Würzburg and why Germany is the most civilized place on earth
I don’t think we’ve seen as many astounding highlights in one small city as we’ve seen in Würzburg. Over the course of one afternoon we saw Würzburg’s version of the Charles Bridge (the Alte Mainbruecke), a huge castle with great views (the Marienberg Fortress) as well as a whole bunch of churches (the city is actually known as the “city of 100 churches”). We actually ran out of time for Würzburg’s most famous landmark, the UNESCO Heritage site Würzburg Residenz (considered one of the finest palaces in Europe).
The reason for Würzburg’s wealth of landmarks is that it was the capital of the Kingdom of Franconia, one of the 5 great duchies of medieval Germany from the 10th century to the 19th century (when Napoleon merged Franconia with Bavaria). As home to royalty for all these centuries the city benefited and flourished.
Accommodations: Hotel Regina (cosy, clean, centrally located, good value), Babelfish Hostel (a nice hostel, close to center, has private rooms. Budget, very good value). Hotel Würzburger Hof (4 star hotel, tons of charm, great location. Good value if looking for something really nice).
Lots of photos in this post.
Below: The Marienkapelle Church (Church of our Lady) is probably the most photographed church in the city (it is also probably where you’ll start your downtown walk as it is located right next to the tourist office). It is a late gothic period church built between 1377 and 1480. The Marienkapelle is the final resting place for many Franconian knights and citizens. We love the light and the beautiful stained glass windows.
.
.
.
The Marienberg Fortress was our highlight in Würzburg. Although officially closed when we were there (in late February) you can walk within the grounds for absolutely fantastic views of the whole city.
It was around this point that someone had to go to the bathroom real bad. I don’t want to point fingers but it wasn’t me. This led to a hectic “where’s the closest bathroom?!” conversation. The castle was officially closed (opening March 16) and there was absolutely nothing going on except for some construction work in the fortress’ courtyard. It was at least a 10 minute walk down to the city below. That’s when we saw the discrete WC sign next to the exit gate. The door was open. Inside lay sparkling clean bathrooms. Only in Germany could such bathrooms exist and be open when officially closed.
Happy and feeling better, Lissette made a startling proclamation. “Germany has to be the most civilized place on earth” said she with a warm glow in her voice. I think she’s right. But not just when it comes to bathrooms. Walk anywhere in Germany and you know they’ll be a beergarden waiting for you at the end of your walk. Even if it’s up a steep hill to some remote fortress you’ll find beer waiting there for you. Along with a clean bathroom. That’s civilized.
.
.
.
By the time we got to the UNESCO Heritage site Würzburg Residenz we were tired. It was getting colder and we had done a lot of walking. It was time to go home to Bamberg. We decided that we had to come back to Würzburg, it was worth a second visit (probably best done in the summer when the gardens are in full bloom).
We skipped the Würzburg Residenz but if you’re curious our friends at TravelYesPlease covered it here.
.
On the way back to the train station we stopped and wandered in to Stift Haug, another incredibly church. Honestly, it’s amazing that they could have so many churches in such a small area. The old town is not even 1 km across, yet we had seen all these monumental churches in different architectural styles. Stift Haug was built in the late 1600’s in Baroque style – it is a little mentioned Würzburg church but is just a colossal building.
.
Würzburg is stunning and we didn’t give it the time it deserved on this visit. We will be back. I’ve mentioned a few times on this blog how much we love Germany – every time we come back we find new places to love in this country. It really is one of our favorite destinations.
Tours: If you want to take a guided walking tour I recommend this one.
Accommodation: I really think you should have at least one night in Würzburg. A couple of recommendations:
1) Hotel Regina (cosy, clean, centrally located, good value)
2) Babelfish Hostel (a nice hostel, close to center, has private rooms. Budget, very good value)
3) Hotel Würzburger Hof (4 star hotel, tons of charm, great location. Good value if looking for something really nice).
Related: Bamberg, Würzburg or Nuremberg?
Related: Guide on Bacharach (our favorite German town) and Highlights of the Rhine
More: 5 great places to visit in Germany (that few people know about)
Ps. If you find our blog helpful, please consider using our links to book your flights, hotels, tours, and car rentals. Have a look at our Travel Resources page.
Wow! I see what you mean. Never knew this about Wurzburg. They used to have a seriously nice beer from there. Think it was named Hof Brau (this is going back many years), is it still around? It was like Grolsch, but better.
Hi Ted, Hofbrau just refers to “brewery” – but there are so many in the region. The best in my opinion was in nearby Bamberg which we used a base and you could buy bottles of Bamberg beer in bottles (no cans) and they’re really cheap. Fantastic, best beer I’ve ever had, I personally prefer the amber/dark beers. But makes you farty 🙂
Franken wine is also great and Wurzburg is really known for that as well.
Anyway, great region and lots of nice stuff to drink.
Next time you go, we’ll meet you there. We’ll do the fortress while you do the Residenz and then meet up for a beer. On our one visit there we didn’t make it to the fortress, unfortunately. We did a day trip from home and like you, just ran out of time. The bathroom story made me chuckle and thankfully yes, Germany is very civilized when it comes to bathrooms.
Sounds good Patricia!
We loved our 2 nights in historic Wurzburg, evenings hanging out with everyone else on the bridge with a glass of white Sylvaner wine (what a great custom, right?), and visiting as many of the sites we could in our short time there. If you make it back and see the Residenz, go on the guided tour – that’s the only way you can see the BEST rooms in the huge palace. Great place to visit, I enjoyed revisiting through your pics!
Thanks so much for the great tip Rebecca. Evening on the bridge sounds nice, we’ll have to go back and spend at least a night.