On a voyage of discovery in Bamberg's garden centre

Bamberg railway station was put into operation in 1844. The historic building, designed by architect Georg Friedrich Christian Bürklein, has been preserved apart from minor alterations. In front of it, you will find one of the green steles that enrich your walk through the garden centre with information. Read about the bright but also the dark sides of the railway connection for Bamberg's gardeners.

From the station forecourt, turn right into Ludwigstraße. Following Klosterstraße, you will come to a 700-year-old sacred place that was an important centre of attraction in the early days of the Gardeners' Town, the Dominican Monastery of the Holy Sepulchre.

Originally, the Corpus Christi Chapel was open to the faithful of the neighbourhood for their church services. On 12 February 1352, the wealthy Bamberg couple Kunigunde and Franz Münzmeister donated the monastery of St Catherin zu dem Heiligen Grab. This made it possible to build the monastery church, which was consecrated in 1356. The Cross of Divine Mercy, also donated by the Münzmeisters, subsequently became a popular pilgrimage destination.

The Peasants' War and the Thirty Years' War left their destructive mark on the monastery. Secularisation, however, was a decisive factor, as a result of which the monastery was declared dissolved in 1803 and passed into military administration. A garrison hospital was established. The church served the military as an equipment and clothing store until 1918. In 1926, the convent was refounded and eight Dominican nuns from the St Ursula convent moved in. More recently, the sisters have taken up the monastic tradition of producing sacred textiles.

The convent opens some of its rooms to the public on "open days".

From the monastery, walk back a little way. Follow the Spiegelgraben and pass the traditional Schumm nursery on the right at no. 10. The Schumm family has been growing vegetables since the 19th century. The family business therefore has old local varieties on offer, which have been propagated over generations.

The next destination is a highlight in the truest sense of the word and awaits you directly at the Böhmerwiese nursery in Heiliggrabstraße. The nursery has been family-owned since 1913 and is now run by siblings Sabine Gründler and Ralf Böhmer. The company is not only known for its floristry and horticultural work, but also for its successful cultural and tourist events. The Bamberg Garden Fair and the Onion Festival are held here every year.

The architecturally unique viewing platform on the Böhmerwiese is also part of the gardening business.

The impressive glass viewing platform was built by architect Stefan Giers on the occasion of the 2012 State Garden Show and was included in the "Bavarian Architectural Tours" in the same year. The steel and glass construction is reminiscent of a classic greenhouse. This is one of the few opportunities to access the interior of the city block through the almost completely closed perimeter block development of the Gärtnerstadt and gain an insight into the historical urban structure characterised by agriculture.

The glass building is irritating at first glance because it is slightly tilted. This initially caused some debate, but also earned the viewing platform the affectionate nickname "Leaning Tower of Bamberg".

Continue along Heiliggrabstraße and Spitalstraße to the Gardeners' and Growers' Museum. It is a unique open-air and specialised museum and is still an insider tip among visitors to Bamberg.

A gardener from the 18th century would immediately find his way around the house and garden and be able to go about his daily work straight away. The current museum building was erected in 1767 as a drive-through and stable house in a functional design for gardeners' houses of the time. The house belonged to the Kauer family, who lived in it until the 20th century and made a considerable fortune thanks to good business. The last descendant of the Kauer family lived here until 1969.

A gardener's house with a draw well had already stood here around 1600. The furnishings of the museum were modelled in every detail on the beginnings and development of gardening culture in Bamberg. The black kitchen is identical to those used by the gardener families who lived here around 1769. The parlour is furnished in the style of the 19th century. The farmyard, including the coach house with all its utensils, gives a clear impression of the way gardening families lived and worked in the 18th and 19th centuries. In the kitchen garden next to the house, everything that the kitchen demanded at the time and that was part of Bamberg's specialities is grown. A separate part of the house and garden is dedicated to the life and work of the Häcker family. They originally worked as winegrowers on the hillsides around Bamberg, but had to switch to cold-tolerant crops during the Little Ice Age, including hops.

Visitors can discover the museum and garden on their own with an audio guide or book a guided tour.

After so much exercise, mental nourishment and fresh air, you will no doubt be in the mood for some culinary refreshment. Then look forward to a visit to the Fässla brewery, which you can reach on a short walk through Letzengasse. You can find out interesting facts about the brewing trade in Bamberg on one of the green information pillars at the end of Letzengasse, on the corner of Obere Königsstraße.

The building in which the brewery in Obere Königsstraße was founded 350 years ago dates back to the 14th century. One year after the Thirty Years' War, the brewer and brewer Hanß Lauer set up his Fässla brewery here, which means "little barrel". The Kalb family has been running the traditional brewery since 1986, now in its second generation. Seven widely appreciated beer specialities are brewed here with love and expertise in ultra-modern facilities.

But Fässla not only stands for excellent beer quality, its hospitality is also famous. In the rustic restaurants, of which the Fässla brewery operates nine, tourists feel just as at home as the locals from Bamberg, who enjoy their beer or a meal here after work. Franconian specialities such as Schäuferla and Bräten are popular and are prepared with much love.

Well fortified, we now continue along the Obere Königsstraße towards Theuerstadt, once a suburb of Bamberg. A 700-year-old document mentions Bamberg's first gardener in Theuerstadt, his name was Fritz Pleinser.

In the Obere Königstraße, there is plenty for gourmets to discover, for example in the "Müller Delikatessen" shop, which sells delicacies from its own production. Perhaps you have left yourself a little room for a small dessert at the Fässla pub, then you are sure to find something at "Müller Delikatessen".

At the church of St Gangolf, which dates back to the 11th century and is the oldest church in Bamberg, you will find another of the green steles on which you can learn more about the district of Theuerstadt. You should definitely treat yourself to a look inside the church.

The collegiate church in Theuerstadt was consecrated to St Gangolf in 1063. St Gangolf lived in Burgundy in the 8th century. He was a knight who, according to legend, was charitable and worked miracles. Through his prayers alone, he caused a dried-up spring to bubble up again. After forgiving his wife for her adultery and giving her half of his property, he was murdered by his wife's lover. Miracles were said to have happened at his gravesite. He was canonised and the former collegiate church of St. Gangolf is said to house part of the saint's head as a relic.

In the 12th century, the church was extended with the construction of two towers. Over the centuries, the church was increasingly gothicised and extended. However, some of the wooden beams in the roof truss still date back to the 12th century.
Until the 19th century, St. Gangolf was the spiritual and legal centre of the village.

Today, the parish of St Gangolf can once again boast a lively community life. The oldest church in Bamberg keeps itself young in a creative way and also organises church services especially for doubters under the motto "zweifelLOS".

Make your way in the direction of Egelseestraße. If you take a look at the other information pillars along the way, you will also learn something about the vegetable seeds grown in the garden centre, the types of gardener's houses and religious markings.

At Nürnberger Straße 86, you will find the Mussärol nursery - the last stop on your tour. You have probably already solved the riddle of the meaning of the word Mussärol in the museum. The Mussärol nursery not only cultivates, cares for and processes herbs, it is also home to the only professional liquorice cultivation in Germany and Northern Europe. The farm shop and show garden are open on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

The nursery has been family-owned for six generations. In 1994, Gertrud Leumer switched to organic herb cultivation and was the first organic nursery in Bamberg. It is run sustainably and as climate-neutral as possible.

The Mussärol Bamberger Kräutergärtnerei is a speciality nursery that offers visitors a wide range of plants and products three days a week. Visitors will find over 200 different herbs and aromatic plants in the show garden. Touching is expressly permitted. Here you can simply give your soul a rest and open your senses. There are guided tours on fixed dates and, of course, the farm shop offers seasonal plants that will delight any gardener, such as seedlings of various vegetable plants in May, for example old tomato varieties, as well as liquorice and herb products. Or home-grown herbs and refined herbal products, such as the popular lavender syrup.

Since 2020, the cultivation and processing of liquorice has been integrated into the Mussärol Bamberger Kräuter Gärtnerei as a further branch of production, making it unique in the whole of Germany. In the meantime, numerous points of sale can once again be supplied with Bamberg liquorice products from local cultivation.

Your way back leads you through Nürnberger Straße and Josephstraße to Luitpoldstraße.

Green steles with information about the history of the town also await you on this stage. Various bistros and snack bars as well as restaurants invite you to stop for refreshments on the way back to the railway station or to reflect on your impressions over a good glass of wine. You will find the Vegan Food Rebels Bamberg at Luitpolstraße 34 and the Cocoon Restaurant with delicious Asian dishes at No. 55.

Rich in impressions and certainly in possession of one or two aromatic or eye-pleasing souvenirs, you can start your return journey comfortably by train.