Wűrzburg: Marienberg fortress

Wűrzburg has two substantial sites of particular historic interest:

The Marienberg Fortress

This site, on a commanding position on the West side of the river Main, had provided a natural defensive position since 1,000 BC when it was inhabited by Celts .

The core of the present fortification dates back to the 13th century AD, since when it has undergone numerous additions and modifications. The elegant building sitting on top of the complex served a dual function: it was the residence of W's Prince-Bishops from 1253 until the early 18th century.

(Today the Fortress Arsenal houses the Main-Franconian Museum. If you have a day to spare, spend it here and prepare to be amazed by at the variety and quality of at lest some of its 40,000 historical exhibits.)


The Prince-Bishop's new Residence

The city of Wűrzburg developed on the East bank of the Main, under the protection of the Marienburg. In 1720 the Prince's Court was transferred from the fortress to the city. The Prince-Bishop was member of a cultured and extremely wealthy aristocratic family, and wanted to create a palace which would be the envy of Europe. He succeeded, but died before the complex was completed.

The Residence is massive, a blend of classical, baroque and rococo styles, and massively impressive. But perhaps it was just too big for the city - or perhaps the city was to small for it; Napoleon neatly described it as "the nicest parsonage in Europe."


As a major city and port on the river Main, Wűrzburg and its bridge over the river were of strategic importance. Its fortress was unsuccessfully besieged by 15,000 peasants in 1525 (during the German Peasant's War); subsequently, it was captured and sacked by Swedish troops during the Thiry Years War.

In 1796, during the French Revolutionary War, W was the scene of a decisive victory won by an army under the Austrian Archduke Charles (Karl) over a French army under Jourdan. The booty included six experimental French observation balloons, one of which is displayed in the Army History Museum in Vienna.


[Blip added in July 2014]