Bamberg, part 1- Germany Trip Blog Post #9

I know I sound like a broken record, but Monday, May 11, was another day to visit a delightful town in Germany.

It was a one-hour drive from our hotel in Würzburg to the village of Bamberg.

 First, we strolled passed Klein-Venedig or Little Venice along the river. As at many other towns we visited, the medieval fishermen's houses were colorful and somewhat whimsical. 

Our tour guide, Elsa, led us through the winding, uphill streets of the town up to the Bamberg Cathedral. The original church was founded in 1002, but it later burned down. The current Romanesque cathedral was built in the13th century.

 

It was yet another huge and fascinating building.

Inside too.

Here’s what I found to be the most fascinating part. Less than an hour drive from my house is Saint Kunegunda Catholic Church and I always wondered what that saint’s story could possibly be. Elsa told our tour group her interesting story, but I won’t share it all here (as if I remember it all).

She was born in the year 975 and even though she wanted to be a nun, she married King Henry in 999. Supposedly their vows were never consummated and it was a marriage of companionship only. Both Cunigunde and her husband Henry II were later canonized. Their remains are entombed in the Bamberg Cathedral.

Called the New Residence, this was the home of former princes and bishops of Bamberg. Not sure why Bamberg doesn’t have a place called a castle or a palace, but that’s what I’d call this large, ornate building. (I'm also not sure why this is the only picture I have of it.)

The Rose Garden behind the New Residence.

 

I think that’s enough for today. On to the rest of the village tomorrow.