  Old Town of Bamberg, Germany
Bamberg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, that is a World Heritage Site. The city is located in Upper Franconia, along the River Regnitz, near its confluence with the River Mann.
Bamberg traces its history as a settlement of Slav people. It was first mentioned in AD 902. The town derived its name from the Babenberch Castle, which in turn got its name from the Babenberg family. The monks of the Benedictine Fulda Abbey converted the people and placed the land under the Diocese of Würzburg.
Bamberg Cathedral
Author: Johannes Otto Först (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)
In AD 1008, Henry II King of the Romans negotiated with the Bishops of W&uumml;rzburg and Eichstätt for portions of their land to create the new Diocese of Bamberg. Following that, a new cathedral was built in 1012. Later King Henry II also established the Michaelsberg Abbey for the training of Benedictine monks.
Bamberg was the site of witch trials which claimed the lives of hundreds of people suspected of having dabbled in witchcraft. There was even a witch prison built in 1627, at the height of the witch hunt.
In the 18th century, the land belonging to the Diocesed of Bamberg began to fragmentize. A parcel was sold to Austria in 1759. Half a century later, in 1802, the rest of the church lands were secularized. Bamberg was effectively absorbed into Bavaria in 1803.
Through its history, the architecture of Bamberg has strongly influenced that of northern Germany and Hungary. It was the centre of Enlightenment in the late 18th century, a place where famous philosophers such as Hegel and Hoffman called home.
Bamberg was inscribed as a World Heritage Site during the 17th session of the World Heritage Committee which was held in Cartagena, Colombia, on 6-11 December, 1993. To learn more about Bamberg, read the Bamberg Travel Guide.
Jakobskirche, Bamberg
Author: Reinhard Kirchner (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)
World Heritage Site Inscription Details
Location: N 49 53 30 E 10 53 20
Inscription Year: 1993
Type of Site: Cultural
Inscription Criteria: II, IV
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