A brief introduction to Amberg
Welcome to Amberg, Germany- a city of roughly 45,000 people
in Bavaria, Germany of the Upper Palatinate (Oberpfalz) . Say What?
Lets break it down!
Bavaria is a
German State. So when you are here you are in the city of Amberg, in the state
of Bavaria and the country of Germany.
Bavaria is located in the southeast of Germany. The Upper Palatinate, or Oberpfalz in
German, is the northeastern most of the seven administrative regions that
make up Bavaria. About 12.5
million people inhabit Bavaria making it Germany’s second most populous
state. Bavaria is one of the
oldest states in Europe and comprises several distinct areas. Amberg lies very close to the Franconian/Oberpfalz border within Bavaria. While Amberg is the historical capital of the Oberpfalz it lies within the Nuremburg Metropolitan area. This is why when speaking of Amberg’s
neighboring city Sulzbach Rosenburg
many refer to them as Frankens.
Bavarians are known as beer drinking, lederhosen wearing folk who speak with a special dialect
called “Bayrisch.” To the traditional German speaker their words are extremely hard
to decipher but to Bavarians it is their normal tongue. There are many words in Bayrisch that
do not exist in the German language. Have no fear though! Bavarians are able to speak proper
German as well. In many
formal places of business speaking
Bayrisch is forbidden. The closest
similarity I can think to relate to this is Ebonics in the U.S.
To many
northern Germans Bavaria, and the Oberpfalz in particular, is considered a backwards place. But to those who have come to
experience it first hand, it is a little fairy tale on earth. When I think of
Germany, I want to see beer drinking, leiderhosen wearing, pretzel eating, festival
having folk and in Bavaria this is exactly what you will find!
Safety. Amberg is safe…and I mean safe. Need some convincing? When I first moved here I browsed a
travel book of Germany to get some info on my new town. Generally used to the horror stories of
pick pockets and con artists these
books warn about throughout Europe- I was shocked to read Amberg’s safety
description. “This area of Germany is completely safe.”
The city of Amberg is made up of some of the most
honest people I have ever met. In
the grocery store the clerk will check your eggs before selling them to you to
make sure none of them are cracked.
At bars you can start a tab on the honor system and the waitress will keep track of your
drinks by marking your personal coaster.
My friend lost her wallet at a festival in town last year. Hundreds of people were at the
fest. She was sure it would be
gone forever but the next day found it had been turned to the police with every
credit card, euro, and cent left inside.
My friends who are from the area like to use the roughly translated expression
“There is a black sheep in every flock” – which is true so always be
cautious. But smile and relax- you’re
in Amberg J
Cash: In
Bavaria carry Euros! Many
restaurants and stores will not take credit card. When they do, there is often an additional fee added and a
minimum purchase required. You
will find several banks in the center of Amberg that have ATM’s (Geldautomat )
where you can withdraw Euros.
Currently 1 American dollar equals
0.81 euro cents. For a
current calculation visit: www.x-rates.com It can be difficult to exchange money or use travels check in
Amberg. Personally I have found
when traveling anywhere in Europe the lowest fee way to get Euros is using an
ATM. Check with your bank prior to
coming to see their overseas policies and be sure to let them know you will be
in Europe. Master card and Visa
are commonly excepted.
Tourist
Information Office: There is a wonderful tourist information office
located just outside the Marktplatz (Market Square). Here you can find Maps and some English information about
the city. The workers also speak some
English and are very helpful.
Getting Around the Amberg Egg
Amberg is often referred to as the Amberg Egg. Why? It is shaped as an egg! The old city is made up of an egg shaped castle wall that
surrounds it. The city was made
rich in the Middle Ages and built some of the best fortifications in
Bavaria. When walking under the
train station away from the old city scripted in the underground tunnel reads “Munich is the most
beautiful city, Leipzig is the richest, but Amberg is the most secure.” Today the majority of the city wall, that made Amberg so
secure, is preserved. Four main
towers make up the wall. The
entire egg shaped wall can be viewed on a scenic 2km walking path that follows
the wall where the moat used to be. On a nice day it is a beautiful place for a
jog or stroll. Because of the egg
shape the Old Town is almost perfectly centrally located. This makes for a very walkable Old
Town complete with a pedestrian area in the center.
Walking tour of
the Old city
Beginning at the train station, located on the eastern side of the Old Town,
walk across the street, and follow the side walk left outside of the city
wall. After walking about three
minutes, around the corner you will come to the Nabburger Tor (Nabburg
Gate). This is what many consider
the most grand of Amberg’s four city gates. Originally a drawbridge allowed access across the moat into
the city. The gate’s towers were
originally used as medieval dungeons. Today they are homes.
Walk through the Nabburger Tor down “Untere Nabburger
Strasse.” (Strasse means street in German.) You will reach a small square called Hallplatz. The tourist information center is
across the intersection on the right hand side. If you do not wish to visit the
tourist information center walk west (take a left).
Soon you will come to the Marktplatz or main Market
Square! On Wednesdays and
Saturdays the square still hosts large markets selling produce, flowers, bread
and meat. In the winter this is the
location of the Amberg Christmas Market.
On the south side of the Marktplatz you will notice a
massive gothic Catholic church.
The church is named St Matrin’s and was built in 1421. The massive 92m steeple was added 300
years later. On the weekend tours
are available up the steeple upon request at the tourist information
center. Feel free to look inside
the church. It stays open during
the daytime.
If you look East in the Marktplatz you will notice Amberg’s
Rathause (Town Hall). The building
dates from the 14th century and boast a charming external stairase
and balcony.
On the left hand side in front of the Rathause you will see
a small fountain that commemorates a wedding celebrating the 16th century marriage of the Prince Elector. It is the biggest party in the cities history and every two years a
medieval festival is hosted in Amberg to reenact this wedding.
After getting your fill of the market square and possibly
trying a traditional German Beer ( Saying “Ein Bier Bitte” will get you a
locally brewed Amberg helles beer at most restaurants) duck around the left
side of St Martin’s where you will come to the Vils River.
The Vils divides the old town almost perfectly in half. Originally the vils (river) was used for trade and
transportation. Iron was
transported to Regensburg from the city's mines while salt was brought back in
return.
On
the weekends and special holidays in the spring and summer from 2:00pm to
5:00pm boat tours can be taken to the park located outside of the Old
Town. It is a fun family event on
a sunny day. The park also has a
small pond, ship themed play ground, food stand and bathroom facility. The boat tour cost €2.50 for adults and €1.00 for children.
You can pick up the boat tour outside of the Air (luftmuseum) museum. Tickets are available on board.
The Luftmuseum is a new age concept museum housed in a 14th
century building. The museum has 21 rooms exhibiting art, architecture &
technology all somehow related to the concept of air. I can’t say I recommend this museum but it is a funky
experience. For more info visit www.luftmuseum.de.
If you continue down the side of the vils either on boat or
along the side of the river you will come to the City Spectacles (Stadtbrille)
gateway. The gateway gets its name
because the middle two semi-circular arches cast a reflection in the water
making the illusion of a pair of spectacles. The gate was built in the 1500s and makes up part of the
cities wall.
The beautiful pink building to the left of the Vils is the
original palace for the palatine prince elector. Situated with the palace are a residence and armory that date from the 15th century. You can see its beautiful balcony from the street outside of the
wall. Also on the opposite side of
the building is the town's little glockenspiel.
Walk across the small wooden bridge and follow Schiffbruck
Gasse as it curves right. On your
left hand side you will see the Frauenkirche (Church of our Lady). The spot the church now sits on was
originally a synagogue that was demolished in the 15th century
shortly before the church was built.
Here you will see the most decorated house in town. Make a left and a quick right onto Seminar
Gasse and look for house number 8.
Here you will find the house of love. This is a spot that can easily be overlooked to the
unobservant passerby. The Eh’hausl (Little wedding house) is only 56 square
metres and comprised of two rooms.
It is claimed to be the worlds smallest hotel with the most romantic
heritage! Legend has it that the
council law only permitted homeowners to marry in the 1700’s. A
common man was unable to marry because he could not find a home. He
found a narrow spot between to houses and quickly built a front & back wall
and roof and called it his house.
The man wanting everyone to be able to wed would sell his home for
pennies to “own” for a night so all could own property and all could wed.
If you follow the alleyway to the end of the street you will
find a walled section. Walk
through the wall and you will find Amberg’s modern library on your right and St
Georg’s church on your left. It is
a beautiful 15th century renaissance style Catholic church.
Maria-Hilf-Berg-Kirche: Outside of the Old City you will probably notice the large
yellow structure towering over the city on the hill. This is Amberg’s
very own Monastery. If you
have the energy, I recommend hiking up one of the many walking paths to the
top. The tourist information
center can direct you to one. You
can also fetch a taxi or drive up yourself. There you will find a stunning view and amazing
church! On your way up the
path you can also observe the stations of the cross that are displayed in the
form of statues. The inside of the church is even more stunning than the
outside. It is generally open and
serves as a quiet place for prayer.
You will see many locals throughout the day coming to do just that. There is a wonderful German restaurant
and brewery located right next to the church. The restaurant has an outdoor patio to soak in the sun and
an awesome view! Maria- Hilf- Berg
is also famous for hosting Amberg’s most popular festival- The Maria- Hilf-
Bergfest. Tents and beer gardens
are set up along the hill and special sausages are severed to celebrate the
warding off the plague. The bergfest
takes place usually from late June to early July. It is a week long celebration. To find an exact date you can
visit their website at www.mariahilfbergfest.de.
Getting to and
from
Taxi’s: Although Amberg
is a very walkable city if you are in need of a taxi you can find them located
outside the train station on the right hand side. To reserve one call 490962124240. A taxi from Amberg to Vilseck will cost about 40 euros.
Bus Station: Across from the taxi station is the bus
station. Buses run throughout the
day to all neighboring towns.
Schedules are posted on the wall outside of the bus station. A bus to Vilseck
will cost about 5 euros.
