Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [282]
TRAVEL AGENCY
STA Travel ( 521 76; Zwinger 6)
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Sights
RESIDENZ
A symbol of wealth and prestige for the Würzburg bishops, the Unesco-listed Residenz ( 355 170; www.residenz-wuerzburg.de; Balthasar-Neumann-Promenade; adult/concession €5/4; 9am-6pm Apr-Oct, 10am-4.30pm Nov-Mar, English-language tours 11am & 3pm) is one of southern Germany’s most important and eye-catching palaces.
Almost immediately upon entering you’ll see the brilliant grand staircase come into view on the left. Miraculously, the vaulted ceiling survived the war intact and Tiepolo’s magnificent fresco The Four Continents (1750–53) – said to be the world’s largest above a staircase – dazzles in all its glory. Look closely to see Balthasar Neumann, architect of the Residenz, perched smugly on a cannon.
For opulence, the bishops’ imperial apartments rivalled those of kings. The Kaisersaal (Imperial Hall) is a combination of marble, gold stucco and more incredible frescoes. The Spiegelsaal (Hall of Mirrors) is the most memorable, with gilded stucco dripping from the ceiling and walls lined with glasslike panels. In the building’s southern wing is the magnificent Hofkirche (Court Church; admission free), an early example of Neumann’s penchant for spatial illusions. The side wings of the altar are decorated with paintings by Tiepolo.
Next to the church, the Martin-von-Wagner Museum ( 312 288; admission free; closed Mon) exhibits a minor collection of Greek vases and graphic art. The museum backs onto the spectacular French- and English-style gardens of the Hofgarten ( dawn-dusk).
FESTUNG MARIENBERG
Perched high on the Main’s left bank, the Festung Marienberg (Marienberg Fortress) has presided over Würzburg since the city’s prince-bishops commissioned a ‘new’ castle in 1201. It was only ever taken once, by Swedish troops in the Thirty Years War. The lovely walk up from the river via the vine-covered hill takes 20 minutes, or bus 9 will get you there from Juliuspromenade.
The fortress is home to two museums. The Fürstenbaumuseum ( 355 1750; adult/concession €4/3; 9am-6pm Tue-Sun mid-Mar–Oct) serves as the city’s history museum, while the Mainfränkisches Museum ( 205 940; adult/concession €4/3, combined ticket for both museums €5/4; 10am-7pm Tue-Sun Apr-Oct, 10am-4pm Tue-Sun Nov-Mar) in the baroque Zeughaus (armoury) contains a famous collection of works by local 15th-century master sculptor Tilman Riemenschneider. An exhibit on winemaking can be found in the Kelterhalle, where grapes once fermented.
CHURCHES
In the Altstadt, the satisfyingly symmetrical Neumünster ( 7am-6pm) stands on the site where the ill-fated missionaries met their maker. The baroque interior has busts of the three martyrs (the three Irish missionaries – Kilian, Colonan and Totnan) on the high altar and the tomb of St Kilian in the crypt. The north exit leads to the lovely Lusamgärtlein with the grave of Walther von der Vogelweide, one of Germany’s most famous minstrels. Even today wreaths of flowers are regularly laid on his tomb.
On the same square is Dom St Kilian (St Kilian Cathedral), rebuilt in a hotchpotch of modern, baroque and Romanesque styles after significant damage during WWII. Of note are the prince-bishops’ tombstones on the pillars; the two in red marble in the left aisle are by Riemenschneider.
MUSEUM AM DOM & DOMSCHATZ
Housed in a beautiful building by the cathedral, the Museum am Dom ( 386 261; Domerschulstrasse 2; adult/concession €3.50/2.50, combined ticket with Domschatz €4.50; 10am-6pm Apr-Oct, 10am-5pm Nov-Mar, closed Mon) displays collections of modern art on Christian themes. Works of international renown by Joseph Beuys, Otto Dix and Käthe Kollwitz are on display, as well as masterpieces of the Romantic, Gothic and baroque periods.
At the Würzburger Domschatz (Cathedral Treasury; 3856 5600; Plattnerstrasse; adult/student €2/1.50; 2-5pm Tue-Sun) you can wander