Würzburg

Travel times from Erfurt:
Train – 2 hours
Car – 1 hour, 50 mins.

Lively Würzburg is the northern gateway to the Romantic Road, a trade route from the Middle Ages still traveled by visitors seeking the best of medieval Germany. Today it is a surprisingly cosmopolitan city filled with architectural and artistic treasures—and exquisite Franconian wine.

Würzburg is dominated by its most prominent landmark, the Fortress Marienberg. The origins of this fortress date back to around 1000 B.C., when a Celtic shelter existed on this site. In 704 A.D., the Marienkirche was built atop it, and in the 13th century was surrounded by the first fortification. In 1482, the main castle was encircled by a medieval ring wall, and it was rebuilt into a Renaissance palace around 1600. Since the foundation of the Würzburg bishopric in 742, the city had been the region’s religious center and the ever-expanding fortress was home to the medieval prince-bishops.

Würzburg experienced its most prosperous period during the rule of the art-loving prince-bishops of the Schönborn family, for whom Balthasar Neumann built the "palace of palaces" from 1719 to 1744. Known as the Würzburg Residenz (Residence), a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is arguably the most ornate Baroque palace in Germany. The center entryway is big enough for a stagecoach to turn around and leads to a massive grand staircase. Halfway up the stairs, eyes are drawn upward to “The Four Continents” (only Europe, America, Asia and Africa were known at the time), a fresco by the Venetian artist Tiepolo that is considered the world’s largest painting. The brilliant colors fill an unsupported vaulted ceiling, which critics of the time said would surely collapse. Not only did it outlast the critics, but it was the only part of the Residenz left standing after a 1945 bombing.

The prince-bishops hired some of Europe’s finest architects, sculptors and painters, and their legacy can be seen on nearly every block. Sights worth exploring include St. Kilian's Cathedral for its exquisite architecture and the adjacent Neumünster Church, built where missionaries were killed in 689 and the destination for thousands of pilgrims every July 7. Behind this church is the Lusam Garden, where the tombstone of Walther von der Vogelweide (the medieval poet and minstrel singer) can be found. Mention should also be made of the Marienkapelle on the market square as one of the most interesting late-Gothic Bavarian churches. 

Würzburg (and its visitors) benefits from its prime location on the River Main. The promenade makes for delightful strolls, and riverfront cafés overflow in good weather. Sightseeing boats offer excursions to neighboring villages, and passenger ships plying the Rhine, Main and Danube make the city a prime stop. And there are few better views from a hotel room than of a river, a castle rising above it and vineyards stretching beyond sight.

Situated at the heart of the Franconian wine region, the excellent white wines produced in the area are central to life in Würzburg. The people of this city have a great appreciation for that quality and variety of wine from their region, as evidenced by the fact that nearly 80% of the wine produced there is also consumed there. Visitors can gain their own appreciation at one of the many annual wine festivals, during wine cellar tours, at wine tastings, in wine bars and from extensive wine lists at almost every restaurant. Be sure to pick up a few of the region’s signature pear-shaped bottles before continuing on to Regensburg.