Würzburg
Würzburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany. Located on the Main river, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk Unterfranken.
The city of Würzburg is not included in Würzburg (district), but is its administrative seat. Its population is about 127,000 as of 2000.
Already in 1000 BC a celtic fortification stood on the site of the Festung Marienberg. It was christianized in 689; the first diocese was founded by St. Bonifatius in 742 and he appointed the first bishop of Würzburg, St. Burkhard.
The first church at the site of the cathedral was built in 788, the current building was constructed 1040-1225 in romanesque style. The University of Würzburg was founded in 1402 and re-founded 1582.
Würzburg was a center of the German Peasants' War; the castle was besieged unsuccessfully. Notable duke bishops include Julius Echter and members of the Schönborn family. In 1631, Swedish King Gustav Adolf invaded the town and destroyed the castle.
In 1720, foundations of the Wurzburg Residence were laid.
In 1814, the town became part of the Bavarian state. On March 16, 1945, 90% of the city was laid to ruins by a British bombing campaign. Most of the main artistic highlights survived, while the baroque city center was irrecoverably damadged.
Notable artists that lived in Würzburg include poet Walther von der Vogelweide, philosopher Albertus Magnus and
painter Mathias Grunewald. Two artist that made a lasting impression were sculptor Tilman Riemenschneider (1460-1531), who was also mayor and participated in the Peasants' War, and Balthasar Neumann (1687-1753), baroque architect and builder of the Würzburg Residence that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its interiour was decorated by Giovanni and Domenico Tiepolo. Many of the cities "100 churches" survived intact with styles ranging from romanesque, gothic, baroque to modern. Würzburg hosts the Mainfranken Museum, with artefacts from prehistory until modern times, a Museum of the cathedral, galleries for ancient and modern art, and the "Kulturspeicher" from 2002. Notable festivals include the Afrika Fest in Mai and the Mozart Fest, in June/July.
History
Arts and Architecture
Other Famous Citizens
Philipp von Siebold was among the first Westerners to visit and work in Japan (1823). Werner Heisenberg was born in Würzburg in 1901. It is the location of Wilhelm Röntgen's original laboratory, where he discovered x-rays. The University granted Alexander Graham Bell an honorary Ph.D. for his pioneering scientific work. Würzburg is also the hometown of NBA star Dirk Nowitzki.