Bamberg- A World Heritage Site

Bamberg was recognized as a Unesco World Heritage site...''as the layout and architecture of medieval and renaissance Bamberg exerted a strong influence on urban form and evolution in the lands of central Europe from the 11th century onwards.  Secondly, Bamberg is an outstanding representative example of an early medieval town in central Europe, both in its plan and its many surviving ecclesiastical and secular buildings."  It escaped the ravaging effects of allied bombing due to an artillery factory on the outskirts of the city.
The town was laid out as a cross according to medieval planning, with the churches of St. Michael, St. Stephen, St. Gangolf, and St. Jacob at the four cardinal points.  It was intended to be a second Rome and Henry II ruled here from 1002 to 1024.  He was buried along with the only Pope buried outside of Rome.  He was the last Roman Emperor of the Ottonian Dynasty, ruled Italy and Germany and is the only German king to be canonized.  He lead numerous campaigns on their behalf as a strong advocate of the Catholic church and its efforts to christianize much of Europe.

The city prospered in the following centuries and subsequent efforts to retain its heritage in architecture, planning and aesthetic appeal allowed us to take in an impressive display of art in a variety of forms.  We explored street after street, taking in the grand old churches, some over a thousand years old, palatial residences, beautiful gardens and splendid examples of medieval planning and architecture.  I was anxious to make the most of the day and Arendje had to  constrain me several times or I would have left  my travelling companions far behind.
I counted 14 museums in total, devoted to everything from market gardeners and wine growers  to a missionary museum.  There was a royal Strasbourg porcelain collection to a fire brigade museum.  We did not have time to venture into any.  There was too much to see outside.  We got a little wet, but not enough to dampen our spirits.  The Taylor's are beginning to think there is no such thing as sunshine in Germany on a Saturday.
The city of Bamberg is built on seven hills as was Rome and so we got our exercise hiking up and down to take in the landmark sites. This trip acquired its standing amongst the best sites for their number and grandeur.  Each church captured our attention, as each maintained its integrity by incorporating diverse forms of art, architecture and layout.

The Imperial Cathedral to the right housed impressive rock sculptures and the tomb of Pope Clemens II in the 13th century and the marble tomb of the imperial couple.  The cathedral shares
elements of both Romanesque and Gothic given the long period of its construction. It was founded 1004 and consecrated in 1012.  It burned down twice over the next two centuries.  It also has an exquisite sculpture of an equestrian horseman.  The square on which the cathedral stands is spectacular.   It is reminiscent of Place de la Concorde in Paris.

This too ranks as a memorable trip.  I do not know if one can find a place packed so closely with so many fascinating things to see.

This would be worth another trip if only to delve more deeply into the history and the characters who shaped this city. There are over 30 antique and art shops.  It has what they refer to as a little Venice, with a number of river or water channels bisecting the city center.   Bridges crisscross these channels providing opportune places to enjoy the scenery.  This is a beer town with nine breweries still operating today.  They take their beer seriously here.  Every street seemed to have its beer garden and they have what they affectionately call their 'Brewery Trail'.

Limburg - cheese and Wetzlar - optics

Limburg  is a name synonamous with stinky cheese.  My first encounter with limburger cheese was in France 40 years ago. The bacterium used to ferment limburger cheese is found on human skin and is partially responsible for body odor.  So pronounced is this odor that mosquitoes are as attracted to smelly feet as they are to limburger cheese.  They use this cheese to attract malaria mosquitoes in parts of Africa.  Reacquainting myself with this pungent odor was not the motivation to make this trip yet I thought there was a good chance of an odoriferous encounter.  The outdoor market in Limburg had ample supply.
                                                                                                                                                                                          
Limburg has other noteworthy attractions and is particularly noted for the number of timber frame houses. This made for a pleasant and appealing promenade through the altstadt (old town).  Within thirty minutes of Frankfurt, it is ideal for a day trip.  It also boasts the oldest free standing house in Germany, built in 1289.  Most of the others are 17th and 18th century.  The cathedral is a beautiful example of Romanesque architiecture built between 1200 and 1235.  This building has been well cared for and looks equally impressive inside and out.  The stain glass has been replaced and the entire work was done by one of Germany's most gifted craftsman.

Weztlar, which is about a half hour from Limburg is a city of similar size and with a parallel history.  It also offers elements that are unique, even fascinating, for someone whose interests extend to the history of optical technology.   This is the home of Leica camera and world class innovators and inventors in optics.  Ernst Leitz's name is attached to some the earliest, and still  regarded as the finest, microscopes in the world.   His life, the evolution of the company he founded, the legacy to Jews whose lives he saved during World War II, his contributiions to the field of optics and his followers, whose claim in the history books goes to the first functional 35 mm camera, give reason to do a little research.  We were enticed into a rather unique museum dedicated to this city's premier industry.  It was called  Viseum (Innovation in Optics).  There are 14 regional companies dedicated to high tech and the museum attempts to amalgamate their singular contributions through an interactive, learning experience, mostly related to optics.  Of course, it was all in German, yet it still was interesting and informative.  Every Leica camera ever made was on display as well as the first simple microscopes through advanced electron microscopes.  It explained how finely crafted lenses are formed and allowed us to view a host of items at various magnifications.  All in all, well worth the entry fee, as it expanded the scope of our appreciation of this great country.

This cathedral along with the schloss was built from 1200 to 1225.
It overlooked the town below..  The city wall  was torn down in the 1880s leaving only telltale signs of its former existence.

Worms and the birth of Protestantism

On the trail of Martin Luther - we have followed this man from Eisenach and Wartburg in the former East Germany to the resting place of some of his work in the Gutenberg Museum and now here in Worms, where a Diet was held that for all intents, began the official Reformation.   Almost a century before Luther, Jan Huss, another reformer of a more pious lean, had suffered death by fire as a heretic.  He  prophesied: "You roast a lean goose [Huss] today, but from my ashes a swan will ascend, in a hundred years, that you cannot roast." Luther apparently regarded himself as the swan who had come to reform the church.

The Diet was called by the ruling authorities with the idea of furthering their political agenda.  The Catholic Church wanted to put a halt to Luther's dissenting views. Unfortunately for the church, the journey to the Imperial Diet did not embody the repentance the church had hoped for, nor the hoped for political ends the aristocracy was seeking.  The journey to Worms was more like a victory march; Luther was welcomed enthusiastically in all of the towns he went through.  He preached in Erfurt, Gotha and Eisenach.  (Erfurt is for another trip) He arrived in Worms on April 16, 1521 and was also cheered and welcomed by the people there.  His passionate and outspoken manner garnered both anger and appeal.

Luther's appearance at the Imperial Diet was described as objective, clever and well thought out. He had to appear before the Emperor twice; each time he was clearly told to take back his teachings. Luther didn't see any proof against his theses or views which would move him to recant:  "Unless I am convinced by Scripture and plain reason - I do not accept the authority of the popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other - my conscience is captive to the Word of God.  I cannot and I will not recant anything for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe.  God help me.  Amen.  "The infamous saying, "Here I stand.  I cannot do otherwise." does not come from Luther.

After he left the negotiation room, he said, "I am finished."  He was for finished for a time.  Luther was dismissed, and not arrested because he had a letter of safe conduct (Schutzbrief) which guaranteed him 21 days of safe travel through the land.  He headed home on April 25.  When Luther and the princes who supported him left Worms, the emperor imposed an Imperial Act (Wormser Edikt).  Luther is declared an outlaw (he may be killed by anyone without threat of punishment).  On the trip home, Elector Friedrich the Wise allowed Luther to be kidnapped on May 4; Luther knew about it beforehand.  This took place on the one hand to guarantee Luther's safety and on the other hand, to let him disappear from the scene for a short while.  There were even rumors of Luther's death.  This action also helped the Elector not to endanger himself because he could have been held liable for protecting an outlaw and heretic.  Luther was taken to the secluded Wartburg and the Reformation had time to stabilize and strengthen itself.  We visited this site as referenced in an earlier blog and acquired a sense of the austere and isolated conditions Luther was forced to endure.  Having spent many years as a monk probably prepared him for this cloistered existence.

In Worms we followed the trail of his stay with a guided tour in English.  The town had doubled in size from about 5000 at the time in anticipation of the Diet.  Available lodging was at a premium; a bed was  made available for Luther and now only a plaque on the wall of a modern building tells the story of his stay in this location.

Worms is a city of considerable antiquity going back to Celtic times, then Roman and under continous habitation of thousands of years.  The city was completely destroyed more than once, the last time during the Allied bombing of 1945.  Attempts to target chemical plants on the outskirts of town were missed and much of the city core was destroyed.  Nevertheless, there were some important centuries old buildings left largely intact.  This beautiful Romanesque cathedral was spared.  It dates from the 12th century and contains beautiful stain glass and guilded altars.

This city is steeped in history but not a lot remains to bear witness of it.  Museums serve to recount the tales of bygone eras. Worms attempts to capture the past through art, literature and playing upon the imagination of its visitors.  Some vestiges still remain. For example, the oldest Jewish cemetery in Europe is located here.  In addition, the churches represent a cross section of architectural styles from Romanesque to modern. The first impression leaves little to indicate it's rich prior history.  I had to dig a little deeper to find the gems, but they are here!