City: Bamberg is a picturesque town
in the German state of Bavaria. This town has 70,004 inhabitants
(2010) in an area of approximately 54 km ². This ancient
Franconia Imperial city and Bishop See is located in a valley
through which the river Regnitz flows. This city has the largest
preserved historic center of Germany. The old town is also
on the World Heritage List of UNESCO. The many narrow streets
leading to town squares, make it feel like one is in a big
open air museum with all its medieval and Baroque facades.
Building: The old Town Hall is one of
the finest buildings in the city. The first time this building
was mentioned was in the year 1386. It was renovated and rebuilt
during 1461-1467. In fact, the building stands on a bridge
over the Regnitz. The legend goes that the Bishop would not
give permission to build a city hall. The citizens banded
together and in the middle of the river, on an artificial
island, they built their city hall. Especially noteworthy
are the beautiful murals that were painted ??in 1756 by Johann
Anwander, an established painter. His murals and paintings
can be seen in more than 50 churches in Germany.
God's name: On the east side the paintings
depict allegories and symbols by Bishop Johann Philipp Anton
von Frankenstein. The west side is a public area and also
shows allegories depicting Christian virtues. The figure we
show is named Temperance (moderation) with her ??feet crushing
Slander. God's name is placed above the figure, placed in
a triangle.
