Würzburg Travel Guide
From Wikitravel
Würzburg or Wuerzburg (and sometimes mis-spelled as Wurzburg) is in Franconia, in northern Bavaria,Germany.
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Understand
Founded in the 10th century, Wuerzburg served as the home of powerful prince-bishops for many centuries. It is home to one of the oldest churches in Germany, built in the 8th century on top of a former pagan shrine. One of its most famous structures, Festung Marienberg, is a fortress which now surrounds the church.
Wuerzburg was the center of the kingdom known as Franconia. In the 19th century, Napoleon merged Franconia with Bavaria, by which the city is ruled to this day.
Wuerzburg experienced heavy demolition during a 20-minute bombing raid in 1945. Much of the city has since been rebuilt. It has been home to a large US military installment since post-World War II reconstruction. As a result, many of the locals are familiar with American customs. However, as of 2006, the military base is scheduled to close which will cause the city to lose most of its American presence.
Today Wuerzburg is a beautiful, historic, and lively city that is often overlooked by foreign visitors.
Get in
By plane
Wuerzburg is not served by an airport. However, if you fly into Frankfurt, Nuremberg or Munich, the Deutsche Bahn can get you anywhere that's worth going. Get on an ICE train, which will take you an hour until you reach the Wuerzburger Hauptbahnhof, from Munich you will drive about 3 hours.
By train
Wuerzburg can be reached directly from most any train in western Germany. To get there from Berlin will require a change. This will usually occur in Goettingen.
By car
Würzburg has an excellent connection to the german "Autobahn" (highway)-system. A3 (highway 3) from Cologne via Frankfurt and Nürnberg to austria passes the city as well as A7 (highway 7) from Hannover via Göttingen to Ulm. In addition there is A81 to Stuttgart
Get around
See
Festung Marienberg
Wuerzburger Residence, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Do
Wuerzburger Weinfest, one of the bigger wine fairs. But nearly every winegrowing village in Lower Franconia has its own wine fair, so you can visit at least one if you visit Würzburg in summer or fall months.
Africa Festival, one of the biggest festivals about african culture. Mostly about May or June.
Buy
Wine
Germany may be world renowned for its beer, but its wine is its hidden treasure. Franconian wine is amongst the best in the country and Wuerzburg has been growing grapes since its first contact with the Romans. Be sure to pick up a memory that will last by picking up a bottle of wine. Franconian wine is often sold in special bottles named "Bocksbeutel". Normally having 3/4 litres there also exist smaller ones with 3/8 litres. These bottles look small and fat. If you do not know much about wine, buy it directly from the winegrowers or from small shops which sell only wine. They do know...
Eat
If you want to eat speaply, than you can eat in "Zum Lamm".
Drink
The local brewery, Wuerzburger Hofbraeu, brews excellent wheat beer (Weissbier), which carries the name of a 1600s bishop of Wuerzburg, Julius Echter. Basically this beer is served for you in almost all the local bars, if you order a hefe.
Wuerzburg resides in the middle of Franconian wineland and Frankenwein is served in many places. You can recognize the peculiar shaped bottle, Bocksbeutel, easily.
Sleep
Get out
Wuerzburg is the start of Germany's famed Romantic Road. From here you can travel down to Rothenburg, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the Bavarian alps.
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