TRAVEL IMPRESSIONS OF AN ART AND HISTORY LOVER
and my experiences as a teacher in China
UMGEBUNGSENTDECKER
Franconia
Franconia - A Definition
With the collapse of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation and the Act of the Confederation of the Rhine, Napoleon awarded large parts of Franconia to the Kingdom of Bavaria, which he founded in 1806. Since then, Franconia's independence has been at an end. Franconia was by no means a unified entity before, but consisted of many small regions. Until the beginning of the 19th century, present-day Franconia belonged to various small and large dominions, including the Bishoprics of Würzburg and Bamberg, the Imperial Cities of Nuremberg, Rotenburg, Dinkelsbühl, and Windsheim, as well as the Margraviate of Ansbach-Bayreuth. These individual parts were gradually awarded to Bavaria: in 1803, the Bishopric of Bamberg became part of Bavaria as part of the secularization process; in 1803, the Imperial Cities of Nuremberg and Rothenburg became part of the mediatization process; and in 1806, Ansbach and other territories became part of the Act of the Confederation of the Rhine. Bayreuth, which had belonged to France since 1807, became part of Bavaria in 1810. The Bishopric and, for a time, Grand Duchy of Würzburg, under the rule of the Grand Duke of Tuscany since 1805, was added in 1814. Franconia was a patchwork of land, as was commonplace in much of the Holy Roman Empire. There was no room for a Franconian identity. This identity only emerged in the 19th century as a countermovement to the powerful Bavarians. This sense of community masked strong regional differences in what is now Upper, Lower, and Middle Franconia.
In the Free State of Bavaria, Franconians make up about a third of the population. They take pride in being different from Old Bavarians. The key dividing questions? 1. FC Nürnberg or FC Bayern Munich? Bratwurst or Weißwurst? To an outsider, it often seems as if Bavarians bark while Franconians just shrug it off. Most Franconians are Protestant, most Bavarians Catholic. Ironically, the politicians running the state are often Franconians — so the Bavarians are, in a way, ruled by them.
If you’re not from the region, you’d be wise not to lump Franconians and Bavarians together, tempting as it may be. After all, they both live in the State Bavaria, and as a North German, it’s all too easy to toss them in the same pot. The clueless North German, heading south for a holiday, imagines the Alps rising up immediately after crossing the Bavarian state border and everyone walking around in lederhosen. The first motorway service area obliges by serving stereotypical southern German fare—everything from weisswurst to pretzels—even though neither is actually Franconian.
As a travel destination, Franconia is often overlooked. Many tourists have their sights set on Upper Bavaria and simply pass through Franconia on the way. But the locals don’t seem to mind, as one Franconian woman once told me. Still, culturally, scenically, and culinarily, Franconia is top-notch, and it’s well worth a trip.
Mespelbrunn Castle
A journey through the northwest of Franconia, or Lower Franconia, begins at the storybook castle of Mespelbrunn, winds its way to the historic town of Miltenberg, and continues via Wertheim to the vibrant city of Würzburg.
Mespelbrunn Castle lies tucked away in the Spessart hills between Frankfurt and Würzburg, and is one of Germany’s most enchanting moated castles. Dating back to the 15th century, it offers a fascinating glimpse into the transformation from a fortified medieval stronghold to an elegant Renaissance residence.
The castle’s story begins in 1412, when Peter Echter von Mespelbrunn built a simple moated fortress to protect against the roaming bands of robbers that plagued the Spessart at the time. In the first half of the 16th century, his grandson, Peter III Echter, transformed the medieval stronghold into the elegant Renaissance residence we see today, modernizing and expanding the complex.
At its heart stands the “High House,” the main residential building, surrounded by several outbuildings arranged around a rectangular courtyard. A picturesque moat encircles the entire ensemble—once an essential line of defense, now a feature that adds to the castle’s irresistible fairytale charm. Most striking of all is the round tower that flanks the High House, watching over the water like a sentinel from another age.
Over the centuries, the family produced several notable figures, the most famous being Julius Echter, Prince-Bishop of Würzburg and Duke of Franconia. A powerful statesman and patron, he founded the Juliusspital hospital in Würzburg in 1576 and the city’s university in 1583. The imposing Marienberg Fortress was also among his initiatives, and his architectural legacy still defines Franconia’s skyline with its pointed church spires and gabled Renaissance facades.
Remarkably, the castle remains in family hands to this day. The current descendants—the Counts of Ingelheim called Echter von und zu Mespelbrunn—reside in the south wing, keeping the centuries-old connection alive.
The castle has also played a starring role in several film productions, boosting its fame far beyond the region. Most notably, the 1958 film "Das Wirtshaus im Spessart", which was partly shot on location here, made Mespelbrunn Castle a household name across Germany.
Miltenberg
Wertheim
Wurzburg
Veitshöchheim Castle
Pilgrimage Church
Fourteen Saints
Spa Town Bad Kissingen
Bad Kissingen is located on the southern edge of the Rhön (a low mountain range in Northern Bavaria, Thuringia and Hesse) and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2021. It was awarded together with ten other traditional spas as "The Great Spa Towns of Europe":
Baden-Baden, Bad Ems, Franzensbad (Františkovy Lázně), Karlsbad (Karlovy Vary), Marienbad (Mariánské Lázně), Spa, Vichy, Montecatini Terme and Bath.
The Belle Époque
What makes these spa towns worthy of World Cultural Heritage status? They are living testaments to the Belle Époque, showcasing the distinctive 19th-century spa architecture and cityscapes where European nobility and the bourgeoisie once gathered in grand style—before their world changed forever after World War I. Casinos, elegant lobby halls, and grand hotels bearing names like the “Russischer Hof” (Russian Court) or “Victoria” stand alongside manicured parks, promenades, concert pavilions, theaters, and Russian Orthodox churches. These were the ultimate playgrounds for high society—a place to see and be seen, to stroll and relax in refined leisure.
The End of the Belle Époque
With the end of World War I, this glamorous era came to a sudden halt. The Kingdom of Bavaria was dissolved, along with the Habsburg Monarchy, the German Empire, and Tsarist Russia. Revolutions and the rise of communism brought old Europe to an end, and with it, the nobility vanished from the stage.
At the same time, advances in technology shifted travelers’ attention to other nearby destinations across Central Europe—places like Montreux, Monte Carlo, Davos, and Venice Lido—causing these historic spa towns to lose their former prominence.
Today, these eleven health resorts stand as precious historical relics, preserving the memory of a lost spa culture. The atmosphere they once embodied can still be glimpsed in films such as Luchino Visconti’s Death in Venice, Nikita Mikhalkov’s Black Eyes, or in literary works like Thomas Mann’s The Magic Mountain.
From World War II until today
After World War II, the spa tradition continued, albeit with a different clientele. In the 1970s, the Russian Court was repurposed as the Health Clinic of the Württemberg State Insurance Institute. Social security agencies also constructed some modern clinic buildings that clash with the historic cityscape. Fortunately, in Bad Kissingen, this disruption is fairly limited since the newer buildings were mostly placed on the outskirts of the historic spa district. More problematic are structures like the HypoVereinsbank building next to the spa gardens—but it’s unlikely to outlast the historic architecture.
In recent decades, there’s been a growing appreciation for old buildings. Historic sites are once again celebrated for their former grandeur, drawing tourists eager to experience their charm. The 1960s and ’70s marked a low point in this respect, when many historic buildings were neglected or threatened, and a fondness for old architecture was often frowned upon. Today, the tide has turned dramatically. The fact that so many places are now designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites speaks volumes about this renewed respect for cultural heritage.
The architecture in the spa district -
shaped by the Kingdom of Bavaria
The Prince-Bishop of Würzburg and Bamberg from the Schönborn dynasty envisioned creating a spa of international renown, rivaling the famous Karlsbad (Karlovy Vary) in Bohemia. To bring this vision to life, he commissioned the architect Balthasar Neumann—who had already begun work on the Würzburg Residence a few years earlier, in 1720.
To make room for the expansive spa complex, the Franconian River Saale (not to be confused with the Saale River that flows through Anhalt) was initially redirected. This freed up space on the river’s left bank, where the spa today comprises three main parts: the Arcade Building, the Foyer, and the Regent Building.
The oldest of the three, the Arcade Building, stands out with its taller, two-story central section. It was constructed in the neoclassical style by architect Friedrich von Gärtner between 1834 and 1838, during the reign of King Ludwig I.
The arcade building, the oldest part of the spa complex, was built in classicism by the architect Friedrich von Gärtner
The Maxbrunnen (Max-source) opposite was redesigned in 1815 was named after the first Bavarian King Maximilian I.
To the left of the arcade, a glass hall was added in 1842, followed by a wrought-iron fountain. These features were replaced in 1910 by the foyer, which has remained unchanged to this day. Serving as both a concert hall and a source house, the foyer was designed by architect Max Littmann during the reign of Prince Regent Luitpold, who had assumed government duties for the incapacitated Ludwig II.
Fountain and promenade hall, built under Prince Regent Luitpold by the architect Max Littmann
In 1913, Littmann completed the Regentenbau on the right side of the Arcade Building. It is the most magnificent structure in the complex and has become Bad Kissingen’s iconic landmark.
All three buildings are connected, allowing visitors to stroll through the halls even when the weather isn’t cooperating. The entire passage stretches about one kilometer in length.
Der Regentenbau an der Fränkischen Saale, erbaut von dem Architekten Max Littmann
Coburg
The charming and picturesque town of Coburg is definitely worth a visit. The market square, the castle square, and the Veste Coburg are must-sees when you’re in town. What’s especially impressive is the family history of the princely house, which, thanks to some clever family politics, is related to several European royal families—including the British and Belgian ones.
Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
“Saxe-Coburg and Gotha” was the name used by both the British and Belgian royal families until World War I. After the war, they wanted to downplay their German ties, so they changed their names. The British became the Windsors, and the Belgians started going by “van België,” “de Belgique,” or “von Belgien.”
That’s a shame for the town of Coburg—if those royal families hadn’t changed their names, it would have been a huge marketing boost for the small town.
(Now follows some background information about the Saxons in general. If you’re not interested in that and would rather stick with the connections to the European royal houses, click here to go straight to the family ties.)
How did the name “Saxony” come to be associated with Franconia?
Here’s a quick overview of Saxony: The name Saxe-Coburg and Gotha only partially overlaps with the medieval northern German duchy of Saxony. The Saxons originally lived in northern Germany near the Danish border.
Over time, dynastic changes shifted their territory southeast. In the 12th century, northern Old Saxony was split, with the name Saxony surviving in the east as the Principality of Saxony-Wittenberg.
Since 1356, Saxony-Wittenberg held the Saxon electorate under the Golden Bull of Emperor Charles IV. When Saxony-Wittenberg’s ruling line ended, the electorate passed in 1423 to the Margrave of Meissen from the House of Wettin. Today’s Saxony in southeastern Germany is linked to the Wettins, with Meissen located there.
So the name Saxony migrated from northern Germany near Denmark to the southeast. However, the name still appears in northern states like Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt.
Following the Thuringian-Hessian War of Succession in 1264, the Wettins expanded into central Germany—where Coburg lies.
Coburg from the Division of Leipzig to
Ernst I of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Another important milestone in the history of the House of Wettin was the Division of Leipzig in 1485, when the territory was split between the brothers Ernst and Albert. The elder Ernestine line, based in Wittenberg, received the electoral dignity, while the younger Albertine line ruled from Leipzig and Dresden. Thuringia and Coburg fell to the Ernestine line.
The Ernestine line was Protestant in orientation.
During the Schmalkaldic War, the Ernestines lost the Battle of Mühlberg in 1547 against the emperor’s troops. As a result, the electoral dignity passed to the imperial-loyal Albertine line in Dresden.
In the Thirty Years’ War, Coburg was defeated by imperial forces. Later, a costly 36-year-long inheritance dispute raged from 1699 to 1735. Divisions of inheritance, regional debts, and invading Napoleonic troops eventually left Coburg quite impoverished.
The Congress of Vienna in 1815 prompted Coburg to join the German Confederation, which suddenly improved the duchy’s financial and economic situation. Ernst I had been regent of “Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld” since 1806. In 1826, he exchanged Saalfeld for Gotha, creating the house known since then as “Saxe-Coburg and Gotha,” with Ernst as its first regent.
Ernst I of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and his family politics
Ernst I of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha had a total of eight siblings, many of whom married into various European royal families. Two stand out in particular: his brother Leopold, who became King Leopold I of the newly founded Kingdom of Belgium in 1831, and his sister Victoire, who married the Duke of Kent and had a daughter named Victoria, who later became Queen of England and Ireland.
Coburg shaped the British royal family
Ernst I himself was married to Luise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, and together they had two sons, Ernst and Albert. The elder son, Ernst, became the second Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, while the younger son, Albert, married the aforementioned Victoria. This meant that Albert and Victoria were first cousins and Ernst I was Victoria’s uncle while his sister Victoire was Albert’s aunt.
Victoria became Queen of England and Ireland, known to history as Queen Victoria, and Albert became her husband, known as Prince Albert, the Prince Consort. The couple went on to have nine children in total.
Victoria and Albert
Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, husband of Queen Victoria,
Paintings in Coburg Castle
right: Victoria, Queen of Great Britain and Ireland,
Paintings in Coburg Castle
In the two paintings above, which are displayed at Coburg Castle, Prince Albert — Ernst I’s second son — is shown on the left (or on top in the mobile version).
The painting on the right (or bottom in the mobile version) shows Victoria, who later became Prince Albert’s wife. She was the daughter of Victoire (pictured below), Ernst I’s sister.
So, Victoria and Prince Albert were related — they were cousins.
Victoire of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, mother of Queen Victoria and aunt of Prince Albert,
Paintings in Coburg Castle
The marriage of Victoria and Albert was happy. Perhaps Albert had learned from his parents' unhappy marriage and wanted to do it better. His father Ernst I had concubines, but did not allow his much younger wife Luise von Sachsen-Gotha-Altenburg to have affairs. But Luise started an affair with the younger equestrian Alexander von Hanstein which marked the end of the marriage with Ernst. Much worse for her was that she was not allowed to see her sons Albert and Ernst any more after leaving Coburg.
Unlike his father, Prince Albert never had mistresses. He was a family man, loved his children, looked after them and had a happy marriage with Victoria, which can also be seen from the fact that his early death, at only 42 years of age, was the hardest stroke of fate in Victoria's life that she had had never overcome. The once so fun-loving woman fell into a deep grief that never ended, so that she wore only black widow clothes and withdrew to the seclusion of Balmoral Castle or Osborne House for the next forty years that she was still alive. She was referred to as the "Widow of Windsor".
Albert had a significant impact on his wife and the development of Britain. Numerous institutions are named after him, including the Royal Albert Hall in London and the Victoria and Albert Museum. The first world exhibition in London in 1851 was made on his initiative, he started social projects, etc. The introduction of the Christmas tree in the royal family is said to go back to him. Perhaps Albert wanted to do a lot better not only in terms of his family, but also politically, because when he came to Great Britain, the British weren't happy to have a German in the royal family again. They had just passed the era of the Hanoverian Georgians, which was not remembered as a good time. Their extravagance had brought the kingdom to the brink of revolution. Albert wanted to prove himself and he absolutely made it. In the minds of the British, he is considered an extraordinary and popular Prince Consort.
The 20th century caused a cultural break between Britain and Germany, so that the remembrance of the past close relationship between the English royal family and the German nobility largely have been wiped out from Britain's page. That is also a reason that nowadays hardly any travelers from Great Britain come to Coburg or the Rhine any more. For most Britons today, Germany is a relatively unknown country. The historic awareness in Germany is also reduced, especially since World War II, so that there is little memory of the formerly close relationships between Britain and Germany as well.
Incidentally, Queen Victoria carried the hemophilia gene and passed it on to three of her nine children, including her second daughter Alice, who later became the mother of Alix von Hessen-Darmstadt, who became Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna by her marriage to the Russian Tsar Nicholas II. Her son Alexei, the Tsarevich, was also a hemophiliacs, which led to the story about Rasputin with his shamanic miraculous healing powers. The whole Romanov family were shot in Yekaterinburg in 1918 during the revolution.
Prince Albert on the market of Coburg
Alfred from Great Britain becomes the next Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
The fourth child of Prince Albert and Queen Victoria, Alfred, succeeded the childless Ernst II of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and moved from England to Coburg to the Palais Edinburgh next to the theater and opposite the castle, where he lived to his death. Edinburgh because Alfred had studied in Edinburgh and Bonn. The people of Coburg were not enthusiastic about a British on the ducal throne, also because Alfred spoke the worst German of all the children of Victoria and Albert (bear in mind that the Britons had Germans on their throne for centuries, some of them did not speak English at all, and did not even reside in England). Alfred made the same experience like his sister Vicky, who lived in Berlin (Vicky had married the German Kaiser). They were not really welcome. Alfred was a staunch Brit, had made a career in the Royal Navy, which had become home to him within his years of service. Coburg was a small principality and he had only domestic political power, which was of course provincial for him, In Coburg he always put his British title before the German one and was addressed as "Royal Highness", although he was not a king at all, but a duke. But over time, the people's trust in their duke grew.
He was married to the Russian Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna, the daughter of the Tsar. This marriage was not approved by Victoria as the relationship to the Romanovs was damaged since the Crimean War.
On the day of Alfred and Maria Alexandrovna's 25th wedding anniversary, their son Alfred attempted suicide and later died, whereupon Duke Alfred started drinking.
Emperor Frederick III, also known as the 99-day emperor, husband of Victoria,
Paintings in Coburg Castle
Victoria, daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, wife of the German Emperor Frederick III.
Paintings in Coburg Castle
Victoria, the first daughter of Victoria and Albert, can be seen on the right of the two paintings above (or on bottom in the mobile version). She was called "Vicky". Like Alfred, she lived in Germany because she had married the German Kaiser (Emperor).
Her husband is shown on the left (or above in the mobile version), Friedrich III, German Emperor and King of Prussia, the 99-day emperor, who died of throat cancer at the age of 57.
Ernst I. and his investments in architecture
Ernst I. invested heavily in art, architecture, and urban planning, giving the small town of Coburg a surprisingly grand feel.
The first part of Ehrenburg Castle was actually built back in 1542 on the foundations of a former Franciscan monastery. Since monasteries weren’t really welcome in Protestant Coburg, they were simply dissolved.
Ernst I. later redesigned the castle by hiring Karl Friedrich Schinkel, who remodeled it in the neo-Gothic style. Schinkel also designed the whole complex—including the theater building, the castle square between them, the arcades, and the sloping courtyard garden behind it that leads up to Veste Coburg and connects the castle with the fortress.
On top of that, Ernst had Schloss Rosenau near Coburg and Schloss Reinhardsbrunn near Gotha built.
Bamberg
Bayreuth
The Margravial Opera House in Bayreuth is the best-preserved, free-standing Opera house from the Baroque period. Because of this unique position, it was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List
For the non-opera experts: the annual Bayreuth Festival does not take place in this opera house in downtown Bayreuth, but in the festival hall on the so-called Green Hill, just outside the city.
The Margravial Opera House can be seen on the photo above and below.
The opera house consists of extremely flammable Materials, mostly wood and canvas and it borders on a wonder it never burned down. One could assume that this gem is now museum-like and can only be viewed, but concerts and performances are actually still held in it.
(If you are interested in what's happening there, click here .)
The owner of the opera house was Margravine Wilhelmine von Brandenburg-Bayreuth (1709-1758), a woman who has evidently devoted her entire life to the love of opera.
First about the family relationships, which were not insignificant: Wilhelmine was the daughter of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King in Prussia and Elector of Brandenburg, the so-called "Soldier King". Friedrich II., King of Prussia and Elector of Brandenburg, was her brother.
Both children stood out for their high level of musical talent, which was encouraged by their mother. The father vehemently rejected musical pursuits. During his reign the court was spartan, the expansion of the military was a priority. That is why Friedrich and Wilhelmine allied themselves in their musical world against their strict father. Friedrich was Wilhelmine's favorite brother. The years in Berlin must have been a torture for her, as she portrays drastically in her records: An Italian nanny, who did political espionage by asking the child about parents' conversations who pounded Wilhelmine even daily when she could not get the informations she needed. A father who asserted with physical violence. Even Friedrich could hardly stand it, found refuge in his mother's Monbijou Castle, where he had a secret library and could discuss philosophy with her. Later he deserted with the help of his friend Hans Hermann von Katte. The attempt to escape failed and Friedrich and his friend were arrested and locked up. The same thing happened to Wilhelmine, who was assumed to be an accomplice. The soldier king threatened his children with interrogation, torture, even execution. This did not happen, but after Katte was sentenced to life imprisonment, the elector exercised his right to sharpen his sentence and had him executed by beheading. Friedrich had to watch the beheading of his friend. Perhaps Katte and Friedrich were lovers, it can be read over and over again that Friedrich loved men and it wouldn't be absurd if you have a closer look on his life.
Friedrich and Wilhelmine loved music all their lives. Friedrich was a flute player and composed very well.
His sister also composed, wrote libretti, was an art patron and opera director. She dedicated her life to music.
Perhaps behind the great need for representation in Bayreuth was also her failed engagement to the future English king. Her mother Sophia Dorothea from the house of Hanover was a daughter of the English King George I of Hanover, whose brother, Wilhelmine's uncle, later became King George II. Wilhelmine should marry his son Friedrich Ludwig, who was the next candidate for the throne.
On the other hand her father, the soldier king, pursued completely different plans and oriented himself more towards the House of Habsburg in order to prove his loyalty to the emperor. The engagement of Wilhelmine and Friedrich Ludwig was canceled shortly before the wedding, instead Wilhelmine married the Bayreuth Margrave Prince Friedrich.
The opera house was built for the wedding of Wilhelmine's daughter, which was celebrated at great expense in 1748.
Wilhelmine brought the most famous theater architect of her time to Bayreuth, Giuseppe Galli Bibiena, who designed the theater in the style of an Italian log theater. Construction supervision on site was carried out by his son Carlo Galli Bibiena, who built numerous stage sets and festive decorations until Wilhelmine's death.
In the spirit of baroque architecture, the auditorium and stage form a unit, in that the boundaries of painting, sculpture and architecture seem to merge into one another.
Nowadays, when you step into the room, you are overwhelmed by the sensory impressions and the splendor that unfolds in it.
In Bayreuth you can of course do a lot more. The city was residential city, so there is an old and a new palace - the latter can be seen in the photo below - as well as the Hermitage and the Fantasie Palace.
There is a lot of gastronomy in the quite lively city center.
Rothenburg ob der Tauber
