Day 6 – A closer look at Wurzburg

11 Friday Oct 2013

Posted by KidazzleInk.com in Amsterdam to Budapest, Germany, River Cruising, Uncategorized, Wurzburg

Tags

Architecture, Germany, History, Main River, River Cruise, Sightseeing, Wurzburg

Wurzburg, some time to explore on our own.

After our morning’s visit to the magnificent Wurzburg Residence and a rather informative info-walk delivered by our knowledgeable tour guides, we chose to fill the rest of the day exploring on our own.

The Kapelle Pilgrim Church across the Main River.

Wurzburg (population approximately 140,000) is built on the banks of the the Main River. Its architectural style is quite different to that of the half-timbered or Fachwerk style of little Mitenberg township which we’d visited on the previous day.

Fortress Marienburg from across the Main River in Wurzburg

With a rather eccletic mix of Romanesque, Gothic, Boroque and Rococo styles along with some other rather modern architecture interspersed, we found it a small but most interesting modern day city.

The Market Square, Wurzburg.

According to Wikipedia, Wurzburg has experienced many changes. In earliest times (from about the 4^th to the 7^th century A.D.) it was called home by some of the Celtic race. Later there were the Franks. It was also visited by early Christian Irish Missionaries. But by about the 8^th century, it had come under the rule of the Catholic Prince-Bishopry. Today, of course it is part of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Dom St Kilian in Wurzburg.

Skeleton detail over doorway to Dom St Kilian in Wurzburg

A closer look at the detail surrounding the doorway.

Along with several other German cities, Wurzburg has seen many religious, cultural and political upheavals. It is a veteran of the civil unrest associated with Napolean’s French Revolution and the Wars with the Hapsburgs. It has been witness to the cruel events related to the medieval Witch Trials. It has seen the atrocities that impacted its Jewish population during the German holocaust. Added to this, it was very extensively bombed by the British during World War 2.

Yet Wurzburg survives…..one could even say it flourishes.

Flower Shop in the Wurzburg Market Square.

Red and White roses in the Flower Shop in Wurzburg.

Today it is home to some 30,000 or so University students and it is famous for its Franconian Wine production. There are many beautiful vineyards throughout the region. We sailed past many of the grape growing areas as we travelled along the Main River. Even the Wurzburg wine bottles are famous. They are called a Bocksbeutel and have their own very distinctive shape…… a rather short neck leading down to a flattened yet bulbous looking bottom.

Bocksbeutel

Dearly Beloved (D.B.) and I found it interesting just strolling the banks of the Main River. We enjoyed taking in the lovely views across to the Marienberg Fortress (built 13^th century) and the Kapelle Pilgrim Church (built 18^th century).

D.B. letting the jeweller know that one of the clocks on the building was wrong.

D.B. letting the jeweller know that one of the clocks on the building was showing the wrong time for Sydney Australia. It was still showing Daylight Saving time in May.

In the afternoon we made our way back into the cobbled stone centre of Wurzburg City and then spent a further couple of relaxing hours just exploring the more accessible sights of this lovely Franconian district.

Yes it was definitely a modern a modern city but it was also steeped in a long ……and at times traumatic history.

D.B. outside Marienkapelle (Chapel of St Mary), Wurzburg

Ornate timber doorway of Marienkapelle, Wurzburg

Neumunster, a Romanesque Style of Cathedral in Wurzburg.

Neumunster, a Romanesque Style Cathedral in Wurzburg.

Loved this display in a shop window, Wurzburg.

Germany Travel: Würzburg (abbyhoeffner.com)
Würzburg- Wine Country (lindseygummersall30.wordpress.com)
13th September- Wurzburg (laurencewesley55.wordpress.com)
Day 6 – Wurzburg and its Magnificent Residenz (kidazzleink.com)
Docked at Wurzburg (rivercruise1.wordpress.com)
Day 5 – Miltenberg on the Main River in Lower Franconia, Barvaria (kidazzleink.com)

Day 3 – Cologne and its Grand Gothic Cathedral

27 Friday Sep 2013

Posted by KidazzleInk.com in Amsterdam to Budapest, Cologne, Uncategorized, Viking River Cruise

≈ 14 Comments

Tags

Cologne, Cologne Cathedral, Germany, Green Sightseeing Train, History, Prussians, Rhine, Robert Louis Stevenson, World War II

I never weary of great churches. They are my favourite kind of mountain scenery. Mankind was never so happily inspired as when it created a great cathedral. – so said Robert Louis Stevenson 1850 – 1894

On reflection, there must have been inspiration aplenty surrounding the building of the gorgeous Cologne Dom.

One of the enjoyable things about our recent Viking holiday was the informative sightseeing walks. We would usually explore a little of each day’s new territory on foot learning about the culture and history as we went.

There were always cities, villages, castles or other historical landmarks to acquaint ourselves with ……..and walking actually seemed to allow us more time to really get to know an area as we burnt off some of those extra kilojoules we’d been consuming (mind you this was probably deemed more important by those of us with the weakest willpower; unfortunately that would have to include me I’m afraid!)

Stained Glass-Cologne Cathedra

Well for today’s walk we’d soon be visiting the enormous Cologne Cathedral. We would then view and discuss the surrounding old-town areas of the Cologne city centre, with its cobble-stoned streets and its many centuries of German and early Roman history.

Interior of Cologne Cathedral

Cologne is currently Germany’s 4^th largest city. Built right on the banks of the Rhine, it is said to have been established by the Romans back in the 1^st Centrury A.D.

Tragically, it suffered major damage during World War II. This necessitated a painstaking and costly rebuild in the post war era. The Cologne Cathedral or DOM took many hits from bombers during the war years. However, it actually remained standing despite much of Cologne being flattened around it.

Small Side Altar Cologne Cathedra

Today, Cologne DOM is ranked up there as one of the tallest gothic cathedrals in the world. It is graced with much elaborate detail and quality craftsmanship. You really have to stop to contemplate how difficult it must have been to build a structure such as this…and especially way back then. Without access to any modern day technology it would have been an enormous challenge for the early artisans. Today it is protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

You can actually choose to go right on up to the top of the structure if you wish. You need considerable perseverance though, as I believe there are some 500 steps to be negotiated in all.

Earlier that morning, and prior to our scheduled daily walk, dearly beloved (D.B.) and I had actually contemplated this climb (rather enthusiastically I recall at the time). Unfortunately we’d then run out of puff……. After the informative morning walk, we’d decided to head right on back to the Longship for one of those delicious Viking lunches. Sadly, I have to report that by the mid afternoon we’d totally lost our earlier resolve. However…. I believe others did manage to climb to the very top. Those that did were justly rewarded for their efforts with the most splendid views out over the city and river.

My D.B. was quite taken with some of the DOM’s early building history. I noted he was showing greater than usual levels of interest….actually paying attention – especially in relation to the fact that the cathedral build was said to have been finally completed by a team of Prussians in around the mid 19^th century.

Well…… being of (possible) Prussian heritage himself, D. B. truly enjoyed this minor detail (even today he continues to put much more emphasis on it than one would expect). He still holds his head rather high as he states with considerable (possibly) Prussian pride “well you know it was actually my mob that finally got this whole job finished!”

Afterall, the cathedral had been “under construction” for a total of some 650 or so years in all. I guess that does seem like a mighty long time to be building anything. It is truly an amazing structure with unbelievable architectural detail. As is often said….. they just don’t build them like this anymore!

And we certainly don’t have any of them in Australia…AKA God’s own Country! (Now explain that!)

Later the same afternoon (with free time to explore Cologne on our own), we’d headed back into town. By now, we were feeling somewhat weary after having walked in the morning and eaten yet another delicious Viking lunch back onboard the ship (soup, salad, savoury dish and sweets).

Spring Pansies Cologne

For the rest of the afternoon we simply opted for a relatively relaxing way to see a little more of this lovely German city. We boarded one of those rather charming, but I must also say….. rather extremely bumpy, little sightseeing trains. This allowed us to explore a little further out from the main cobble-stoned old-town areas which we’d meandered through earlier in the day.

Then it was back to our longship for cocktails and another lovely dinner before sailing away.