Würzburg

by jose d'arruda

• Capital of Lower Franconia, local wine metropolis and northern terminus of Germany's most famous tourist route, the Romantic Road, WÜRZBURG straddles the River Main some 80km southeast of Aschaffenburg and 50km southwest of Schweinfurt. During the night of March 16, 1945 it got the same treatment from Allied bombers that Nürnberg had received two months earlier. The 1200-year-old city had no important war industries but the presence of a busy rail junction provided a tenuous rationale for its destruction. Unfortunately, Würzburg has been less successful in rebuilding itself: gone is much of the Altstadt, leaving individual surprises of Baroque and Gothic beauty sandwiched between modern supermarkets and the new town. For all that, the city's location on both banks of the Main, a number of really outstanding sights and a marvellous range of places to eat and drink easily justify a visit of several days.

• Würzburg has been one of Germany's most influential episcopal cities for many centuries, and some of the greatest architects and artists were employed by the prince-bishops, bequeathing an exceptionally rich legacy. Prominent among them was the sculptor Tilman Riemenschneider , whose hauntingly characterized carvings, executed in the heady years leading up to the Reformation, decorate so many churches throughout Franconia. A later period saw patronage of Balthasar Neumann , who was then totally unknown and untried, but who duly developed here into the most inventive and accomplished architect of eighteenth-century Europe.

• The CityThe heart of the old city lies between the Main and the Residenz, roughly encompassed by the Juliuspromenade to the north and Neubaustrasse to the south.

• Marienberg Fortress - Würzburg• The fortress on the Marienberg towers over Würzburg and affords the visitors glorious

views of the city.• The medieval castle belonging to the Prince-Bishops of Würzburg was continuously

enlarged until the 16th century. Following an attack by the Swedes in 1631, Prince-Bishop Johann Philipp von Schönborn built a circle of massive bastions to protect the Marienberg.  The oldest building inside the fortress is the Church of St. Mary - its foundations date from the 8th century.

• The fortress contains two museums - the Mainfränkisches Museum and the Fürstenbaumuseum. The Mainfränkisches Museum documents the history of the region and of Würzburg. The works of Tilman Riemenschneider from a core section of the exhibition. Two large models of medieval Würzburg and Würzburg in 1945, allow you to guess at the scale of destruction wrought on the town during the Second World War.

• The Fürstenbaumuseum details the history of the fortress. • The gardens are another highlight of a visit to the fortress. Construction on the site of

a former artillery battery overlooking the town, started in the 16th century.  

• Archbishop Johann Phillip of Schönborn contracted the then nearly unknown architect Balthasar Neumann in 1720 to build him a new palace.

• 24 years later the building was nearly complete. It was to take 40 more years to finish the interior decorations and the gardens. The costs amounted to a staggering 1.5 million guilders. At that time, the weekly wage of a laborer was one guilder.

• The palace itself is 167 meters long and 92 meters wide. It is the largest baroque palace in Germany.

• The palace contains two unique artistic masterpieces, the fresco “Europe” by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, a 600 square meter mural that is reputed to be the largest fresco ever, and the staircase designed by Balthasar Neumann. The staircase was used as an ornate reception hall.

• The palace was heavily damaged in 1945 and restoration work is continuing to this day.

• Würzburg is shaped by the Main River that meanders through the town. One of its most beautiful sights is the old bridge that traverses the river. The city itself is dominated by the Marienberg fortress that towers above it.

• For centuries, Würzburg has been a center of the arts. Famous artists such as the wood carver Tilman Riemenschneider (don’t miss his works in the Marien Chapel) or architect Balthasar Neumann have left their mark on the town.

• The Würzburg Residence in its baroque magnificence was Balthasar Neumann’s most splendid work. Today,  the residence is part of the UNESCO World Heritage program. Construction of the residence commenced in 1740. The castle and its gardens were completed in 1780