Visiting Würzburg, Germany - American family visits the historic Franconian city

Würzburg, Germany - a city with a history dating back to at least 1000 BC - is the next stop on our tour through the Franconian region of Northern Bavaria. We spent two days exploring the city, with highlights including an enormous fortress, a gorgeous residence, and beautiful churches, not to mention delicious food! We enjoyed our time here and highly recommend visiting.
We'll have a lot more videos from the amazing and historic cities of this region coming soon, so don't forget to subscribe to the channel and hit that notification bell so you don't miss anything!
Shout out to Philipp for recommending Backöfele! The food was delicious and we had a great experience there!
#lifeingermany #würzburg #visitwürzburg #würzburggermany #americanfamilyingermany #americaningermany
00:00 Intro
00:43 Exploring - but first, food!
02:03 Neumünster
04:13 Residence
08:46 More exploring plus Kaffee und Kuchen (and Eis)!
09:15 Backöfele
10:09 Marienberg Fortress
13:47 Epic Drone Shots!
15:14 Back into the city
15:37 Würzburg Cathedral
About us: Just over one year ago, after a long time of hoping, dreaming, and planning, we sold or gave away almost everything we owned and left the United States to begin our journey with four children as an expat family. We moved to Leipzig, Germany, a beautiful city in the state of Saxony. This is our story.
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[@OnwardMJ]

We were incredibly impressed by Würzburg, and I feel like this is a city that should recommended more on lists of cities to visit in Germany. We were originally planning to stay overnight in Bamberg, but since we couldn't find a hotel, we spent extra time here in Würzburg, and we're really glad we did! Have you been to Würzburg before? What do you think of the city? If you didn't see our video on Bamberg, you can check it out here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qWO9Ypighd6Gh5o Thanks to everyone who gave us some tips on places to see and food to eat on this trip!

[@dekiriwins1931]

I live there, it‘s great 😂 Also no Industrie around, 1/5 of the population is students at University. You missed out on a couple great spots and experiences, especially when it comes to food.

[@OnwardMJ]

@@dekiriwins1931 We were really surprised by the city, so we'll definitely be back. It's hard to do everything in a short period of time (especially with kids!). You'll have to let us know the insider spots to go to for our next visit! 😃

[@dekiriwins1931]

@@OnwardMJ Burgerheart for really awsome Burgers (not joking) , Pepe im Cosmo for really nice Pizza, Frau Ohm kocht for really special Korean food. There are many more but you‘ll be well served with those for now. For locations and history i think the Lusamgärtchen (potentiaö grave of Walther von der Vogelweide) would be some place to be at. In general spending time near the Kranenkai when it is dark and being in that beergarden there is also something you should not miss out on. Really going inside Festung Marienburg (Franconian Museum) and taking a guided tour would be something great. And one thing that usually is really special for people is going put with the Night Watchman for a guided tour of the city at night is something i would recommend.

[@OnwardMJ]

@@dekiriwins1931 Awesome, thanks so much. I'll be saving these for the next time we make it to the city!

[@segelbrettmortimor5313]

Wuerzburg is a little secret tip, even for other germans

[@joshuaherbert30]

It's so crazy that 82% of this city was destroyed in 20 minutes and how many years it took to rebuild everything

[@OnwardMJ]

It really is. I can't imagine what that was like.

[@boombl443]

Some eyewitnesses Like my grandgrand Said it even was 90-95 % destroyed

[@babygirl04201982]

Yes it was more like 95% that's also what my grandma said!

[@PiratePawsLive]

Yeah my grandparents told me they had to run to the river in the firestorm^^

[@Dia.Dancing]

It's so weird to see my own city in a video being appreciated like that. It's crazy how you can take things for granted / under appreciate things just because you see it every day.

[@OnwardMJ]

I think it's true that we don't always appreciate the places we live until we see it from someone else's point of view. We have to remember to keep appreciating Leipzig even though we spend every day here in the city!

[@persgodiva]

First of all, your pronounciation of such a difficult name is incredible!! Well done! Secondly, as someon from Würzburg, I always get so excited when other people appreciate my city as well :)

[@OnwardMJ]

Thanks! I still have a lot to work on in my pronunciation, but I'm trying. I'm glad you liked the video - Würzburg is a beautiful city and we loved our time there!

[@matt_kirby]

As a local from Würzburg I really like your video. Great to see how guests appreciate this town. I hope you and your family had a great time. Also thank you youtube algorithm for bringing me here.

[@OnwardMJ]

Thanks for watching, and thanks to the algorithm! We loved the city and we'll definitely be coming back again!

[@moralgraveyard6679]

As someone who was born in Wü, since I have always been used to here. Its very refreshing to see you appreciate what is everyday for me. I am glad that you had fun!

[@OnwardMJ]

Thanks! It was a great city and we'll definitely be going back!

[@sofiesusi]

I've lived in Würzburg for 7 years now and have grown up not to far from it. Spending so much tume here, with all the construction and daily annoyances you sometimes forgett how beautiful the city really is. It is so green, the architecture is wonderful and the city is full of young people and festivals in summer. I'm really glad you enjoyed your time in our beautiful home and if you ever come back there is so much more to see!

[@babygirl04201982]

Würzburg is such an underrated City i think ! It is such a beautiful city! Also a lot of people don't know that the x-ray were discovered in Würzburg!! Of course we have our beautiful Residenz and the Marienburg and käppele ..and many many other places ❤

[@joshuaherbert30]

Wer kommt alles aus Würzburg?

[@herzschlagerhoht5637]

15:25 Wow, the city seemed to be packed with tourists!

[@Shelleee777]

Hi there, my favourite roon in the Residenz is the mirror room too 🥰 Würzburg is definitely worth a visit ❤️🙋🏻‍♀️

[@OnwardMJ]

Awesome! It really is a beautiful city!

[@Shelleee777]

@@OnwardMJ my hometown ❤️ have a lot more fun travelling 🌹 it's joyful watching you guys 🥰

[@PiratePawsLive]

I worked in the residence and castle, they want you to buy their albums n such. that's why there is no filming allowed. When I was on duty and no supervisors around I did let the ppl take photos ;). Sorry to everyone I had to reprimand for it, but it was required as employee. And as a person that walked every time to it, when on duty in the castle. I can recommend, you walk from the base of it after crossing the bridge over the main river. because you will walk through the old defensive posts and walls and looks really cool with great views^^. And I think on a few weeks in the year the one defensive tower next to the vinyards on the opposite side of the castle and attached secret defense path is open to the public to visit. Its a few € but you can go up the tower and walk all the way through the mountain into the castle :). Oh and important: Please don't think you are sly and hide when the castle closes and hide. You will get locked in! A collegue and me had to close up and accidentally locked a few tourists out there on the walls. They had to yell for help and were lucky the curator living there heard them at 3 AM. And we got in trouble :( Also did you guys visit the crypts in the Dom? There you can see the alleged bones of St. Kilian :)

[@michaelfranken7405]

Greetings from Würzburg. If you stay longer in Franconia, you should visit Bamberg. It's the German Venedig.

[@OnwardMJ]

Thanks! We were in Bamberg before coming to Würzburg (our last video was from Bamberg!)

[@kingofshit303]

Your skills are amazing! The style is calm, chilled, very nice music and good information. I promote your channel every time possible, because it deserves more views. Thumb up!

[@OnwardMJ]

Thanks! I really appreciate your support and all your comments!

[@isklar0815]

Schönes Video 👍Grüße aus Kitzingen 😉

[@deenaparker8689]

I’ll be visiting in December. Thank you for this video and recommendations!

[@OnwardMJ]

Thanks for watching! It's a great city, I'm sure you will love it!

[@mariashepherd8650]

Your videos are a great watch every time! Your cinematography skills are amazing and your content is so well balanced. The changing shots in time with the music are brilliant. Your trips remind me of the outings and holidays we had with our children, lots of history and geography. We went to every church/cathedral possible and never left out a castle or Burg, mostly ruins of course. In England there are many Roman sites. Our kids now do the same and all have a keen interest in the history of places. Should you ever think about visiting the North I would recommend you pay Bremen a visit, not as big or majestic as Hamburg but nonetheless with a lot to offer.

[@OnwardMJ]

Thank you! Music is a big hobby of mine, so I enjoy editing the video on the beat. While I don't notice it as much in other people's videos, if I have to make an edit off beat it really bothers me (although I wish it didn't - editing would be faster and easier if I could ignore it!) We really enjoy visiting new places too. So much history and so much to learn about people and cultures. We're thankful our kids get to experience it all. We would love to visit Bremen - I've heard great things about it, plus we could see die Bremer Stadtmusikanten!

[@mariashepherd8650]

@@OnwardMJ hahaha. My husband is a musician. I’m sure he could relate to that. It’s probably the equivalent of what to me is singing out of tune which gives me physical pain. Make sure to look at the Bremer Stadtmusikanten online first to avoid huge disappointment. Being born and bred in Bremen I obviously love them the way they are, one of the few things I actually still notice when in Bremen. Most visitors are disappointed by their size. But there is also the Roland, guardian of the freedom of Bremen keeping a close eye on the bishop. He makes up for the lack of size. Sadly he is now fenced in up to his thighs as to protect him from vandalism and graffiti. If you touch his pointy knees you are sure to visit Bremen again which is now sadly impossible. Bremen is such a cool city with so much diversity and culture.

[@Camanyo]

Is so incredible I life this city more than 4 years they give me host as refugees coming from Somalia 🇸🇴 I’m so happy to see someone coming and visit my beloved city👏

[@OnwardMJ]

That's awesome! It's a great city and I'm happy they welcomed you there!

[@carstenruger9539]

Great job, hope you`ll come back one day! Cheers

[@OnwardMJ]

We loved the city, so we are definitely planning on coming back sometime!

[@pault1573]

Fantastic video, I am going to Würzburg, Bamberg and Nürnberg in May

[@OnwardMJ]

Awesome, I know you'll enjoy it! If you didn't see, we have videos about Bamberg and Nürnberg too, check them out!

[@irinafersch4575]

A great video that did justice to our beautiful town! Being a foreigner living in Würzburg, I can totally relate to the fascination this cosy, romantic town makes one feel! Glad you enjoyed it, you have a lovely family! Liebe Grüße aus Würzburg!

[@OnwardMJ]

Thanks! It's such a wonderful city and we're looking forward to going back some time!

[@hape3862]

Bravo! Your videography and your style of mixing landscape /drone footage, history /architecture / background information with food experiences and family footage is just perfect! I enjoy your videos so much! I'm excited to watch you explore my home town of Augsburg sometimes in the future.

[@OnwardMJ]

Thank you very much! I'm just trying to get better with each video we make - I still have a lot to learn (including some focus issues with my new camera 😬). We would love to visit Augsburg. I'll make sure to reach out for some tips before we do!

[@hape3862]

@@OnwardMJ You definitely notice the progress, after all I was one of your first subscribers.

[@OnwardMJ]

@@hape3862 Thanks, and I appreciate you being with us since the beginning!

[@timhoheisel8939]

I lived I Würzburg for 13 years. It is a beautiful city to visit, but also to live in. My American collaborator who visited me for a summer loved the city as well, and I thought to myself: "He gets it." I appreciated how humble, yet enthusiastic and curious you were exploring what Würzburg has to offer. Thanks for letting me reminisce for a bit!

[@OnwardMJ]

Thanks for watching! I'm always curious to know if living in a particular city is as nice as visiting it, so I'm glad to hear Würzburg is also a great place to live. 😃

[@heha6984]

You are really blessed having kids that seem to welcome fullheartedly your travels. And as long as there is a good German-Italian icecream nothing can go wrong! Liebe Grüße aus Mittelfranken! 💚 And btw very good arranged classic-type musik!

[@OnwardMJ]

Thanks! We do feel blessed, although we did hit a point during this whole trip where the kids were just wiped out and ready to be done. We tried to get a few rest days in, but 12 days of pretty intense travel was a lot for them. And yes, ice cream and the promise of ice cream makes a difference in the mood! 😁

[@heha6984]

@@OnwardMJ Yes, quite understandable that it was a lot of input for the kids. But alles in allem they did a great job, I think. And the prospect to get icecream can let miracles happen - that's why I love that stuff ... 😂😄

[@boombl443]

How cool is that. Thanks algorithm. Hometown 😀

[@OnwardMJ]

Thanks algorithm, and thank you for watching! It's a great city!

[@boombl443]

@@OnwardMJ hell yeah. And the place right there at the Main and the old Bridge plus the View and the Fortress+ bishops residence have Something Special. Now think about the fact that my hometown was bombed by American airforce. My grandgrand managed to surive the onslaught. The City was 90-95% destroyed including all named Buildings

[@OnwardMJ]

@@boombl443 Thinking about those bombings is crazy. I can't imagine what it would have been like.

[@87bbrocks]

I was lucky enough to be stationed on Hindenburg concern(I’m positive that’s not the correct spelling) in Würzburg from 01/88 to 05/90. Thanks for bringing back those memories.

[@87bbrocks]

I remember it was being rebuilt. I spent New Year’s Eve with my cousin Bobby Starr up there. 🎉❤

[@gustavmeyrink_2.0]

Yay, Spice Castle!

[@mandirosluet8438]

I appreciate that you focus on architecture, views and the over-all experience rather than on food which you cover in a reasonable way. Your daughter made a very good presentation

[@OnwardMJ]

Thanks! We're trying to give our viewers a feel of what a city is like and all it has to offer. I'm glad you enjoyed it! Although we do love food too, so we may make a separate video just about food!

[@mandirosluet8438]

@@OnwardMJ your Back in America food video had an interesting context which gave it a special flavour.

[@eprohoda]

yeah~total good editing~ 🤓

[@OnwardMJ]

Thanks! 😁

[@gordonshumway7717]

Finally KZbin Algorithm seems to work right. I`m from Würzburg and you did a pretty good job with the pronounciation of all the places. The view from the Festung is stunning. My school was right next top it. Residenz is also a must see, but the parking lot in front of it is a shame. My favourite places you missed out: Käpelle and the view from it, Lusamgärtchen (grave of famous medievel poet "Walter von der Vogelweide"), Bismarckturm and the view from the Würzburger Stein. I hope you tried the vine. Würzburg is a city of vine/vineyards. Bamberg on the other hand is one of the biggest beer cities in Germany. BTW: you can see a model of the destroyed Würzburg in a chamber next top the "Grafeneckart" (City Hall). It is so sad what happend, but I think we Germans have a pretty good way of handling our past. March 16th 1945 is the day Würzburg was bombed and every year at the exact time of the bombing, every church of the City rings their bells for the duration of the bombing. It is a very impressive an breath taking moment.

[@OnwardMJ]

Thanks! I still have a lot of work to do on my German, especially my pronunciation (my kids are always correcting me 😂). The parking lot was rough...definitely took a little bit away from the first impressions, but still an amazing building. The good thing about missing out on some places is that we have one more reason to go back! Thanks for the tips for our next trip!

[@fackeltattoo6666]

Welcome in my City :)

[@OnwardMJ]

Thanks for having us! We loved it!

[@4-2-0]

German puplic Transportstation ist great!

[@herzschlagerhoht5637]

14:01 Wine growing on the left!

[@OnwardMJ]

It was cool to see a lot of the grapes growing for wine...We'll have to come back for a wine festival or tasting sometime. 🍷🍷

[@Michael_Bonn]

Very nice shots and even better food and drink. I do not know if your journey has continued. You were an hour and a half from Frankfurt by train. There are 18 skyscrapers (of a total of 19 in all of Germany) and the old town with many historical buildings. Would also be worth a trip. Let's see where it goes next. 😉

[@OnwardMJ]

Thanks! Next up will be Nürnberg, I've started organizing the footage (although a little slowly since it's back to school time). I'm going to try to be in Frankfurt for the book fair, and of course, I'll be filming!

[@Michael_Bonn]

@@OnwardMJ That reads well. 📖🙂

[@KenanKemalYurdakul]

i live there its really a great city

[@OnwardMJ]

It was amazing!

[@Derjovo]

Greetings from Wuerzburg Heidingsfeld :) Im sure the City of Rothenburg ob der Tauber is on your map, too. Please check the history an that not everything is as old as it seems. But it is worth a visit. And if you want a secret visiting location: Bad Windsheim. The city itself is a bit rundown becaus of to less tourists. But the Freilandmuseum is worth a visit and the "eis" at sole & Luna :)

[@OnwardMJ]

We almost made a day trip out to Rothenburg, but we didn't quite have the time to squeeze it in. Thanks for the tip on Bad Windsheim, we will look into it!

[@Derjovo]

In B. W. There also is a thermal bath what is worth a Look.

[@arnodobler1096]

When your kids are a little older, I recommend the Dachau Holocaust Memorial (or others). I visited it on a foggy November day 30 years ago and will never forget that day!

[@OnwardMJ]

Yes, my wife and I would like to go, and I know the older kids would be impacted by it, but the younger ones might not be ready yet.

[@arnodobler1096]

@@OnwardMJ Maybe they also go there with the school class sometime

[@vitalykageyama7149]

Würzburg ist die HÖÖÖÖD

[@timoschmitt8317]

i watched the video and was trying to find myself lol

[@OnwardMJ]

Did you make a cameo? 😁

[@arnodobler1096]

White Wurst with sweet Mustard and Bretzel + Wheat beer omg 😍👅

[@OnwardMJ]

Normally I need coffee more than beer in the morning, but that is a great combination. So good.

[@arnodobler1096]

@@OnwardMJ In the south called "Vesper" 2nd Breakfast 🙋‍♂

[@herzschlagerhoht5637]

Nice white American family! Welcome to Germany! ;)

[@KickZUrt]

Are you going to visit Schweinfurt? It is the city where i was born ;)

[@OnwardMJ]

I never heard of Schweinfurt until your comment (which would probably be true about many German cities) but I just looked into it a little bit and it looks like it has quite a long and impressive history. Next time we're in the area we'll have to visit! If you have any specific tips for the city, let me know!

[@piggybank6212]

@@OnwardMJ No way! Please dont go to Schweinfurt. Neo is trolling you

[@KickZUrt]

@@piggybank6212 ????

[@lambofdog9291]

@@piggybank6212 Ich find den Gedanken witzig, dass eine amerikanische Familie in Schweinfurt umher streift und versucht die schönen Ecken zu finden

[@christinegotz729]

@@lambofdog9291 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@jay_gdn]

I lived in würzburg haha

[@OnwardMJ]

Did you like living there? It's a great city to visit, I was wondering what it was like to live there... (not that we'll be moving anytime soon).

[@87bbrocks]

I have a question or two. Please answer if you can. I believe my directions to be close. Not sure though. The reason the Fortress was such a good place when it was built is that it had the perfect location. You could only get to it from one direction. Which I think was the south. If that is the case then just to the rest of the Fortress was an uphill walking path covered with stone. On this path was the steps of Jesus as he made his way carrying his cross on his back. Of course, it was a reenactment. Do you possibly know the name of the reenactment or it’s existence?

[@87bbrocks]

Rest=west

[@OnwardMJ]

Unfortunately, I don't know. Hopefully someone more familiar with it will comment and help out!

[@vitalykageyama7149]

LOL I LIFE IN WÜRZBURG

[@OnwardMJ]

It's a fantastic city!

[@4-2-0]

If you look really close you might see me smoke a ähm "Zigarette"

[@whatever-vn7qw]

its mute and u want to see the city but 😒

[@heavywaterr5434]

for a second I thought bald and bankrupt was in Germany

[@OnwardMJ]

I never heard of him, but after looking at his channel, I can see the resemblance. I only wish I had as many followers! 😂

[@obertscloud]

terrible cars in front of the most popular palace in the EU better than Frances .. but the city loves parking money

[@OnwardMJ]

Yeah, the cars were annoying. But the building was absolutely amazing.

[@talibjalloh928]

Most of German cities were destroyed during the world wars and post wars Germans rush up to build so that they coupd catch up, which was good but the downside to playing catch up you tend to lose the intricacies and elegance of the build and build on a cheap. That's why if all the Germanic countries of Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Lichtenstein, Germany looks basic...

[@OnwardMJ]

It's a shame that so much was destroyed. Most of the places we have visited still look amazing, and very different from what we had in the States. I appreciate the effort to rebuild in a way that was faithful to the "original" cities, but I suppose I'm only looking at it superficially so I can't comment on the overall quality.

[@talibjalloh928]

@@OnwardMJ if you look at it on its own merit, they have done a marvellous job. Relatively to other Germanic states like Austria, Lichtenstein and Switzerland that were unscathed by the world wars. The Germans are notorious to rise to the occassion and overcome tremendous odds. The last time they had to through national rebuilding is the unification with East Germany. Today, after spending trillions of $ East Germany has pretty good infrastructure with a booming economy...