Forchheim

Here are some touristy photos of Forchheim, in what's fancifully called "Franconian Switzerland" (Fränkische Schweiz), that I took on 10-12 August 1999.

Forchheim is between Nuremberg and Bamberg and not far from Bayreuth and other places of interest. Though we only used it as a base for Bamberg, you could easily spend a week on day trips from here. We decided on it because the very brief write-up in the Rough Guide to Germany made it sound pleasant as well as convenient. And I didn't even realize that it has five breweries. (Forcheim tourist office please note: the Cadogan guide to Bavaria barely mentions your fair town!)

More than living up to its billing in the Rough Guide, Forcheim has a splendid market square (Rathausplatz):

A wide view of the square, then the building on the left, then a detail of that.

Look at the photo on the left and you'll see a sort of rivulet (Bächla) coming in from the left and vanishing underground next to the pedestrians-only sign. Occasionally covered by a metal grating, this rivulet goes all the way along and straight down the middle of the pedestrian street. Nasty if you inadvertently pedaled your bike into it, but pleasing otherwise.

"Tchibo" (left) is one of a couple of chains that combines a stand-coffee bar and a miscellaneous shop, mostly for small household electrical appliances and ladies' underwear.

(In 1999, I wrote: "Tokyo residents, please imagine sipping your coffee in Doutor while looking not at elaborate coffee-grinders but well displayed bras and panties. Come to think of it, Tchibo might use this titillating combination to break into the current uninteresting oligopoly." Since then, Tchibo has started up, but they skipped the undies. Perhaps that's why they lag behind the indigenous and American chains.)

Slightly away from the market square and pedestrian precinct is this building. I should have taken more photos of it.

And see WebFO (in English), Forchheim-Online (the regional portal site), Der Neue Wiesentbote (the first and only pure internet newspaper of the region), and the official page.

Any comments? Corrections? Write to me (Peter Evans), or tell the whole world.

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First created -- in home-devised cookie-cutter style (batch files and lean, mean software) -- on 27 December 1999. Last fiddled with: 6 March 2004.