| Photo: Hans Peter Seitel Magnificently furnished: the Hofkirche in the Residenz.| Photo: Hans Peter Seitel Beautiful and well-groomed: the courtyard garden of the Residenz.| Photo: Hans-Peter Seitel
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