A short architectural journey through time: Bamberg in the Middle Ages

In 1046 and 1047, the former Bamberg Bishop Suidger wore the fisherman's ring on his finger - and under the pontifical name of Clement II, he is the only pope to have his burial place north of the Alps. In Bamberg, you can experience the Middle Ages up close. Reason enough to devote our undivided attention to the UNESCO World Heritage city, and let ourselves be taken on a journey back in time to the Middle Ages.

Bamberg is first mentioned under the name Castrum Babenberch. This was located on what is now the Domberg. The noble family of the Babenbergs, who inhabited the eponymous fortified settlement (castrum) that gave it its name, fought a bloody feud with the noble family of the Konradin - and were defeated. As a result, the Babenberch castrum fell to the Konradines and was finally given as an imperial donation to the Bavarian Duke Heinrich der Zänker (951 - 995), the father of the later Emperor and founder of the bishopric Heinrich II. (973-1024).

The Bamberg Cathedral

In 1007, Heinrich II and his wife Kunigunde founded the bishopric of Bamberg at an imperial synod in Frankfurt am Main. In the same year, construction began on the imperial cathedral on the Domberg, which was inaugurated in 1012 on the birthday of Henry II. In addition to the Virgen Mary, Saint Peter and the legendary dragon slayer George were chosen as the main patrons. In the course of history, the cathedral burned down twice - so the building on view today is already the third cathedral. The inauguration of this third sacred building took place in 1237 under Bishop Ekbert von Andechs-Meranien (1173 - 1237). The shape of the so-called Ekbert Cathedral strongly resembles that of the former Heinrich Cathedral, which undoubtedly served as a model for the reconstruction.

The founder of the bishopric and his wife were deeply connected to Bamberg throughout their lives. No wonder, then, that they also found their final resting place in Bamberg Cathedral. To this day, the bones of the imperial couple are housed in a magnificent high tomb created around 1500 by the renowned sculptor Tilman Riemenschneider (1460 - 1531). Legends from her their life are depicted on the north and south sides of the imperial tomb. So poor Kunigunde - what a grim idea - had to walk barefoot over red-hot ploughshares as part of a divine judgement to prove her innocence. Likewise, Emperor Heinrich's suffering from a kidney stone is expressed on the relief of his tomb. Incidentally, the skulls of the imperial couple are not in the imperial tomb. These are venerated as special relics in their own chapel within the cathedral.

If we look diagonally upwards from the emperor's tomb, we catch sight of a sculpture for which Bamberg is particularly famous: the Bamberg Rider. On the south-eastern choir pillar is this life-size equestrian statue from the early 13th century. The identity of the rider remains unclear to this day, leaving our imagination free to run wild. Is it possible that King Stephan I of Hungary (975 – 1038) is depicted? According to legend, he galloped on horseback into Bamberg Cathedral to receive the holy sacraments of baptism. Or is the sculpture to be interpreted as King Philipp of Swabia (1177 - 1208)  who was murdered in Bamberg in 1208? Or is even Christ himself looking towards us? In any case, the Bamberg Rider is and remains a mystery - and is rightly considered the most famous sculpture in Bamberg Cathedral.

In addition to the Pope's tomb, another tomb in Bamberg Cathedral deserves our attention: the tomb of Pope Clemens II. The former Bamberg Bishop Suidger had a wish in his heart: he wanted to be buried in Bamberg. He was granted this wish. The four cardinal virtues of prudence, temperance, fortitude, and justice are depicted on the frieze of the Pope's tomb. The papal regalia itself is in perfect condition and is now kept in the Diocesan Museum. Such proximity to the medieval papacy is hard to find in any other German city.

The Old Court

Further traces of the Middle Ages can be found on the Cathedral Hill. The Old Court is located close to the cathedral and was built over the imperial palace of Heinrich II. Among other things, it served as the residence of the Bamberg bishops. This bishop's palace originally consisted of the so-called Palas (a representative hall) and the Thomas Chapel, a double chapel with a choir tower. The single-storey palace was built in the second half of the 12th century, but was then replaced by the present Renaissance building in the 16th century. However, remains of the medieval palace can still be seen today. The half-timbered houses in the courtyard of the Old Court date from the late 15th century. Looking at this complex of buildings, hardly anyone thinks that this place was once stained with blood: An earth-shattering event happened here in 1208: the German-Roman King Philipp of Swabia was murdered by the Bavarian Count Palatine Otto VIII of Wittelsbach (1180 - 1209).

In front of the Old Court there is a magnificent portal: the "Schöne Pforte" ("beautiful gate"). The relief of this portal was created by the sculptor Pankras Wagner. The Virgin Mary is depicted together with the Holy Emperor and Empress, flanked by Saints Peter and George, the main patrons of the cathedral, as well as Saints Otto and Kilian. A lying figure can be seen to the right and left of this: the personification of the two rivers Main and Regnitz, the lifelines of the city of Bamberg. Today, the Old Court houses the Historical Museum of the City of Bamberg.

The Old Town Hall

The Bamberg Rider is not the only curiosity. If you walk down the cathedral hill towards Bamberg's old town, past the famous Schlenkerla brewpub from the early 15th Century and the Dominican monastery, whose foundation stone was laid in the early 14th Century, you soon come to a very special building: the Old Town Hall. This is in the middle of the river. According to legend, the Bishop of Bamberg did not want to give any land to the citizens for the construction of their town hall - and that is precisely why, according to the legend, they rammed piles into the Regnitz, thus creating an artificial island that did not belong to the bishop, and built the town hall there. The Old Town Hall was first mentioned in a document in 1387. Today's new building dates from the second half of the 15th century, the magnificent façade painting was created in the 18th century.

The Altenburg (The Old Castle)

Far away from the tourist centre is the Old Castle in Bamberg. Probably wrongly, a commemorative plaque in the entrance area identifies the Old Castle as the former seat of the Babenberg dynasty. In fact, the Old Castle was first documented with certainty in 1109, when it was donated to the collegiate monastery of St. Jakob. In the High Middle Ages, this hilltop castle was mainly used as a refuge and fortress. From the 14th century onwards, it served as the second residence of the so-called Bamberg prince-bishops, who combined spiritual power and secular rule in a personal union. In the middle of the 16th century, a catastrophe occurred: Although the Old Castle had survived the Peasants' War unscathed, it soon fell victim to the madness of Margrave Alfred Alcibiades: he had the castle set on fire, destroying it almost completely. Although the reconstruction of the Old Castle is an 18th-century creation, at least the keep and part of the circular wall are undoubtedly part of the castle's medieval building stock - and bring the Middle Ages back to life. No wonder, then, that the famous writer, composer and conductor E. T. A. Hoffmann (1776 - 1822) made Altenburg (Old Castle) his home.

A few more highlights of the Middle Ages can be traced in Bamberg. Just think of the many half-timbered houses in Bamberg's old town or the monastery of St. Michael, which in the 15th Century was stormed by the angry crowd. Even in today's gardener's town, the old parish church of St. Gangolf allows a glimpse into the Middle Ages. In any case, Bamberg invites you to marvel at the traces of the Middle Ages.

Sources

Altenburg (Old Castle)

https://www.altenburgverein.de/altenburg/geschichte (in German)

Die Altenburg: E.T.A. Hoffmanns Domizil über Bamberg (burgerbe.de) (in German)

https://www.burgen.strasse-online.de/6-bamberg-bayreuth/ (in German)

 

Bamberg Cathedral

https://erzbistum.erzbistum-bamberg.de/bistum-allgemein/index.html (in German)

https://bamberger-dom.de/geschichte/index.html (in German)

https://www.domberg-bamberg.de/highlights (in German)

 

Old Court

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alte_Hofhaltung_(Bamberg) (in German)

 

History of the City

https://www.bamberg.info (in German)

https://www.goruma.de/staedte/bamberg/stadtgeschichte (in German)