Explorations of a small Bavaria city not far from Frankfurt.
Aschaffenburg, Germany is one of those cute little cities that Germany has a ton of. Even though the city is located in the northwestern part of Bavaria, Aschaffenburg doesn’t really feel like a Bavarian city. Maybe it was the lack of pretzels and bratwurst for sale, or maybe because the city only became Bavarian in 1814. Prior to that, the city was more culturally and politically linked to Frankfurt and Mainz to the west.
I chose to go to Aschaffenburg as it was easy to reach from the Frankfurt area. There wasn’t anything in particular I wanted to see. I just figured it was a great place to walk around. I wasn’t wrong.
Wandering Jana Starting off fancy.
Wandering Jana Schloss Johannisburg, the Renaissance era palace of the Prince Bishop of Mainz.
Wandering Jana The palace had to be restored after WWII. It now contains a museum.
Wandering Jana The Main. The yellow building on the right is the Pompejanum, a recreated Ancient Roman villa.
Wandering Jana Interesting sculptures.
Wandering Jana There is a garden/park below the castle.
Wandering Jana A further out view of the castle. The best views were probably from the other side of the river, but it’s not close to a bridge.
Wandering Jana Fancy building near the castle.
Wandering Jana Half-timbered building! I can never get enough of these.
Wandering Jana Stiftsbasilika St. Peter und Alexander, Aschaffenburg’s oldest church. The church is a combination of Romanesque and Gothic styles.
Wandering Jana Next to the church. The old monastery on the right now hosts a church museum.
Wandering Jana There is this covered walkway around the front of the church. The walls have memorials. I’m not sure if they are for people buried under the church or just memorials.
Wandering Jana It’s probably safe to bet that this guy was buried here, unless the ledger stone had been moved at some point.
Wandering Jana The Romanesque nave is the oldest part of the church.
Wandering Jana The fancy tomb of Friedrich Karl Joseph Reichsfreiherr von Erthal, the Elector and Archbishop of Mainz.
Wandering Jana The Gothic part of the church.
Wandering Jana The Margaret Shrine, a shrine containing the remains of several saints. Today, it stands on the baldachin (conopy) of Albert of Brandenburg’s tomb memorial. I couldn’t find why it was put up there. One great thing about this church was those yellow signs. The church museum continued into the church.
Wandering Jana Fancy altar.
Wandering Jana Located on top of a hill, you probably can see all of the city from the top of their tower.
Wandering Jana Nice little area not far from the church.
Wandering Jana I like the doorway on this one.
Wandering Jana More adorable half-timbered buildings.
Wandering Jana This one is a bit fancier.
Wandering Jana So many fancy doorways in this city. I love how the local sandstone is used everywhere.
Wandering Jana Muttergottespfarrkirche (Mother of God Parish Church).
Wandering Jana This parish church was rebuilt in the 18th century. Originally, it was the oldest church in town.
Wandering Jana Sandkirche (the Sand Church). The bell tower was once a gate in the medieval walls of the city. It was turned into a belltower for the church.
Wandering Jana Look at those little goslings!
Wandering Jana Ruins of a church in the local park.
Wandering Jana Probably one of the towers from the old city walls.
There is more to see in the Aschaffenburg than what I saw. There is a Ancient Roman villa-esque house built in town as well (unfortunately, only open in summer months). Plus, several other museums. The region around Aschaffenburg also has a bunch of small towns and a surprising amount of castles.
Check out my next update where I will be exploring the giant city of Frankfurt!
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