One last look at my favorite town in Bavaria. This area of the city had a lot going on and warranted its own post. Plus I found a hidden gem here as well that I think is worth highlighting. I hope you enjoy. For my previous article on Bamberg click the link here.
Bamberger Dom
Located at the top of a small hill about a 5 minute walk from the Altes Rathaus (or Town Hall) is Bambergs cathedral, the Bamberger Dom. It was built in the 13th century in the late Roman Romanesque architecture style and was the seat of the Archbishop of Bamberg. It houses the tomb of Emperor Henry II, and Pope Clement II and is the only Papal grave site in Germany. Source.
The building was beautiful and in a really nice location but the really annoying thing was that it was closed to visitors at the time that we were there. Myself and others touring the city all tried to go in, but the doors were locked on that day with a sign stating that it was closed to visitors. I don't recall if it was for renovations or for an event, but we were out of luck in terms of seeing the interior.
Alte Hofhaltung
Another point of interest directly beside the cathedral is the Alte Hofhaltung (or Old Court). It was built 16th century as the Bishops Palace and is a large complex built in a beautiful half-timber Renaissance style. Today it is home to a museum. Source.
Unfortunately, I don't have a photo of the Alte Hofhaltung because when I visited, there was a large stage set up in the center of the court for an outdoor concert and the photos that I took turned out quite poor. I ended up deleting them.
Neue Residenze
Within the same general area as the two buildings above is the Neue Residenze of Bamberg. The building was build in 1697 and 1703 and consists of two wings situated in the shape of a large "L." They were built in the Baroque architecture style. Source.
As I mentioned above, this building is in the same vicinity as the Cathedral and Old Court. All are literally right next to each other or across the stone street, so you can't miss them and would likely tour each one during a visit, like we did. I think that it's kind of interesting that 3 very different and unique types of architecture (Romanesque, Renaissance and Baroque) are all situated so close together as well.
Hidden Gem
While wandering around the building I ended up walking through these two large doors into the inner courtyard of the Residenze.
From there I stumbled upon this beautiful outdoor rose garden with a view overlooking the old town.
The garden was completely free and open to the public, so that was a major plus in my opinion.
It was a hidden gem that I just happened to stumble upon unexpectedly.
It ended up being one of my favorite parts of the city too, so it goes to show you that it pays to explore different areas when you travel. Curiosity doesn't always kill the cat.
It was a toss up for which was the best site to see in town - this location or the old town hall. Both were really spectacular.
The courtyard was set up in a "U" shape with the different wings of the palace, which means that the entire building is laid out like the number "5," I think.
That tidbit of information is mostly irrelevant, but I figured that I needed to clarify since I had previously stated that the building was designed in the shape of an "L."
Within the garden space was this stone balcony looking out over the oldtown and the Michelsberg Monastery (seen above). We didn't go to the Monastery but it looked pretty impressive from a distance.
This spot was an amazing location for photos.
The orange tiled rooftops contrasting against the blue cloud filled sky really made for some interesting photos.
We stood here for a while taking pictures as you can see.
The view of the old town from up there was pretty cool as well.
I really couldn't have asked for a better location or better conditions for the day to take great photos.