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WURZBURG
- GERMANY
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.
History
By 1000 BC a Celtic fortification stood on the site of the Fortress
Marienberg. It was christianized in 689, and the first diocese was founded
by St. Bonifatius in 742. 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 Würzburg Residence were laid. In 1814, the town
became part of the Bavarian state. During World War II, 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.
Arts and Architecture
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.
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.
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