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Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany © kavalenkau

Riemenschneider’s Last Supper © Wikimedia

Marienberg Fortress, Würzburg © saiko3p

Bamberg's historic town hall on an island in the middle of the River Regnitz via Frank Wagner

Bamberg Rider © Wikimedia

The Residenz of Würzburg, Germany © Scirocco340

From 'The Album of Tournaments and Parades in Nuremberg', late 16th century, Nuremberg

Franconia - Art and architecture in Germany’s medieval heartland

Overview Practicalities

Section:

Tour highlights

A neglected region of southern Germany which has an exceptional heritage of art and architecture, enchanting streetscape and natural beauty.
Medieval art including Romanesque sculpture (the Bamberg Rider) and late medieval wood carving by Tilman Riemenschneider.
Baroque and Rococo palaces, churches and paintings, including Tiepolo’s masterpiece.

Once the very heart of the medieval German kingdom, Franconia possesses some of the loveliest towns and villages in Germany, beautiful countryside and a variety of art and architecture of the highest quality. Yet remarkably few Britons find their way here – or could even point to the region on a map.

Würzburg, with its vine-clad riverbanks and Baroque palaces, is a delight. The tour stays here for two nights. One of the loveliest and least spoilt of German towns, Bamberg has fine streetscape, riverside walks and picturesque upper town around the Romanesque cathedral. Nuremberg, the home of Dürer, was one of the great cities of the Middle Ages, and its churches and museums are filled with outstanding sculpture and painting. Bayreuth was a centre of Rococo culture and a mecca for Wagnerians.
The end of the Middle Ages was artistically one of the most creative in Franconia, with Tilman Riemenschneider and Veit Stoss, perhaps Germany’s greatest sculptors, evoking the fraught spirituality of the age in works of remarkable virtuosity. The Romanesque sculpture in Bamberg’s cathedral is also of the highest importance.

The eighteenth century also bequeathed much artistic wealth. The Prince-Bishop’s palace in Würzburg and the pilgrimage church of Vierzehnheiligen (both designed by Balthasar Neumann) are consummate achievements of Baroque and Rococo art and architecture. Moreover, the greatest achievement of eighteenth-century Venetian painting is here: Tiepolo’s ceiling fresco in the Würzburg Residenz.

Practicalities

Two sharing: £3,760 or £3,480 without flights. Single occupancy: £4,210 or £3,930 without flights.

Travel by private coach throughout; accommodation as described below; breakfasts and 5 dinners with wine; all admissions; tips for waiters, drivers and guides; all taxes; the services of the lecturer and tour manager.

Hotel Rebstock, Würzburg: well-located, comfortable 4-star hotel. Hotel Villa Geyerswörth, Bamberg: elegant, quiet 4-star hotel, conveniently located close to the old town. Le Méridien Grand Hotel, Nuremberg: modern 4-star hotel in a late 19th-century building, a 10-minute walk from the centre.

Single rooms throughout are doubles for sole use.

The tour involves a lot of walking in town centres, where coach access is restricted, and a lot of standing in museums and churches. A good level of fitness is necessary. It should not be attempted by anyone who has difficulty with everyday walking and stair-climbing. There are several long drives. Average distance by coach per day: 55 miles.

Between 10 and 22 participants.

Before booking, please refer to the FCDO website and Travel Health Pro to ensure you are happy with the travel advice for the destination(s) you are visiting.

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