Amberg Travel Guide
A detailed destination guide for your next Germany vacation
Amberg Overview
Amberg is a town in Bavaria, Germany. It is located in the Upper Palatinate (German: Oberpfalz), roughly halfway between Regensburg (Regensburg vacation rentals | Regensburg travel guide) and Bayreuth (Bayreuth vacation rentals | Bayreuth travel guide). Its population was 44,456 in 2006.
Things to See in Amberg
A defining feature of the town is the Stadtbrille (literally town spectacles
) a bridge, originally a part of the town fortifications, whose arches reflected on the river waters resemble a pair of glasses.
Other tourist attractions in Amberg include:
- Market Square (Germ. Marktplatz), which contains the Gothic town hall (built in 1358) and the late-Gothic Parish Church of St. Martin
- The New Palace (Germ. Neues Schloß), the former residence of the counts of the Rhennish Palatinate, built at the beginning of the 15th century and renovated in 1603
- A well preserved section of the medieval walls and gates
- The baroque Franciscan monastery on the Hill of Our Lady Help of Christians (Germ. Mariahilfberg) above the town. This hill was given its name during the bubonic plague in the Thirty Years' War in 1633/4 when the locals beseeched the Virgin Mary to rid them of the plague.
- The 'Little Wedding House' (Germ. Ehhäusl), claimed by town authorities to be the world's smallest hotel. Built in 1728, the 2 meter wide hotel was 'sold' to young couples for one night to circumvent laws prohibiting marriages between poor people.
[ source: wikipedia ]
Where to stay in Amberg?
Check out our selection of hand-selected and quality Amberg vacation rentals and holiday apartments.
Maps and Driving Directions to Amberg
Travel Insider Tips for Amberg
Amberg
[ source: Flickr]
Related Sites
We collected some useful links related to Amberg. If you know a few more sites not listed here, or also know some insider tips or point of interests for this destination? Please share and submit your Germany travel tip. If approved it will be shown on this page!
- Homepage of Amberg: Amberg (official home page)
- Wikipedia: Amberg
- Wikipedia: Amberg
- Stadtbrille Amberg
- Amberg city guide
- Hill of Our Lady Help of Christians (Mariahilfberg)
- The Little Wedding House
- Amberg notable attractions
- Parish of St. Martin
- Stadttheater Amberg
- Regierungskanzlei Amberg (Government Chancellery)
- Amberg (official home page)
More about the History of Amberg
The town was first mentioned in 1034, at that time under the name Ammenberg. It became an important trading centre in the Middle Ages, exporting mainly iron ore and iron products. In 1269, together with Bamberg (Bamberg vacation rentals | Bamberg travel guide), the town became subordinate to the Wittelsbach dynasty that ruled Bavaria.
In 1329 the town and the entire Upper Palatinate fell to a branch line of the Wittelsbach family and was no longer part of the duchy of Bavaria. Although in geographic terms it was regarded as Bavarian and the region was part of the Bavarian circle in the organisation of the Imperial Circles. The rulers of Upper Palatinate were open-minded towards Protestantism. In the 16th century the town turned to Lutheranism, but attempts of the ruling family to introduce the more radical Calvinism failed due to the reluctance of its citizens.
In 1628 Amberg and Upper Palatinate became part of the electorate of Bavaria. The inhabitants were given the choice: return to Catholicism or leave the town forever. Many families left the town and fled to the Free Imperial Cities of Regensburg (Regensburg vacation rentals | Regensburg travel guide) and Nuremberg (Nuremberg vacation rentals | Nuremberg travel guide).
Amberg was the regional capital of Upper Palatinate until 1810 when power was transferred to the larger city of Regensburg.
After the Second World War, when Bavaria fell into the American Sector, Amberg was home to Pond Barracks, a United States Army base. The base was finally closed in 1992 and turned over to the local community for housing, most of it social housing.
[ source: wikipedia ]
What makes this Live Like a German Amberg Travel Guide special...
This Amberg travel guide provides you with an overview of Amberg, Amberg pictures, and a local travel guide that suggests many special trips, unique activities, and vacation ideas, that you can't find in a typical Germany travel guide.
Some of this information is compiled from popular and well-known sources (e.g., such as Wikipedia, Wikitravel, and great pictures from Flickr). However, what makes this Germany travel guide special is that most of the travel suggestions and insider tips are provided by local residents, property owners, and our readers, who share and submit their travel tips with us. All submissions are then editorially reviewed to ensure high quality. All this information is logically organized within this destination guide to make it easy for you to find things quickly.
In addition, the Amberg destination guide features restaurant recommendations, restaurant reviews, where to go for grocery shopping, sports activities, getting around, cultural events and highlights, entertainment, and health related information - so you are informed for your travel to Germany, and you can learn about all the cool things you can do during your Germany vacation!
