Bavaria
Art, History & Archaeology Sites & Museums

From 1509, this is where one of Germany’s most celebrated artists, Albrecht Dürer, lived for 20 years. And where he made some of his most celebrated paintings. Now open to the public, with optional guided tours lead by an actress in the part of Dürer’s wife. The beautiful half timbered house is not only one of a few remaining houses from Nuremberg’s golden age,  it is also the only surviving house of a 15th century artist in northern Europe. Temporary exhibitions make use of the city’s important art collection, and often include examples of Dürer’s own paintings.

The UNESCO listed town of Bamberg has one of the most beautiful historic townhalls. Not only does it have a picturesque setting on the Regnitz River, the exterior walls are decorated with impressive frescoes painted in 1755 and repainted a number of times since. The Altes Rathaus is first mentioned in documents from 1387, but the building we see today was constructed in the 1460s. The interior is as impressive as the exterior, and the Rococo Hall should not be missed. The town hall is home to Ludwig Collection of porcelain – Europe’s largest private collection of porcelain.

To mark the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the publishing house Axel Springer gifted a segment of the wall to each of the 33 German States. Partly as a memorial to Axel Caesar Springer (1912 – 1985) and his dream of German reunification. But also as a symbol of freedom and a reminder of ever perpetual dangers. Nuremberg was chosen for the location of Bavaria’s fragment as many refugees from former East Germany settled here.

At the Cambodunum Archaeological Park in Kempten, visitors can explore the Roman town of Cambodunum, the administrative centre of the Rhaetia province during the 1st century AD. Many features of the town are visible in the park. The foundations of the forum and basilica are set out in the grass. A small thermal bath has been excavated and enclosed in a protective building. A number of features have also been reconstructed, including an impressive Gallo Roman temple. Parts of the site are freely accessible.

The memorial site for the Dachau concentration camp was established in 1965. Initially intended for Hitler’s political prisoners, the camp in the medieval village of Dachau was set up in the grounds of an abandoned munitions factory in March 1933. Dachau would become a model for all other concentration camps as well as a school for SS men. American troops freed the survivors on April 29 1945.  In the twelve years of its existence more than 200.000 people from all over Europe were imprisoned in Dachau and its 100 sub camps, of which some 41,500 were murdered. Immediately after the war the facility was used to house SS members waiting trial.

Completed in 1938, and run as a mountain restaurant since 1952, Kehlsteinhaus is an inn with a dark past. The location has spectacular views of the Berchtesgaden mountains towards Salzburg. But many people visit because of its history. It was built for the Nazis for government and social meetings. With the aid of text and historical photographs, a series of information panels tells the story of the site. The restaurant is closed in winter, and it is only possible to visit from May to October – weather conditions permitting. Access is only possible using a bus service that starts in the Obersalzberg car park.

The ruins of the castle founded around 1100 stand on a striking, bare granite outcrop, overlooking the town of Flossenbürg. Originally a residential tower with a high ring wall, the castle was added to many times over the centuries, until it was set alight during the Thirty Year’s War and then abandoned. Recently, as part of a restoration programme, excavations were carried out during which a cellar vault was uncovered along with the remains of an oven. The ruins re a popular attraction, particularly for the striking view over the surrounding area.

The concentration camp in Flossenbürg was established in March 1938 by the SS as a work camp; prisoners were set to work on the natural granite outcrops in the area. The first inmates were German political prisoners. By 1940, prisoners were coming from all over Europe to be exploited for their labour. As a forced labour camp, conditions were harsh and inhumane, and many died from mistreatment. After the war, the camp was all but ignored. Only in 1995, at the request of survivors, was the site transformed into a memorial. A permanent exhibition has been established, with a route through the historical site.

Today this imposing Baroque church on a hill in the small Bavarian town of Andechs is known for its monastic brewery and the final resting place of the composer Carl Orff, as well as a number of Bavarian princes. But the history of the heilege berg (holy mountain) goes back to at least the 11th century when an earlier church was built for the safekeeping of relics. Ever since, the abbey has been an important pilgrimage site. Each year over 30,000 pilgrims and many thousands of tourists make their way here. Some historians suggest this is Bavaria’s oldest pilgrimage.

An extensive network of underground, rock cut tunnels that are in some places four storeys deep, reaching to a depth of 20 m. It is thought they were cut around 700 years ago for a space where beer could be matured an stored throughout the year. During WWII the tunnels were upgraded to provide shelter – the entrance at the Älbrecht Dürer statue was created then. When Nuremberg was devastated by air raids in January 1945, thousands of citizens found shelter in the beer cellars. Guided tours of the historic tunnels are available daily.