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...