Jaap van 't Veen's photos with the keyword: Bamberg

There is quite a story - don’t know if it is true - around the construction of the old town hall (,i>Altes Rathaus): the bishop of Bamberg refused to allocate land to the city’s residents for the construction of a town hall. This prompted the townsfolk to ram stakes into the river Regnitz to create an artificial island, on which they built the town hall they wanted. The town hall was built in 1386, originally influenced by Gothic, it became Baroque and Rococo elements in the middle of the 18th century. The murals on the exterior walls were painted by Johann Anwander. The frescoes never fail to impress as they lend the facades a three-dimensional quality achieved with trompe d'oeil architecture. The combination with traditional timber framing makes the building unique. For a good reason the old town hall is Bamberg’s landmark and (most probably) its most photographed building. Today the building houses a museum with the so called Ludwig Collection.

Bamberg - first mentioned officially in the year 902 - is built on seven hills and calls itself ‘Franconian Rome’. The city has a well preserved historical centre; for its historical architecture and preserved heritage, the whole old town of Bamberg is since 1993 listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Without any doubt Bamberg is a gem among German towns with its medieval appearance. One of the most picturesque parts is so called ‘Little Venice’ ( Klein Venedig ). It became its name from King Maximilian I (1848 -1864). Fisher- and boatmen lived closer to the Bamberg Dom before they moved to the banks of the river Regnitz in the 14th century. That time the area was an island, named Abtswörth. Originally the houses were built in the water on stilts. In the past the galleries were used for patching and drying nets and the boats could drive directly into the open basements. In the 19th century a shore area has been created, which today is transformed into small picturesque gardens. Nowadays the former fishermen’s district consists of a row of quaint houses along the river Regnitz, standing side-by-side with their balconies and small front gardens. If you are lucky you might see a ‘real’ gondolier rowing tourists.