It is a prominent landmark on the left bank of the Main River in Würzburg. The mighty Fortress…read moreMarienberg is a symbol of Würzburg and served as a home of the local prince-bishops for nearly five centuries. It has been a fort since ancient times. Most of the current structures originally were built in Renaissance and Baroque styles between the 16th and 18th centuries. After Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden conquered the area in 1631 during the Thirty Years' War, the castle was reconstructed as a Baroque residence. After it ceased to serve as residence of the Prince-Bishops of Würzburg, the fortress saw repeated action in the wars of the late 18th and 19th centuries. Festung Marienberg was severely damaged by British bombs in March 1945 and only fully rebuilt in 1990. Today, it houses two museums. In the early 8th century, the Franks under Duke Hedan II constructed a chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary and a fortification (earth ramparts and half-timbered houses) on the hill. The chapel - probably built at the site of a former pagan holy site dedicated to some mother goddess - and later churches that replaced it, was the reason why eventually hill and fortress became known as Marienberg ("Mary's Mount"). This likely was the first Christian church built of stone north of the Alps outside of the territory formerly controlled by Rome (i.e. east of the Rhine and on the far side of the Limes). The Prince-Bishops of Würzburg moved their residence to Marienberg beginning around 1200 as medieval fortifications were constructed on the hill. Besides its historical and architectural interests, it makes a nice hike if you choose to walk from the old city-center. From the foot of fortress hill at the Alte Brücke, there are two ways to hike up...one is more direct way to the front gate (25 minutes) and the other through the vineyard (40 minutes). A must visit if you are in Würzburg.

Beautiful castle fortress! I recommend coming to see this! They have a decent amount of parking. We…read morewere there for about 2 hours and it cost 2euro to park. We did not even get to the museums because we had to go to our next stop, it's so huge and there are a lot of great views and photo spots.

A gorgeous building in the city centre. It is steeped in history and also holds a lot of history…read moreabout the war. Most of this town was destroyed due to heavy bombing and has been painstakingly restored since. There are very interesting displays and a model of the town after the bombing at the old town hall. There were many tours passing through this building while we were there. I would recommend you go here and read all about it when in town. It is also a lovely building to visit.

The "New Minster" of Würzburg is a riot of Baroque decoration, and is dedicated to the three Irish…read moremissionaries, Kilian, Colman and Totnan, martyred in 689 while bringing Christianity to the Thuringians under the rule of King Gozbert. Kilian travelled from his native Ireland leading a band of missionaries and arrived at Wurzburg by way of Rome, where their mission was blessed by the Pope. The band split at Würzburg, the three missionaries remaining while the others went further afield. All initially went well: Gozbert and many of his subjects were converted and baptised. But Kilian informed the King that his marriage to the his brother's widow Geilana was contrary to scripture. She was furious and had the three beheaded in the absence of her husband. The church was subsequently built at the scene of their martyrdom: in 1060 Adalbero of Würzburg founded the present church with an aisled nave and two choirs (east and west) in the Romanesque style. From 1180 to 1250 the church was further expanded. The first step towards its current form was the demolition of the west choir and the remodelling to form a new west front in the Baroque style between 1711 and 1716. More significant still was the thorough redesign of the interior by the Zimmerman brothers in 1725. The present Church therefore appears as a complete Baroque structure. It is painted in cool white, which highlights the baroque altar pieces and the ceiling frescoes. The fresco on the domed ceiling at the west front is a triumph of trompe d'oeil, which depicts different layers of cloud, drawing the eye upwards. In complete contrast, the casket containing the relics of St Kilian is found the the west crypt, which is dark, low-ceilinged, and a place of restful quiet - a perfect escape from tourist throngs above.

The Neumünster church was built in the 11th Century as a Romanesque Basilica. It is constructed on…read morethe site where 798 Irish Missionaries from Franconia were murdered. Previously the church has served as the main cathedral in Würzburg owing to it sustaining less damage during the bombing of Würzburg in WW2. Its a gorgeous building with detailed paintings on the inside. Like many churches around Bavaria the ceiling is beautifully painted as are many sections of the church. Inside are many works of art, such as the 15th century Man of Sorrow, and a Madonna. Its located slightly away from the main square and very quiet inside. Well worth a visit.

June 26th 2025 visited this place as part of the Viking Grand European river cruise. Short bus ride…read morefrom our boat docked in the river nearby. Wurzburg Prince bishops Palace built between 1720 and 1744. We were part of a tour group with guide describing the features of the mirror room, imperial Hall ,main staircase ,white room, ceiling frescoes in the residence building. Beautiful b baroque architecture with extravagant paintings and decor lining the walls. Had to put our small day packs with water bottles in special storages so not to hit and damage the architecture. Outside immaculately decorated gardens in full bloom with roses. Church and courtyard in this complex.So this is what Versailles must look like on a smaller scale on a smaller scale. Sort of a preview of visiting the schonbrunn Palace in Vienna. And we could take pictures of this Palace unlike the palace in Vienna

This is our 2d visit here after 4 yr absence. We toured different rooms several yrs ago but…read morefeatured rooms are included. What was new from our first visit was showing reconstruction done over the years. Be sure to find them. I took several photos to give you an idea what to look for.