Bavaria is a hotbed of world heritage sites

The Wuerzburg Residence and Court Gardens [KATHRYN KATES PHOTO]

Seven of Germany’s 39 UNESCO World Heritage Sites are located in Bavaria, a state in the country’s southeast.

Wuerzburg Residence and Court Gardens was Bavaria’s first building to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981. 

It was designed by architect, Balthasar Neumann, for Prince-Bishop Johann Philipp Franz von Schoenborn. The construction began in 1720 and was completed 60 years later. The interior includes the architect’s famed staircase enhanced by a ceiling fresco by Venetian, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, representing four continents. Be sure to stroll their magnificent Court Gardens.  

Wuerzburg’s origins date back to 742 and was once the religious centre of the region. The city’s other sights include Marienkapelle, Wuerzburg’s town hall; St. Kilian’s Cathedral, the fourth largest Romanesque cathedral in Germany, and the Neumuenster church with the romantic Lusam Garden, where you will find minstrel Walther von der Vogelweide’s tomb. Museums include the modern Museum am Dom and the Mainfraenkisches Museum. The city is also known for its culture and festivals including Africa Festival in May, Mozart Festival in June/July and the Jazz Festival every November.

World Heritage Sites are geographical, architectural or monuments, or entire cities listed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as having distinct cultural or physical importance.  

In some cases, entire cities were awarded this honour. Upper Bavaria’s Bamberg Old Town with 2,300 listed buildings was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993. The medieval city comprises of three districts – the City on the Hills, the Island City and the Market Gardener’s City. While the historic buildings from the Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance periods are still intact, the city also enjoys a modern vibe where contemporary structures co-exist.

Known as “Little Venice”, sights include the Old Town Hall built in the middle of the river and the Imperial Cathedral. With 70,000 residents, it is the biggest town in Upper Franconian.  Bamberg has 14 museums.  

Bayreuth is home to the Margravial Opera House, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2012. Completed in 1750 by leading European architect, Giuseppe Galli Bibiena, and patron Margravine Wilhelmine, a playwright, composer and actress and sister of Frederick the Great, it’s a great example of 18th-century baroque theatre architecture, symbolizing courtly ceremonial and musical culture of its time. Currently under restoration, the public will be able to experience the opera house in its original splendour by 2017.

Bayreuth has been attracting great performers for years, and is known for its Richard Wagner Festival held annually mid-summer at the Festival Hall. Wagner moved to Bayreuth in 1872, invited by his benefactor, King Ludwig II. Wagner was known as much for his compositions as his arrogance, love of dogs and hate for Jews. Long after his death in 1883, his music became a symbol for the Third Reich. Wagner’s heirs have put together a temporary outdoor installation dedicated to Jewish artists who were banned from performing at the festival, and it now sits on its grounds.

Other places to visit in Bayreuth include the New Palace and Court Garden, Hermitage and Court Garden, Sanspareil Rock Garden and Fantaisie Palace and Park. A new Richard Wagner Museum in the historic garden of the Wahnfried House is currently under construction. Wagner’s life and works will span four floors. The ground floor will include an installation examining his anti-Semitism and the equally disturbing attitude of his descendants during the Third Reich. A garden will connect the museum to the Liszt Museum. Hungarian composer, Franz Liszt, was Wagner’s father-in-law.

Regensburg is Bavaria’s fourth largest city with a population of 150,000.  Bavaria’s first capital, this stunning city on the banks of the northernmost point of the Danube River has created a beach along this famous river.

Regensburg is considered the best preserved medieval city in Germany.  Once the centre of the Holy Roman Empire, its Roman, Romanesque and Gothic architectural splendour reflects 2,000 years of history.  Tourists to the city should see the Old Town Hall with the Imperial Diet Museum where justice was served in the most brutal way. 

There’s also Stone Bridge, the oldest preserved bridge in the country, the 18th century, Thurn and Taxis Palace. At the centre of the historic old town, is St. Peter’s Cathedral, an impressive example of French Gothic architecture.  

Neupfarrplatz, the former Jewish ghetto, unlike other European ghettos, lay within the Roman town walls leading experts to think that it came into existence early, before the 9th century.  In 1519, Jews were held responsible for the financial woes and forced to flee. In 1994, the square was going to become a parking lot, until archeologists discovered the foundations of a synagogue. To preserve what they found below, Regensburg commissioned Dani Karavan to create a modern monument from white concrete above the synagogue site. Popular with the public, Karavan hoped his design would be a meeting place for all the different cultures and religions of the world. It has served its purpose. n