Clockwise from top:Marienberg Fortress and Old Bridge – theMain with a newer bridge – the Old Town with thecathedral, narrow square and city hall – and theResidence, a world heritage site.
Würzburg is situated approximately 110 km west-northwest ofNuremberg and 120 km east-southeast ofFrankfurt am Main. The population as of 2019 is approximately 130,000 residents.[3][4]
Impression of the city seal of 1319Woodcut depicting Würzburg from theNuremberg Chronicle (1493)Panorama of Würzburg with castle Marienberg.Matthäus Merian in Cornelis Danckerts, "Historis", 1642.
The first diocese was founded bySaint Boniface in 742 when he appointed the firstbishop of Würzburg,Saint Burkhard. Thebishops eventually created a secular fiefdom, that extended to EasternFranconia in the 12th century. The city was the site of severalImperial Diets, including the one of 1180, at whichHenry the Lion, duke of Saxony and Bavaria, was banned for three years from the Empire[7] and hisduchy Bavaria was handed over toOtto of Wittelsbach. Massacres of Jews took place in 1147 and 1298.
The first church on the site of the presentWürzburg Cathedral was built in 788 and consecrated that same year byCharlemagne; the current building was constructed from 1040 to 1225 inRomanesque style. TheUniversity of Würzburg was founded in 1402 and re-founded in 1582 byJulius Echter von Mespelbrunn. The citizens of the city revolted several times against the prince-bishop.
In 1397, KingWenceslaus IV of Bohemia visited the city and promised its people the status of afree Imperial City. However, the German ruling princes forced him to withdraw these promises. In 1400, the bishop's troops decisively defeated the citizenry in theBattle of Bergtheim [de], and the city fell under his control permanently until the dissolution of the fiefdom.[11]: 41 During theGerman Peasants' War, a local town council member,Tilman Riemenschneider refused to obey an order byKonrad von Thüngen, thePrince-Bishop of Würzburg to fight the revolting peasants.[12]: 23 This resulted in 8,000 peasants killed on 4 June 1525 just outside Würzburg. Riemenschneider and the entire town council was incarcerated and tortured inMarienberg Fortress.[12]: 24
TheWürzburg witch trials, which occurred between 1626 and 1631, are one of the largest peace-time mass trials. In Würzburg, under BishopPhilip Adolf, an estimated 600 to 900 alleged witches were burnt.[13] In 1631, Swedish KingGustaf Adolf invaded and ended the witch burnings.
TheHep-Hep riots from August to October 1819 werepogroms againstAshkenazi Jews, beginning in the Kingdom of Bavaria, during the period of Jewish emancipation in theGerman Confederation. The antisemitic communal violence began on August 2, 1819, in Würzburg and soon reached the outer regions of the German Confederation. Many Jews were killed, and much Jewish property was destroyed.
In 1848, Catholic bishops held theWürzburg Bishops' Conference, a forerunner of later German and Austrian conferences. By distinction, theWürzburg Conference is a name given to the meeting of representatives of the smaller German states in 1859 to devise some means of mutual support. The conference, however, had no result. Würzburg was bombarded and taken by thePrussians in 1866 when it ceased to be a fortress.[7]
In the early 1930s, around 2,000 Jews lived in Würzburg, which was also a rabbinic centre. TheNazi Party in1933 achieved total control. During theKristallnacht pogroms in 1938, many Jewish houses and shops were raided, looted, or destroyed.[14] The contents of twosynagogues were stolen or destroyed.[14] Many Jews were imprisoned and tortured by theGestapo.[14] Between November 1941 and June 1943, Jews from the city were sent to theNazi concentration camps in Eastern Europe.[15]
On 16 March 1945, about 90% of the city was destroyed in 17 minutes by firebombing from 225 BritishLancaster bombers during aWorld War II air raid. Würzburg became a target for its role as a traffic hub and to break the spirit of the population.[11]: 19
All of the city's churches, cathedrals, and other monuments were heavily damaged or destroyed. The city centre, which mostly dated from medieval times, was destroyed in afirestorm in which 5,000 people perished.[citation needed]
Over the next 20 years, the buildings of historical importance were painstakingly and accurately reconstructed. The citizens who rebuilt the city immediately after the end of the war were mostly women –Trümmerfrauen ("rubble women") – because the men were either dead or stillprisoners of war. On a relative scale, Würzburg was destroyed to a larger extent than wasDresden in a firebombing the previous month.[citation needed] Today the whole of the old town is cited as a cultural heritage site after decades of rebuilding and reconstructions.[5]
On 3 April 1945, Würzburg was occupied by the U.S.12th Armored Division and the U.S.42nd Infantry Division in a series of frontal assaults masked by smokescreens. The battle continued until the last German resistance was defeated on 5 April 1945.[17][18]
Würzburg spans the banks of theriver Main in the region of Lower Franconia in the north of the state of Bavaria, Germany. The heart of the town is on the locally eastern (right) bank. The town is enclosed by theLandkreis Würzburg but is not a part of it.
Würzburg covers an area of 87.6 square kilometres and lies at an altitude of around 177 metres.[19]
Of the total municipal area, in 2007, building area accounted for 30%, followed by agricultural land (27.9%), forestry/wood (15.5%), green spaces (12.7%), traffic (5.4%), water (1.2%) and others (7.3%).[20]
The centre of Würzburg is surrounded by hills. To the west lies the 266-meter Marienberg and the Nikolausberg (359 m) to the south of it. The Main flows through Würzburg from the southeast to the northwest.
Würzburg is divided into 13Stadtbezirke which are additionally structured into 25boroughs. The following overview shows the boroughs and their numbers allocated to the 13 municipalities.
Würzburg had the oldest pizzeria in Germany,Bier- und Speisewirtschaft Capri, opened by Nick di Camillo in 1952.[23] Camillo received the honour of theItalian Order of Merit.[citation needed]
In 2017, theGDP per inhabitant was €62,229, placing the district 13th out of 96 districts (rural and urban) in Bavaria (overall average: €46,698).[24]
Hofkirche: The church interior is richly decorated with paintings, sculptures and stucco ornaments. The altars were painted byGiovanni Battista Tiepolo.
Treppenhaus: Here Giovanni Battista Tiepolo created the largest fresco in the world, which adorns the vault over the staircase designed byBalthasar Neumann.
Kaisersaal: The "Imperial Hall", the centerpiece of the palace, testifies to the close relationship between Würzburg and theHoly Roman Empire.
Festung Marienberg is a fortress onMarienberg, the hill to the west of the city centre, overlooking the whole town area and the surrounding hills. Most current structures date to the Renaissance and Baroque periods, but the chapel's foundations go back to the 8th century.
Alte Mainbrücke [de] (Old Main Bridge) was built in 1473–1543 to replace the destroyed Romanesque bridge dated 1133. In two phases, beginning in 1730, the bridge was adorned with twelve 4.5-meter statues of saints and historically important figures likeJohn of Nepomuk,Mary andSaint Joseph,Charlemagne andPepin the Short. Explosives damaged the bridge in the final days of World War II. US troops threw the original Pepin into the river to make way for an anti-aircraft gun.[11]: 32
TheRathaus or city hall of Würzburg differs from those of mostImperial Cities in that it was not a sumptuous edifice purpose-built in Renaissance style. Rather, the motley collection of buildings and wings reflects that after 1426 the city was permanently under the bishop's control, who did not allow a representative new building. TheRathaus consists of parts dating from 1339 (chapel), 1453 (tower with the town's first public clock), 1544 (southwest oriel), and 1659/60 (Roter Bau). In 1822 the three-winged structure of the neighboringKarmeliterkloster (monastery of theCarmelites) was added to the city hall. The "Renaissance" row on Karmeliterstrasse was built only in 1898.[11]: 41
Among Würzburg's many notable churches are theKäppele, a small Baroque/Rococo chapel by Balthasar Neumann, perched on a hill facing the fortress, and theDom (Würzburg Cathedral). The BaroqueSchönbornkapelle, a side-chapel of the cathedral, has interior decoration of (artificial) human bones and skulls. Also in the cathedral are two ofTilman Riemenschneider's most famous works, the tombstones ofRudolf II von Scherenberg (1466–1495) andLorenz von Bibra (1495–1519). At the entrance to theMarienkapelle (on the market square; built between 1377 and 1441) stand replicas of the statues of Adam and Eve by Riemenschneider.[7] TheNeumünster is a Romanesque (11th century) minster church with a Baroque façade and dome. Its crypt (Kiliansgruft) houses the relics of Kilian, Totnan, and Kolonat.[7] There are also two stone sarcophagi from the 8th century, the tombs of the first and second Bishop of Würzburg, Burkard and Megingaud. The latter's tomb features the oldest post-Romanmonumental inscription in Franconia.[11]: 45 Next to theNeumünster is theLusamgärtchen [de]. It contains a memorial from 1930 toWalther von der Vogelweide, who very likely was buried here in 1230.[11]: 47 Only the church remains of the town's oldest abbey,St Burchard's Abbey founded around 750. It was transformed into acollegiate church in 1464 and dissolved in 1803. Among the Baroque churches in the city centre isStift Haug (1670–1691),St. Michael [de],St. Stephan [de] andSt. Peter. The church of St Burkhard was built between 1033 and 1042 in the Romanesque style and was restored in 1168. TheLate Gothic choir dates from 1494 to 1497.[7]
TheJuliusspital is a Baroque hospital with a courtyard and a church originally established by prince-bishopJulius Echter in 1576. The 160 m long northern wing was added by Italian architectAntonio Petrini [it] in 1700–1704. Beneath it lies the similarly sized wine cellar, which (together with those of the Würzburg Residence and theBürgerspital) offers a chance to taste the localFrankenwein in a unique environment. The Juliusspital is the second largest winery in Germany, growing wine on 1.68 square kilometres (1 square mile).[11]: 58–9
TheHaus zum Falken [de] on Marktplatz, next to theMarienkapelle, with its ornate stucco façade, is an achievement of the Würzburg Rococo period. In the past, it served as an inn, and today it houses a public library and the tourist information office.[11]: 62
TheStift Haug (formally theStiftskirche St. Johannis im Haug, dedicated toJohn the Baptist andJohn the Evangelist) was built in the years 1670–1691 as the first Baroque church in Franconia. It was designed by Antonio Petrini. The former church had been demolished as it was in the way of new city fortifications built byJohann Philipp von Schönborn. In 1945 most of the church's interior was destroyed. Works of art include acrucifixion byTintoretto loaned by theBavarian State Painting Collections.[11]: 59–60
TheWürzburger Stein vineyard just outside the city is one of Germany's oldest and largest vineyards.
TheMuseum für Franken (formerly theMainfränkisches Museum [de]) in the fortress is home to the world's largest collection of works byTilman Riemenschneider. In a space of 5,400 m2 (58,125 sq ft), art by regional artists is exhibited. Exhibitions include a pre-historic collection, artifacts of the Franconian wine culture, and an anthropological collection with traditional costumes.
Fürstenbaumuseum: Also in the fortress, the restoredFürstenbau (former residence of the prince-bishops) houses not only the renovated living quarters but also an exhibit on the history of Würzburg. Another exhibit features ecclesial gold jewelry and a collection of liturgical vestments. The museum also displays two models of the city: Würzburg in 1525 and Würzburg in 1945.
Museum am Dom (Museum at the cathedral), opened in 2003. It features about 700 pieces of art spanning the past 1,000 years. The 1,800 m2 exhibit contrasts contemporary art with older works.
Shalom Europe, a Jewish museum. Built around 1,504 tombstones discovered and excavated in the old city, the museum uses modern information technology to portray present and traditional Jewish lifestyles and their survival over the past 900 years in Würzburg.
Martin von Wagner Museum, with objects from ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome. It is housed in the south wing of the Residence and displays ancient marble statues and burial objects. There are also ten exhibition halls with art from the 14th to the 19th centuries.
Siebold-Museum, which houses permanent and temporary exhibits, including the estate of the 19th-century local physician and Japan researcherPhilipp Franz von Siebold.[26]
TheRöntgen Memorial Site in Würzburg, Germany is dedicated to the work of the German physicist Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen (1845–1923) and his discovery of X-rays, for which he was granted the Nobel Prize in physics. It contains an exhibition of historical instruments, machines, and documents.
NBA Hall of FamerDirk Nowitzki was born and grew up in Würzburg. Nowitzki and numerous other German national team players started their careers at the localBaskets Würzburg club that plays in theBasketball Bundesliga as of 2016[update]. In the past, the club played in international competitions such as theEurocup.
SV Würzburg 05 is a swimming and water polo club in theGerman Water Polo League. The city also hosts wrestling, rowing, and American football clubs whose teams compete on the regional and national levels.
Würzburg is the administrative seat of theRegierungsbezirkLower Franconia. The administration of theLandkreis Würzburg (district) is also located in the town.
Today, the ten faculties are spread throughout the city. The university currently enrolls approximately 29,000 students, out of which more than 1,000 come from other countries.
Wilhelm Röntgen's original laboratory, where he discoveredX-rays in 1895, is at the University of Würzburg.
The Conservatory of Würzburg is an institution with a long tradition as well as an impressive success story of more than 200 years. It was founded in 1797 asCollegium musicum academicum and is Germany's oldest conservatory. Nowadays, it is known asUniversity of Music Würzburg. After the commutation from the conservatory to the university of music in the early 1970s, science and research were added to complement music education.
The city'smain station is a central hub for long-distance and regional services. Würzburg lies at the southern end of theHanover-Würzburg high-speed rail line that offers frequentInterCityExpress andInterCity connections to cities such as Cologne, Frankfurt, Hanover, Hamburg,Munich, Nuremberg andVienna. In addition to the main station, there are two regional stations, Würzburg-South and Würzburg Zell.
The local public utility isWürzburger Versorgungs- und Verkehrs-GmbH [de] supplying power, natural gas and water as well as public transportation and parking services. It also owns a majority stake in the port and runs local garbage collection/recycling.Heizkraftwerk Würzburg [de] is owned by the utility.
Universitätsklinikum Würzburg [de] provides health care services, with over 5,300 employees and over 1,400 hospital beds.Juliusspital also offers hospital services with 342 beds.
^abcdefghiDettelbacher, Werner (1974).Franken - Kunst, Geschichte und Landschaft (German). Dumont Verlag.ISBN3-7701-0746-2.
^abTilman Riemenschneider – Werke seiner Blütezeit (German). Freunde Mainfränkischer Kunst und Geschichte e.V. Würzburg. 2004.
^Wolfgang Behringer,Witchcraft in Bavaria: Popular Magik, Religious Zealotry, and Reason of State in Early Modern Europe, (Cambridge University Press, 1997).
^Stanton, Shelby,World War II Order of Battle: An Encyclopedic Reference to U.S. Army Ground Forces from Battalion through Division, 1939–1946 (Revised Edition, 2006), Stackpole Books, p. 65, 129.
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