The Museum of Franconia is housed in the premises of the Marienberg Fortress. The Marienberg Fortress is the symbol of Würzburg and "thrones" over the city, visible from afar. From 1201 until the move to the residence, the castle was the seat of the prince bishops of Würzburg. Traces of human settlement have been found here during excavations up to the Hallstatt period (around 1000 BC).
Like a cut tree trunk, the growth of the fortress can be followed from its inner core to the outside: The oldest parts can be found in the innermost courtyard with the Marienkirche, which has its origins in the 8th century, the keep and the well house, which is above a 104 m (!) deep shaft was built, which ensured the water supply of the fortress. On the city side, the so-called prince's building with the prince's garden in front borders this courtyard.
The connection to the second courtyard, which was essentially created under Prince Bishop Julius Echter (1573 - 1617) with farm buildings, a bastion and a horse pond in the center, is formed by the Scherenberg gate, which was originally only accessible from the outside via a drawbridge. The youngest part of the fortress is the Greiffenclau courtyard with the commander's building and baroque armory (1709 - 1712). Both buildings were used for military purposes, a task that the fortress served exclusively when the prince-bishop's residence was relocated to the municipal residence from the middle of the 18th century.
View of the Marienberg Fortress and the Old Main Bridge in Würzburg
Caspar Merian after Wenzel Hollar, 1648, and Anna Beek, 1690/1700
Image: Rolf Matthes
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Museum for Franconia
State Museum for Art and Cultural History in Würzburg