Amberg Old Town

Amberg's old town in the Upper Palatinate lies on the Vils river about 55 km east of Nuremberg and has kept much of its medieval layout. An almost complete ring of walls encloses the market square, churches and the former electors' palace. Its best-known sight is the Stadtbrille ("town spectacles"): a water gate whose arches are reflected in the Vils as two circles.

History: iron and electors

Amberg grew rich on iron ore and lies on the Bavarian Iron Road between Pegnitz and Regensburg. As seat of government of the Upper Palatinate it was the regional capital of the Electors Palatine. Elector Ludwig III built the Electoral Palace in 1417. Fortifications with more than 100 towers and double walls made Amberg a water fortress; a chronicler wrote in 1564 that it was the "most fortified princely town". It was only seriously besieged in 1703, during the War of the Spanish Succession.

In 1621 Amberg passed to Bavaria with the Upper Palatinate, and in 1810 it lost its role as seat of government to Regensburg. Mining continued into the 20th century: the last iron ore was extracted in 1964 and the Luitpoldhütte blast furnace ran until 1968.

What to see

• Stadtbrille: the late-medieval water gate spans the Vils in two arches; reflected in the water, they look like a pair of glasses. A third arch, long walled up, has been reopened.
• Town wall and gates: Nabburger Tor, Ziegeltor, Vilstor and Wingershofer Tor survive, with the Stadtbrille counted as the fifth gate.
• Market square: with the Gothic town hall and the Basilica of St Martin, begun in 1421 as a burghers' church. According to the town it is the largest Gothic hall church in the Upper Palatinate, and its tower rises straight out of the Vils to almost 92 m.
• Electoral Palace and Arsenal: the palace of 1417 now houses the district office, next to the former arsenal and the chancellery with its Renaissance oriel.
• Eh'häusl: a narrow historic house said to be one of the smallest hotels in the world.
• Mariahilfberg: the pilgrimage church above the town, built after the plague to plans by Wolfgang Dientzenhofer and consecrated in 1711, has frescoes by Cosmas Damian Asam.

Guided tours (as of October 2026)

• Public town tour: about 1.5 hours, meeting at the tourist information on Hallplatz 2. Adults €8, reduced €6. Several times a week from September to the end of October, every second Saturday at 10:30 from November to February.
• St Martin's tower tour: around 300 steps up narrow spiral stairs and old wooden steps, good fitness required, 1.5 hours, adults €11.50. Until the end of October on Saturdays at 11:00 and Sundays and holidays at 14:00. Tickets online or at the tourist information; none are sold by the guide.

Tripto tips

Allow 2 to 4 hours for the Stadtbrille, the wall and the market square. The reflection of the Stadtbrille is best when the water is calm. From May to October you can take a flat-boat trip on the Vils from the Schiffbrücke. In early July the Bergfest draws pilgrims and visitors up the Mariahilfberg.