Würzburg

Würzburg (German pronunciation: [ˈvʏɐ̯tsbʊɐ̯k]) is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany. Located at the Main River, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. The regional dialect is Franconian.

Würzburg is approximately 120 kilometres (75 mi) from either Frankfurt am Main or Nuremberg by road. The city of Würzburg is included in the district of Würzburg, but is its administrative seat (Landkreis). Its population is 133,501 as of 31 December 2008.

History

By 1000 BC a Celtic fortification stood on the site of the present Fortress Marienberg. It was Christianized in 686 by Irish missionaries Kilian, Kolonat and Totnan. The city is first mentioned as a Frankish settlement called Vurteburch in 704. The first diocese was founded by Saint Boniface in 742. He appointed the first bishop of Würzburg, Saint Burkhard. The bishops eventually created a duchy with its center in the city, which extended in the 12th century to Eastern Franconia. The city was the seat of several Imperial diets, including the one of 1180, in which Henry the Lion was banned from the Empire and his duchy was handed over to Otto of Wittelsbach.

The first church on the site of the present Würzburg Cathedral was built as early as 788, and consecrated that same year by Charlemagne; the current building was constructed from 1040 to 1225 in Romanesque style. The University of Würzburg was founded in 1402 and re-founded in 1582.

The citizens of the city revolted several times against the prince-bishop, until definitively defeated in 1400. Later, Würzburg was a center of the German Peasants' War; the castle was besieged unsuccessfully. Notable prince-bishops include Julius Echter von Mespelbrunn (1573–1617) and members of the Schönborn family, who commissioned a great number of the monuments of today's city. The Würzburg witch trials, which occurred between 1626 and 1631, are one of the largest peace-time mass trials.

This mass execution took place during a time known as the "Burning Times," which was two hundred years of purging the countryside of France and Germany of what was believed to be witches; women who had supposedly made a pact with the devil. In Wurzburg, under Bishop Philip Adolf an estimated number between six hundred and nine hundred witches were burnt. < Witchcraft in Bavaria: Popular Magik, Religious Zealotry,and Reason of State in Early Modern Europe, Wolfgang Behringer, (Cambridge University Press;1997> < Much info given on this on footnote 38 also> In 1631, Swedish King Gustaf Adolf invaded the town and destroyed the castle.

In 1720, the foundations of the Würzburg Residence were laid. The city passed to the Electorate of Bavaria in 1803, but two years later, in the course of the Napoleonic Wars, it became the seat of the Electorate of Würzburg, the later Grand Duchy of Würzburg. In 1814, the town became part of the Kingdom of Bavaria and a new bishopric was created seven years later, as the former one had been secularized in 1803.

Massacres of Jews took place in 1147 and 1298 and expulsions throughout the Middle Ages. In the period of Nazi rule, nearly the entire Jewish and gypsy population of the city was wiped out.

World War II

On 16 March 1945, about 90% of the city full of civilians was destroyed in 17 minutes by 225 British Lancaster bombers during a World War II air raid. All of the city's churches, cathedrals, and other monuments were heavily damaged or destroyed. The city center, which dated from medieval times, was totally destroyed in a firestorm in which 5,000 people perished. Over the next 20 years, the buildings of historical importance were painstakingly and accurately replicated. 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 taken prisoner of war. In comparison, Würzburg was destroyed more totally than was Dresden in a firebombing the previous month.

Commencing 3 April 1945, Würzburg was attacked by the US 12th Armored Division and US 42nd Infantry Division in a series of frontal assaults masked by smokescreens. The battle continued until the final last-ditch German resistance was defeated 5 April 1945.^[2]

After the war, Würzburg was host to the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division, 1st Infantry Division, U.S. Army Hospital and various other U.S. military units that maintained a presence in Germany. The U.S. units were withdrawn from Würzburg in 2008, bringing an end to over 60 years of U.S. military presence in Würzburg.

City structure

Würzburg is divided into 13 municipals which are additionally structured 25 boroughs. In the following overview, the boroughs and their numbers are allocated to the 13 municipals.

Main sights

Notable artists that lived in Würzburg include poet Walther von der Vogelweide (12th and 13th cent.), philosopher Albertus Magnus and painter Mathias Grünewald. Two artists who made a lasting impression were sculptor Tilman Riemenschneider (1460–1531), who was also mayor and participated in the German Peasants' War, and Balthasar Neumann (1687–1753), Baroque architect and builder of the Würzburg Residence, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its interior was decorated by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo and his son, Domenico.

Many of the city's "100 churches" survived intact with styles ranging from Romanesque (Würzburg Cathedral), Gothic (Marienkapelle), Renaissance (Neubaukirche), Baroque (Stift Haug Kirche) to modern (St Andreas).

Würzburg hosts the Mainfranken Museum, with artifacts from prehistory until modern times, a Museum of the cathedral, galleries for ancient and modern art, and the "Kulturspeicher" from 2002. Notable festivals include the Afrika Festival in May, the Mozartfest, in June/July and the Kiliani Volksfest in mid July.

• Würzburg Residenz: The vast complex on the eastern edge of the town was commissioned by two prince-bishops, the brothers Johann Philipp Franz and Friedrich Karl von Schönborn. Its construction between 1720 and 1744 was supervised by several architects, including Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt and Maximilian von Welsch. Although much of it destroyed during WWII, it has been completely rebuilt as it was before the war. However, it is associated mainly with the name of Balthasar Neumann, the creator of its famous Baroque staircase. Its main sights are:
  • Hofkirche: The church interior is richly decorated with paintings, sculptures and stucco ornaments. The altars were painted by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo.
  • Treppenhaus: The largest fresco in the world adorns the vault of the staircase by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo. For many years the staircase appeared on a Deutschmark bill.
  • Kaisersaal: The centerpiece of the palace, emperor's chamber which testifies the close relationship between Würzburg and the Holy Roman Empire.

• The Fortress Marienberg is the castle on a hill across the Old Main Bridge, overlooking the whole town area as well as the surrounding hills.
• Würzburg's Old Main Bridge (Alte Mainbrücke) was built 1473–1543 to replace the destroyed Romanesque bridge from 1133. It was adorned from 1730 on in two phases with well-known statues of saints and famous persons. A similar impressive bridge is the Charles Bridge in Prague.
• Among Würzburg's many notable churches are the Käppele, a small Baroque/Rococo chapel by Balthasar Neumann on a hill opposite to the fortress and the Dom (Würzburg Cathedral). The Baroque Schönborn Chapel, a side-chapel of the cathedral has interior decoration made of (artificial) human bones and skulls. Also in the cathedral are two of Tilman Riemenschneider's most famous works, the tomb stones of Rudolf II von Scherenberg (1466–1495) and Lorenz von Bibra (1495–1519). Look for replicas of the statues of Adam and Eve by Riemenschneider at the entrance to the Marienkapelle (on the market square). The Neumünster is a Romanesque minster church with a Baroque façade and dome. Among the Baroque churches in the inner city are Stift Haug, St. Michael, St. Stephan and St. Peter.
• The Julius Spital is a Baroque hospital with a courtyard and a church built by the prince bishop Julius Echter. Its medieval wine cellar, together with those of the Würzburg Residence and the Bürgerspital are one place to taste the Frankenwein. With an area under cultivation of 1.68 square kilometres, the Julius Spital is the second largest winery in Germany.
• The Haus zum Falken next to the Marienkapelle, with its splendid facade, is an achievement of the Würzburg rococo period and accommodates a tourist office.
• The Stift Haug was built in the years 1670–1691 and was the first Baroque church in Franconia. It is the most important building of the Italian architect Antonio Petrini.

Education and research

Würzburg has many internationally accepted institutions in science and research:

University

The University of Würzburg (official name Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg) was founded in 1402 and is one of the oldest and most traditional universities in Germany.

Academic disciplines are astronomy, biology, catholic theology, chemistry, computer science, culture, economics, educational and social sciences, geography, history, languages and linguistics, law, literature, mathematics, medicine (human medicine, dentistry and biomedicine), pharmacy, philosophy, physics, political science, psychology and sociology.The ten faculties are spread throughout the city.

Today the university enrolls approximately 22,000 students, out of which more than 1,000 come from other countries.

• Wilhelm Röntgen's original laboratory, where he discovered X-rays in 1895, is at the University of Würzburg.
• The University awarded Alexander Graham Bell an honorary Ph.D for his pioneering scientific work.
• The Botanischer Garten der Universität Würzburg is the university's botanical garden.

University of Applied Science

The University of Applied Science Würzburg-Schweinfurt was founded in 1971 as institute of technology with departments in Würzburg and Schweinfurt. Academic disciplines are architecture, business economics, business informatics, civil engineering, computational engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, engineering management, geodesy, graphic design, logistics, mechanical engineering, media, nursing theory, plastics engineering, social work.

With nearly 8,000 students it is the second largest university of applied science in Franconia.

University of Applied Languages

Würzburg University of Applied Languages is an institute and vocational school for translating and language interpretation.

Conservatory

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 as Collegium musicum academicum and is Germany’s oldest conservatory. Nowadays it's called University of Music Würzburg. After the commutation from conservatory to university of music in the early 1970s, science and research appeared to complement music education.

Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research

The Fraunhofer ISC in Würzburg is part of the Fraunhofer Society, Europe’s largest application-oriented research organization. It develops innovative materials for tomorrow’s products, offering competent, experienced and reliable partnerships to small and medium-sized enterprises and to large-scale industrial companies.

Commerce and business

Würzburg is mainly known as an administrative center. Its largest employers are the Julius-Maximilians-University which is one of the oldest universities in Germany, first founded in 1402 and the municipality. The largest private employer is world market leader Koenig & Bauer, a maker of printing machines. Würzburg is also the capital of the German wine region Franconia which is famous for its mineralic dry white wines especially from the Silvaner grape. Würzburger brewery is also a popular pilsner beer worldwide.

Culture

Museums and galleries

• The Mainfränkisches Museum is home to the world’s biggest collection of works by Tilman Riemenschneider. In a space of 5,400 m² (58,125 sq ft), art by regional artists is exhibited. Exhibitions include the pre-historic collection, artifacts of the Franconian wine culture and the anthropological collection with traditional costumes.
• Fürstenbau-Museum. The restored “Fürstenbau” (prince bishop residence) of the Fortress “Marienberg” houses not only the renovated living quarters, but also the city history department of the Mainfränkisches Museum. Worth taking in are the gold jewelry and collection of liturgical vestments. Of special interest are two models of the city: Würzburg in 1525 and Würzburg in 1945.
• Museum im Kulturspeicher, housed in a historic grain storage building combined with modern architecture. Collections include the “Peter C. Ruppert" collection, with European concrete art after 1945 from artists such as Max Bill and Victor Vasarely; works from the Age of Romanticism, the Biedermeier period, Impressionism, Expressionism as well as contemporary, all this in more than 3,500 m² of exhibit space.
• Museum at the Cathedral, opened in 2003. It features about 700 art pieces from the last 1000 years. The 1800m2 exhibit contrasts contemporary art with older works.
• Shalom Europe, a Jewish museum. Built around 1504 tombstones discovered and excavated in the old city, the museum uses modern information technology to portray present and traditional Jewish lifestyle and survival over the past 900 years in Würzburg.
• Martin-von-Wagner-Museum, with ancient Egyptian and the antiquity findings. It is housed in the South wing of the Residenz and houses ancient marble statues and burial objects. There are also ten exhibition halls with art from the 14th to the 19th century.
• Siebold-Museum, which houses permanent and travelling exhibits, including the estate of the 19th century local physician and Japan researcher Philipp Franz von Siebold.^[3]

Transport

Roads

The city is located on the intersection of the Autobahns A 3 and A 7.

Rail

The city's main station is at the southern end of the Hanover-Würzburg high-speed rail line and offers frequent InterCityExpress and InterCity connections to cities such as Frankfurt, Nuremberg, Munich, Kassel, Hanover or Hamburg. It also is an important hub in the regional rail network.

Trams

Würzburg has a tram network of 5 lines with a length of 19.7 km.

The new Line 6 from Hauptbahnhof (Main Station) to Hubland university via Residence will be realized in 2015.

Buses

27 bus lines are connecting several parts of the city and inner suburbs. 25 bus lines connect the Würzburg district with the city.

Port

The Main river flows into the Rhine and is connected to the Danube via the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal. This makes it part of a trans-European waterway connecting the North Sea to the Black Sea.

Points of interest

• Museum im Kulturspeicher Würzburg, the municipal art museum