John Edward Donovan

A Special small town in Bavaria, Germany

An article detailing sights to visit in Forchheim in Bavaria, Germany

Forchheim is a small upper Franconian town 32 kilometres north of Nuremberg. It has an approximate population of 30,000 but is quite a vital place with numerous cafes and restaurants and pubs in the town centre. It recently celebrated its 1200th  year anniversary, the town was first mentioned in Imperial edicts in 805 AD.

            In July and August each year it holds possibly one of the best beer festivals in Germany, the Annafest, held on the Kellerburg, a large hill which has numerous original beer kellers (cellars) built into the stone of the hill that date back a couple of centuries. It is a large festival which has a fair and many booths to entertain the guests as well as the beer kellers which are a must at any beer festival.

            The town also boasts the world’s loveliest Advent Calendar when the whole of the town hall (rathaus) becomes one in December – on each day one of the windows is opened and decorated.

            The Kaiserpfalz (the Prince-Bishop’s palace) dates from the fourteenth century and contains a museum. It is surrounded by a moat (now drained) which is often used for medieval demonstrations.

            Through the centre of the main street runs a small man made creek (baechla) which adds a nice touch to the city centre.

            The fortified walls of the town helped to see Forchheim through the thirty years war without harm. The town was besieged several times between 1632 and 1634 and some of the townsfolk earned the name Mauerscheißer (“wall shitters”) during one of the sieges for the habit of defecating over the wall to show the besiegers that there was still plenty of food in the town and that their efforts to take it were pointless. There are remanants of these walls left and theys can be traversed in places although they no longer surround the city.

            The Katharinenspital (hospital) dates from 1611 and is now an old person’s home, it is built over the river Regnitz and still maintains its old appearance. The Spitalkirche (hospital church), is even older and goes back to 1490. There is also an old 17th century mill, the Kammerersmühle, now used as a wine bar,  

            The Martinskirche ( St Martin’s church)dates to the 12th–15th centuries  and dominates the town centre. There is also a monastery church and monastery - Klosterkirche and Kloster that is dated to the seventeenth century.  

            Although only a relatively small town it is well worth a visit. The town contains numerous pleasant restaurants, cafes and bars many of which stock the local beers and during summer the town definitely has the European café society feel about it. Numerous small villages in the Forchheim area abound and all serve local delicacies such as Schaufela – a large slab of pork - so called after the bone at the centre which is a small shovel. It is served with potato dumplings and a lovely sauce and is certainly worth trying out. Many of these small village restaurants also brew their own beer and the Forchheim district and its environs is a veritable beer connoisseurs paradise.

            Forchheim is easily one of the more pleasant places to visit in the greater Nuremberg area and I can heartily recommend a trip to this small Franconian town.

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