After another light practice on Thursday, I decided to trek out on my own to see the city of Wurzburg (pop: 134,500) during the day on Friday. Wurzburg is about a 45 minute drive from Aschaffenburg on the Autobahn, and is famous for their Franconia wine and for the Prince-Bishops who resided there.
A little background on Wurzburg according to my Lonely Planet Guidebook: “This scenic town straddles the Main River and is renowned for its art, architecture, and delicate wines. A large student population guarantees a laid-back vibe, and plenty of hip nightlife pulsates through its cobbled streets.
Wurzburg was a Franconia duchy when in 686, three Irish missionaries tried to persuade Duke Gosbert to convert, and ditch his wife. Gosbert was mulling it over when his wife had the three missionaries bumped off. When the murders were discovered decades later, the martyrs became saints and Wurzburg was made a pilgrimage city, and in 742, a bishopric.
For centuries the resident prince-bishops wielded enormous power and wealth, and the city grew in opulence under their rule. Their crowning glory is the Residenz, one of the finest baroque structures in Germany and a Unesco World Heritage Site.”
I arrived in Wurzburg and quickly found a parking garage for my car for the day, as all of the sites in Wurzburg are within walking distance of each other. I parked across the Main River from most of the sights, but luckily there is a pedestrian bridge, called the Alte Mainbrucke, which affords great views of the Main and leads directly into the heart and city center of Wurzburg.
I headed first to the information center where I picked up a more detailed map of the city and found out that there were English tours being offered at 3pm at the main attraction of the city, the Residenz. This left me with about 2 hours to do some exploring. I was already in the city square surrounded by impressive buildings and churches, so I decided to head inside a few of them to get some pictures.
That morning I had made the semi-conscious decision to wear my Maryland Terps Tee-shirt thinking that I would look like a “tourist” but also thinking that maybe I would be more likely to meet other people from the U.S. Well when I was walking through the main square I saw two ladies sitting at one of the outdoor restaurants waving at me yelling, “Maryland, Maryland.” So I asked if I could join them, sat down, and ordered a beer. I found out that they are from Mt. Washington and Reisterstown, and are huge, season-ticket holding, Ravens fans. Needless to say, we did not have trouble finding things to talk about. Carol and Joetta were on a European River Cruise with their families, and had stopped over in Wurzburg from Paris, on their way to Prague. We sat and chatted for a while until it was time for me to head off to the Residenz English Tour, and they even bought my beer, sympathizing for the poor professional football player! But they were both great, very friendly, and made me glad that I chose to look like a tourist that day.
I made the 10 min. walk down the street to the spectacular Residenz, which according to my Frommer’s Guide: “The Residenz of Wurzburg is the last and finest of a line of baroque castles built in Bavaria in the 17th and 18th centuries. This horseshoe shaped edifice was begun to satisfy Prince Bishop Johann Philipp Franz von Schonborn’s passion for elegance and splendor.” Entering the palace/castle, you find yourself at the grand staircase looking up at the magnificent fresco painted on the ceiling of the 4 continents (Europe, Africa, Asia, and America) all paying homage to the Prince-Bishop. Also on the tour were spectacular rooms, each decorated more elaborately than the next with the final, most extravagant room consisting of gold stucco painted onto mirrors which covered the entire room. Unfortunately, pictures were not allowed within the Residenz.
After the tour, I headed outside to explore the palace gardens, and then headed back towards the bridge I crossed earlier in the day to make the trek up to the Festung Marienberg (Marienberg Fortress). The fortress sits high up on a hill overlooking all of Wurzburg, and I do mean high. It was a pretty warm day already (about 82 deg.) and I was sweating pretty good after the 10-15 min walk to the top of the hill and fortress. But the view was definitely worth the work to get up there. From the top you could see literally all of Wurzburg including the churches, town square, Residenz, and the vineyards on the outskirts of the city.
After my hike back down the hill, I got in my car and headed back to Aschaffenburg around 6pm. Rudy was taking me to the local Volksfest where he promised me at least a few of the legendary German liter beers, and some local fest food to go along with the heavy amounts of beer.
A little background on Wurzburg according to my Lonely Planet Guidebook: “This scenic town straddles the Main River and is renowned for its art, architecture, and delicate wines. A large student population guarantees a laid-back vibe, and plenty of hip nightlife pulsates through its cobbled streets.
Wurzburg was a Franconia duchy when in 686, three Irish missionaries tried to persuade Duke Gosbert to convert, and ditch his wife. Gosbert was mulling it over when his wife had the three missionaries bumped off. When the murders were discovered decades later, the martyrs became saints and Wurzburg was made a pilgrimage city, and in 742, a bishopric.
For centuries the resident prince-bishops wielded enormous power and wealth, and the city grew in opulence under their rule. Their crowning glory is the Residenz, one of the finest baroque structures in Germany and a Unesco World Heritage Site.”
I arrived in Wurzburg and quickly found a parking garage for my car for the day, as all of the sites in Wurzburg are within walking distance of each other. I parked across the Main River from most of the sights, but luckily there is a pedestrian bridge, called the Alte Mainbrucke, which affords great views of the Main and leads directly into the heart and city center of Wurzburg.
I headed first to the information center where I picked up a more detailed map of the city and found out that there were English tours being offered at 3pm at the main attraction of the city, the Residenz. This left me with about 2 hours to do some exploring. I was already in the city square surrounded by impressive buildings and churches, so I decided to head inside a few of them to get some pictures.
That morning I had made the semi-conscious decision to wear my Maryland Terps Tee-shirt thinking that I would look like a “tourist” but also thinking that maybe I would be more likely to meet other people from the U.S. Well when I was walking through the main square I saw two ladies sitting at one of the outdoor restaurants waving at me yelling, “Maryland, Maryland.” So I asked if I could join them, sat down, and ordered a beer. I found out that they are from Mt. Washington and Reisterstown, and are huge, season-ticket holding, Ravens fans. Needless to say, we did not have trouble finding things to talk about. Carol and Joetta were on a European River Cruise with their families, and had stopped over in Wurzburg from Paris, on their way to Prague. We sat and chatted for a while until it was time for me to head off to the Residenz English Tour, and they even bought my beer, sympathizing for the poor professional football player! But they were both great, very friendly, and made me glad that I chose to look like a tourist that day.I made the 10 min. walk down the street to the spectacular Residenz, which according to my Frommer’s Guide: “The Residenz of Wurzburg is the last and finest of a line of baroque castles built in Bavaria in the 17th and 18th centuries. This horseshoe shaped edifice was begun to satisfy Prince Bishop Johann Philipp Franz von Schonborn’s passion for elegance and splendor.” Entering the palace/castle, you find yourself at the grand staircase looking up at the magnificent fresco painted on the ceiling of the 4 continents (Europe, Africa, Asia, and America) all paying homage to the Prince-Bishop. Also on the tour were spectacular rooms, each decorated more elaborately than the next with the final, most extravagant room consisting of gold stucco painted onto mirrors which covered the entire room. Unfortunately, pictures were not allowed within the Residenz.
After the tour, I headed outside to explore the palace gardens, and then headed back towards the bridge I crossed earlier in the day to make the trek up to the Festung Marienberg (Marienberg Fortress). The fortress sits high up on a hill overlooking all of Wurzburg, and I do mean high. It was a pretty warm day already (about 82 deg.) and I was sweating pretty good after the 10-15 min walk to the top of the hill and fortress. But the view was definitely worth the work to get up there. From the top you could see literally all of Wurzburg including the churches, town square, Residenz, and the vineyards on the outskirts of the city.
After my hike back down the hill, I got in my car and headed back to Aschaffenburg around 6pm. Rudy was taking me to the local Volksfest where he promised me at least a few of the legendary German liter beers, and some local fest food to go along with the heavy amounts of beer.
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