Narrow streets, impressive buildings - the old town of Bamberg was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993. Of course that should be celebrated. Of course, notoriety and beauty also have pitfalls.
Bamberg (dpa / lby) - The fishing district of Little Venice, the impressive cathedral and a town hall in the middle of a river island: Bamberg's old town has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993. The anniversary year is now approaching: Celebrations will take place throughout 2023, for example on Unesco World Heritage Day on May 27th or at the "Day of Open Garden Centers" on April 30th. The gardener's town with its historic gardener's houses and cultivated areas is also part of the world heritage.
In December 1993, the Unesco Commission decided that Bamberg would become a World Heritage Site - and not just individual buildings, but an area covering 142 hectares and containing more than 1,300 individual monuments.
Unesco's justification: Bamberg is a unique example of a Central European city that developed on the basis of an early medieval basic structure. Unesco says: "The city is a unique and very well-preserved urban work of art - a synthesis of architecture from the High Middle Ages and Baroque."
Bamberg was lucky in World War II - unlike many other cities, the city center was not badly hit by bombs, so the historic building fabric was preserved.
Bamberg is therefore very popular with tourists: in 2019, the year before the corona pandemic, the city had 753,220 overnight stays - around three times as many as in 1993. In addition, there are numerous day trippers, who often go to and from Bamberg on river cruises disembark for a few hours to see the old town. This form of tourism - large groups run hurriedly through the cathedral - repeatedly causes criticism, especially among locals.
The idyllic ambience of Bamberg's old town attracted many young people in particular, even during the Corona period. They met to celebrate on the lower bridge near the historic town hall because pubs, clubs and cafés were closed. Residents complained about noise and garbage. There were also police operations, so the city had the bridge temporarily closed at night. A beer garden was therefore installed on the bridge last summer.
