Würzburg has one of the great interiors of 18th-century Europe. The Residenz - the Baroque palace built for the Prince-Bishops between 1720 and 1744 - contains Tiepolo's ceiling fresco in the staircase hall: the largest ceiling painting in the world, 18 metres by 30 metres, depicting the four continents as allegory for the Fürstbischof who commissioned it. The Bürgerspital wine estate, founded in 1316, is two minutes walk from the palace and serves Franconian wine by the glass in a vaulted cellar.
Getting There
ICE from Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof to Würzburg Hauptbahnhof: approximately 65 minutes. Trains run at least twice per hour. The station is at the west edge of the city; the Residenz is a 20-minute walk east, or a short taxi.
The Residenz
Würzburger Residenz (UNESCO World Heritage Site, entry approximately €9): the Baroque palace designed by Balthasar Neumann for the Prince-Bishop of Würzburg, begun in 1720. The building is a UNESCO World Heritage Site; the specific reason is the staircase hall and the Tiepolo ceiling.
The Grand Staircase: A single unsupported stone vault spanning 18 metres by 30 metres - the largest unsupported vault in the world at the time of construction. The ceiling fresco was painted by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo between 1752 and 1753. It depicts Apollo and the Continents: the four known continents (Europe, Asia, Africa, America) as allegorical figures around the edges, with Apollo and Olympus at the centre. Tiepolo inserted his own portrait and that of Neumann into the allegory.
The fresco survived the Allied bombing of Würzburg in March 1945 that destroyed 90% of the city; the vault held while the building around it burned. The restorers who worked on it after the war found the Tiepolo almost undamaged under the soot.
The White Hall and Imperial Hall (Kaisersaal): the state rooms on the piano nobile with their stucco work by Antonio Bossi and ceiling frescoes by Tiepolo. The White Hall's white stucco is the most precise Rococo plasterwork in Germany.
The palace gardens (Hofgarten, free) are behind the building in a formal Baroque layout with orange trees in tubs in October.
The Medieval Fortress and Vineyard
Marienberg Fortress (Festung Marienberg) stands across the River Main on the western hill - visible from the city centre and from the Alte Mainbrücke (the 18th-century bridge guarded by stone saints). The fortress has the Mainfränkisches Museum (entry approximately €5) covering the sculpture of Tilman Riemenschneider (the Würzburg woodcarver whose work is in the Bode and the Met).
The vineyard on the slopes below the fortress is a working wine estate - Franconian wine (Silvaner is the local grape) grown in steep terraces. The Würzburg winegrowers' cooperative and the Bürgerspital estate both produce wines from this vineyard. The view from the Alte Mainbrücke back to the fortress above the vines is the canonical Würzburg image.
Bürgerspital Wine Estate
Bürgerspital zum Heiligen Geist (founded 1316 as a hospice, still functions as a retirement home and wine estate): the restaurant and wine cellar on Theaterstrasse, 2 minutes walk from the Residenz. Franconian wine by the glass in a vaulted cellar, or at tables in the courtyard.
The house wines: Silvaner (the grape that defines Franconian wine - dry, mineral, lower alcohol than Riesling), Rieslaner, and the estate's Randersackerer Pfülben (the best vineyard site). Order the Tafelspitz (boiled beef with horseradish and vegetable broth) for dinner.
Where to Stay
Hotel Würzburger Hof on Barbarossaplatz: the classic city-centre hotel near the station. Maritim Hotel Würzburg on Pleichertorstrasse: larger, with pool, 10 minutes walk from the Residenz. Hotel Rebstock on Neubaustrasse: 18th-century baroque townhouse, the most atmospheric option.
Practical Notes
- Würzburg is 120 km southeast of Frankfurt on the ICE line.
- October in Würzburg: 8-12°C. The palace heating works; bring a layer for the evenings.
- The Residenz is closed on Mondays - check if the marathon falls on the preceding Sunday for access on Monday.
- Wine country: Würzburg is the start of the Franconian wine route south along the Main valley. Volkach and Iphofen (30-45 min by regional train) have further vineyard towns for a Day Two extension.