Despite having crossed the river Main in Frankfurt countless times while living in the area, I never gave the source of the river much thought. When I visited Schweinfurt in Bavaria I was a little surprised it too is a ford by which the Main was crossed. This time with pigs (pig = Schwein), although possibly also by Franconians, as it lies in Mainfranken.
There are three islands on the river, one of which is home to a large conference centre. From there, a short walk across a bridge to the north banks of the river took me into the old town.
There, two starkly different buildings provide the welcome into the old town. On the right, the Erbracher Hof, previously the central farm building of the Cistercians, it now houses the town’s library. On the left is the Museum Georg Shäfer, home to one of the largest collections of paintings by German painters from 1760 to 1930.
Despite its location in quite catholic Bavaria, Schweinfurt tended to be a more protestant town. In the old town, the Zürch, the Church of St Salvatore is one of the larger baroque buildings. Opposite are some beautiful half-timbered houses.
The church lay on the edge of the town. The fortifications against attackers from the river during the 30-year war run directly behind it.
Opposite the town hall is a statue commemorating Friedrich Rückert, a poet who hailed from Schweinfurt.
A tall tower, called the Schrotturm, dominates the southern part of the old town. It was erected from 1611 to 1614 as part of the residence of Balthasar Rüffer III. It got its name (Shot Tower) from its later use for manufacturing shot pellets. I am glad I went looking for it up close, that way I saw the slanted windows, which presumably match the angle of the stairs inside the tower.
travel tales 