Family Reunion in Würzburg

 

Here we are at our last weekend in Germany. During the weeks before our trip, we had planned a family reunion with the Geek's parents and siblings and their families. It was quite an endeavor since this was a long weekend and the start of school holidays in some of the German states (especially Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg). But we had finally succeeded in booking rooms as well as train tickets, and on Friday afternoon we met in Würzburg, two train hours to the North from München, but still in Bavaria in a region called Franken. This part of Bavaria is well known for its excellent wine that is bottled in uniquely shaped bottles called Bocksbeutel. The wine, by the way, is excellent.

We had booked rooms in a youth hostel that used to be a women's prison. It was right on the river Main and about 20 minutes to walk to the city center. The bells of the church right next to the hostel woke us every morning with its very loud ringing - no need to set an alarm.

Würzburg is a very old city (first mentioned in 704) that was heavily bombed in World War II and consequently reconstructed afterwards. One of the most famous churches in Würzburg is St.-Kilians-Dom (cathedral) right in the center of the city.

The Residenz (residence), with its very famous interior staircase is in walking distance to the city center. The principal architect was Balthasar Neuman, who developed a refined brand of Baroque architecture. The Residenz was built in the 18th century and since 1981 it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In addition, it has a beautiful formal garden and - you guessed it - a beer garden (after all, we're still in Bavaria).

In order to get to the city center we had to cross the beautiful Alte Mainbrücke (Old Main Bridge) which is a landmark of Würzburg. It is for pedestrians and bicycles only, no cars or motorcycles are allowed.

This is the oldest bridge in Würzburg and for a long time, it was the only way to cross the Main. Started in 1476, it continued a tradition in the 18th century by adding stone figures along the length of the bridge, like Charles Bridge in Prague and St. Angelo Bridge in Rome. The statues represent several saints.

They make a great silhouette against a dramatic sky.

From the Alte Mainbrücke you have a good view of the Festung Marienberg (Marienberg Fortress) high above the city. It is the other important landmark of Würzburg. 

I couldn't find exact dates when the fortress was started, but it seems that originally a church and monanstery was already at this location in the 8th century. Today, the oldest remaining parts are from the early 11th century. During the centuries, the fortress was reconstructed several times and most of the current structures were originally built in the Renaissance and Baroque styles. It was severely damaged in World War II and rebuilding it fully lasted until 1990.

On Saturday morning we decided to hike up to it. It was a steep climb with many stairs and steps.

Still more stairs... I was walking with my mother-in-law and she just repeated over and over "I hate stairs, I hate stairs". However, we had to laugh about that.

After all this climbing we were rewarded with a fantastic view over Würzburg.

The fortress is huge and I found lots to photograph.

I was specifically taken with all the beautiful old doors and gates.

Since all of us still were very cautious, we avoided eating inside and instead visited beer gardens of which Würzburg has many (remember - it's Bavaria). The local beer was delicious - of course I had my beloved Weißbier. This is my ticket for T Tuesday, so kindly hosted by Elizabeth and Bleubeard.

After one of those beer garden visits we decided to take a family picture, taken by the Geek's older brother's girlfriend. Here we are - parents, siblings, in-laws, cousins, pet.