Forchheim

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Forchheim is a wonderful, tiny town in northern Bavaria, known in the region as “das Tor zur Fränkischen Schweiz,” or the gateway to Franconian Switzerland. It was a royal town, Kaiserpfalz, a place where the emperor could rest and hold court during his travels and as such it served as one of several "capitals" (there being no one fixed imperial residence) during the 10th century and beyond. The little gem city celebrated 1200 anniversary in year 2005. Forchheim's rich medieval history has been well preserved as evidenced by its most striking building, the half-timber Rathaus or town hall built between the 14th and 16th Centuries. It is the focal point of the city center.

We were first welcome by the St. Anton Monastery. The simple Gothic exterior is a big contrast to the splendid Baroque interior. The high altar and the two side altars show Franciscan saints, which were created around 1770 by the Bamberg sculptor Johann Bernhard Kamm. Nearby is a piece of funny street art, arguing men.



On the way to the popular sight of the Rathaus is Porta Vorchheimensis. It shows the city's history in pictures. It is a gift from the Rotary Club Forchheim to his hometown. Since 2002 it has opened the door to the city's past in the pedestrian zone. Harro Frey's work depicts the most important milestones in Forchheim's history in 12 scenes. I like particularly the smiling lady atop the door.


Let's get a better orientation of Forchheim before we go further.  The railway station (Bahnhof) is on the southern side. We went north and reached the main street (Hauptstrasse) and passed by the Porta Vorchheimensis (26).  Going further are the key sights: Rathaus (1, town hall), 

St. Martinkirche (2), Conradbrunnen (3) 

and Kaiserpfalz (6)

The picturesque Kaiserpfalz (prince-bishop castle) was built in the late 14th century and is well-known for its precious, late-gothic wall paintings.  The castle houses the Pfalzmuseum Forchheim with three special museums: The Archaeological Museum Oberfranken, The Municipal- and the Traditional Costume Museum. Let's have some quick impressions.




At the middle of the town where a river flows are beautiful spots of the Fish boxes and small Venice (Fischkästen & Kleinvenedig (15)).

A few meters downstream from the “Hundsbrücke” are several fish boxes (Fischkästen) hanging in the Wiesent. They have been there for centuries, which were used by Forchheim fishmongers to store their caught fish.


The "Little Venice" is located between the hospital church and the bridge in Vogelstrasse. Surroundings are beautiful historical half-timber houses which are anchored to the bottom of the Wiesent. 



It was a nice half day in Forchheim. Before we would leave for Erlangen, let's still have some spots of the little gem city.

Cute wooden sculptures

Lady Chapel Marienkapelle

Prince-Bishop's Office House

Gereon's Chapel


Nürnberger Tor

Location: 91301 Forchheim, Germany

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