Michelsberg Abbey, Bamberg

For fourteen years the church on the Michelsberg was hidden behind scaffolding; now it is open again. St Michael's was rededicated with a service on 25 April 2026. The former Benedictine abbey sits on one of Bamberg's seven hills, and its twin towers are part of the World Heritage city's skyline. Inside is a vault you are unlikely to see anywhere else, the Heavenly Garden with almost 600 painted plants. Outside, the terrace offers one of the best views over the old town.

History: 1,000 years on the hill

Bamberg's first bishop, Eberhard, founded the abbey in 1015, shortly after Emperor Henry II created the diocese. The present church, Romanesque at its core, was consecrated in 1121. The abbey flourished under Bishop Otto, who is buried here and was canonised in 1189. After a fire in 1610 the nave and west end were largely rebuilt, and from 1696 Leonhard Dientzenhofer added the two-storey Baroque façade.

Monastic life ended with secularisation in 1803, and the buildings became the town's almshouse, today a care home. In November 2012 pieces of plaster and stone fell from the ceiling onto an empty pew and the church was closed. The total restoration of the complex is estimated at around €110 million.

What to see

• Heavenly Garden: The ceilings show about 580 plants, from pineapple, cotton and tobacco to apple, blackberry and beech, completed by four painters in 1617. Only one mistake is known: the bean flower is yellow instead of white.
• Crypt and Otto's tomb: The 15th-century tomb of St Otto has an opening that pilgrims still crawl through, said to cure back pain. It also bears the only coloured depiction of a "Bamberg dragon".
• Bishops' tombs: King Ludwig I had several prince-bishops' monuments removed from the cathedral in 1833; they now stand in St Michael's aisles.
• Terrace and gardens: Views of the cathedral and old town, terraced gardens and a vineyard replanted for the 2012 garden show.

Good to know

Six new bells were installed in December 2025. A brewery museum occupies the old abbey brewery, and the hill is a setting in the 2007 TV crime comedy "Pfarrer Braun – Braun unter Verdacht".

Opening hours (as of October 2026)

Since 1 May 2026 the church has been open Friday to Sunday and on public holidays, 11:00–16:00. No sightseeing during services.

Getting there

It is about a ten-minute uphill walk from the cathedral. The walk up from the old town is the nicest way to arrive.

Tripto tip

Allow 45 to 90 minutes and bring binoculars or a zoom lens for the ceiling. As the church only opens Friday to Sunday, plan your Bamberg visit for a weekend. In Advent, combine it with the Christmas market on Maxplatz below.