HK Independent Traveller Blog

  We visited Forchheim and Erlangen on the same day. Forchheim is dotted with historical timber framed (Fachwerk) houses. But Erlangen is characterised with broad streets, exuberant palaces and formal gardens of the 1600s and 1700s. The key touristic sights are: Schlossgarten, Orangery, Botanical Garden, Hugenottenkirche,  Markgräfliches Schloss, Marktplatz, etc.  The railway station in Erlangen is very close to the city. It may be the city (which I had been) with the shortest distance to the town centre. The railway station is located at the south western side of the map above. Nearby are the major sightseeing points. So close and easy! We arrived easily to the Schloßplatz . It is the focal point of Erlangen’s pedestrian zone and venue for the city’s big events. A few paces in front of the palace (Schloß) is a statue for Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth , who founded the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in 1742. On the west side is the Paulibrunnen ...

  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 fun...

  Let's continue the nice visit of Straubing . I wrote about the landmarks and a few churches in the last post and assume you have a fond impression of the town.  In this post, I would like to show you more appealing shots of the town, the river, Herzogschloß  (Ducal Palace), St. Peter cemetery and Gäubodenmuseum . Right at the town centre stand numerous colourful buildings. Restaurants, cafe and key brand shops are the major occupants at the ground floor. The combined beautiful scenes made us linger here and there.  We left the town centre for the St. Peter Cemetery which is around 2 kilometres away. The Gothic St. Peter church stands mighty and proudly.  It is the oldest church in Straubing. The art is very different from the extravagant form of the baroque churches. Frescoes dot the ground and upper floors of the church. Skeletons often appear as the key figures in the paintings. It would be lovely if someone would explain all those stories behind the pai...