With lecture series, special tours, concerts, sporting events, and UNESCO World Heritage Day in June, the Bamberg World Heritage Center is celebrating the 30th anniversary of Bamberg’s inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List this year. On December 11, 1993, the Old Town of Bamberg was inscribed as the 624th World Heritage site at the meeting of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Cartagena (Colombia). For this anniversary year, the Bamberg World Heritage Center has put together a diverse program in collaboration with local, national, and international partners. “The World Heritage title makes us in Bamberg proud and serves as both an honor and a responsibility. The people of Bamberg love, cherish, and care for their World Heritage Site in a way rarely seen elsewhere. That is why this anniversary year is also a celebration for the entire city, and we are delighted if as many people as possible join us and come together this year,” said Ulrike Siebenhaar, the city’s Culture and World Heritage Officer.
“White Dinner” Returns to the Gärtnerstadt
The highlight of the annual program will be the “White Dinner” on UNESCO World Heritage Day. Accompanied by the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra and Jazz Colors Bamberg, the Bamberg World Heritage Center cordially invites you on May 27 to picnic, chat, and enjoy the Böhmerwiese in the heart of the Gärtnerstadt. As the name suggests, all guests are expected to wear white to the “White Dinner”!
Lectures, guided tours, and exhibitions
Anyone looking to expand their knowledge of World Heritage sites will certainly find something of interest in the anniversary program: The Adult Education Center is hosting lectures on World Heritage, with a particular focus on the Gärtnerstadt. Otto Friedrich University is also focusing on the topic with a lecture series on intangible cultural heritage. The guided tour “Fascination World Heritage” by the Tourism & Congress Service and the city walk “Bamberg.World.Cultural.Heritage” by “Geschichte für Alle e.V.” offer insights into the development of the World Heritage city. The exhibition program also highlights the World Heritage Site in various ways: “Craftsmanship in the World Heritage Site” at the Information Center on Michaelsberg and “Love or Burden?! The Monument Construction Site” at the Historical Museum provide insight into the scope of the daily tasks involved in World Heritage preservation and monument conservation.
Focus on the Gardener City
“Thirty years as a World Heritage Site is also a moment to pause and look back,” says Diana Büttner, acting director of the Bamberg World Heritage Center. “We’ve already accomplished a great deal: the World Heritage Site is a vibrant part of social life in Bamberg; it has become firmly embedded in people’s consciousness.” Nevertheless, there is still a great deal of untapped potential, especially in the Gardeners’ Town. That is why, in this anniversary year, the Bamberg World Heritage Center is particularly pleased to host events dedicated to urban horticulture and the intangible cultural heritage of Bamberg’s commercial horticulture: Starting with the Open Nursery Day on April 30, through World Heritage Day at the Böhmerwiese on May 27, to special tours at the Gardener and Hecker Museum throughout the year.
Info
The events listed here provide only a glimpse into the extensive annual program. To stay up to date, follow the Bamberg World Heritage Center on social media or visit https://welterbe.bamberg.de/de/projekte/jubilaeum. A flyer for the first half-year program is available for download on the anniversary website. The climate-neutral printed version of the flyer is available at all known distribution points.
Photo: Zentrum Welterbe Bamberg
