European River Cruise - Bamberg, Germany

Bamberg has been relatively untouched by war and strife, so it exists today as it was in the Middle Ages.  It is now a World Heritage Site.  Located in northern Bavaria, Germany, Bamberg is laid out over 7 hills where the Regnitz and Main rivers meet.

Our ship was the middle of three at this dock.  This harbor off the Regnitz River is a dead end and doesn't look wide enough for the boat to turn around in.  If they couldn't turn, they must have backed it in around a turn during the night.  Either way, amazing!



I took this photo of the Kloster St. Michael.





Notice the white markings on the door above the window.  This home has received the Catholic blessing of the home on Ephiphany.  The initials of the three Magi are inscribed upon the doors with the blessed chalk.

Because of their age and construction techniques used during the time the were built, many of the homes are not straight.  Notice how this one leans in.
 

The entrance to a museum.  The word Kutz means something quite different in Dutch so our program director told us that many of the people from the Netherlands snicker when they see it.

Many of the old town structures date from the 11th to 19th centuries, including the muraled Altes Rathaus, which occupies an island in the Regnitz reached by four arched bridges.

Believe it or not, this is an old butcher shop.  It hangs out over the river and the offal was just pushed in the water when it was time to clean.  I bet that made the fish happy.   

Never did find out what this floating heart in the river was all about.  Don't know if it marks a shallow area or if it's a life preserver.

We saw this statue as we crossed one of the four bridges leading to the island where the Altes Rathaus is located.

The Bamberg old town hall was built around 1467 on the river Regnitz. Originally the building style was Gothic but it received Baroque and Rococo touches later in its history.
The building was placed on an artificial island, supposedly because the bishop didn’t want to relinquish any land. Tall arched bridges connect the island to the city center that is divided by the river.

Some of the murals are three dimensional.

Photo of a map of the city center so you can see the location of the Altes Rathaus.

Another statue on the bridge leading to the Rathaus. 

Opposite side of the Altes Rathaus

Another view of the Rathaus where you can see the traditional German fachwerk jutting out over the river.
From this location you can see one set of the arched bridges.

Looking upstream of the Rathaus.

Statue commemorating the fire brigade.

Hmm.... don't have a clue.

The Romanesque Bamberg Cathedral, begun in the 11th century, features 4 towers and numerous stone carvings.

Old Court building on Domplatz.

Some of the decoration on the exterior of the Dom (Cathedral)

The New Residence is also on Domplatz.  Construction of the four-winged complex of the New Residence was started in 1602 in the Renaissance style.  The  Baroque wings facing the Cathedral were built between 1697 and 1703 as a residence for the Prince Bishop.

Built into a pillar of the cathedral is the town's measuring system.  Every town had its own measurements.

Reflectors delineated the roadways of Domplatz

Door on cathedral with Christian woman on left and Jewish woman on right.

Christian woman

Jewish woman

Statuary on old court representing the Main and Regnitz River confluence by Bamberg.



Rose garden at New Residence

I passed through an entry in the New Residence to get to the rose garden and the floor of the passage was wood cut horizontally into hexagons. 

We entered the courtyard of the Alte Hofhaltung to access the public restrooms.

Back to the Altes Rathaus.

Another of the bridges leading to the Altes Rathaus

Human "statue" on bridge.

The Regnitz River as it encounters the island of the Altes Rathaus.

Looking back to the city center from the Altes Rathaus.

The last building at the end of the bridge.

Bicycle paths are well marked.

Garbage truck trying to enter the two-way street.

I don't know how they can make that turn!

Oh... the truck is smaller than I thought.

Click to enlarge for reading.

Walking along the Regnitz on the way back to the bus.

Hotel for people riding their bikes along the river.

Yep, still in Bamberg, Germany.