Bamberg | |
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![]() Old town hall (Altes Rathaus) in Bamberg | |
Coordinates: 49°54′N 10°54′E / 49.900°N 10.900°E | |
Country | Germany |
State | Bavaria |
Admin. region | Upper Franconia |
District | Urban districts of Germany |
Government | |
• Lord mayor (2020–26) | Andreas Starke[1] (SPD) |
Area | |
• Total | 54.62 km2 (21.09 sq mi) |
Elevation | 262 m (860 ft) |
Population (2022-12-31)[2] | |
• Total | 79,935 |
• Density | 1,500/km2 (3,800/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
Postal codes | 96047, 96049, 96050, 96051, 96052 |
Dialling codes | 0951 |
Vehicle registration | BA |
Website | www.stadt.bamberg.de |
Official name | Town of Bamberg |
Criteria | Cultural: ii, iv |
Reference | 624 |
Inscription | 1993 (17th Session) |
Area | 142 ha |
Buffer zone | 444 ha |
Bamberg (/ˈbæmbɜːrɡ/,[3] US also /ˈbɑːmbɛərk/,[4][5] German: [ˈbambɛʁk] (listen); East Franconian: Bambärch, archaic: Babenberg) is a town in the region of Upper Franconia, Bavaria, and the seat of the district administration Bamberg.
The town has about 70,000 inhabitants. Bamberg is an university city and administrative city. Its Lord Mayor is Andreas Starke (SPD). Beside being a modern regional centre, the city also has a cultural and historical side.
Bamberg is a famous town because it has many buildings which are very old. The basic structure of the town remained untouched through the centuries. Unlike most other German towns (such as Nürnberg), it was little damaged in World War II. Only 4.6% was totally ruined. The town centre is protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Bamberg is like Rome because it is built on seven hills, each one with a church at the top. The cathedral (Dom) is on the main hill. For hundreds of years the prince-bishops of the cathedral ruled over the land. This continued until the beginning of the 19th century after which they just continued in their religious function as archbishops.
The town centre below is built by the banks of the river Regnitz which splits into two parts. The left arm of the river is where the old town centre lies. The right arm is the Main-Danube Canal (Main-Donau-Kanal), which allows big ships to travel from the river Main to the Danube.