[8] From the 10th century onwards, Bamberg became a key link with the Western Slavic peoples, notably those of Poland and Pomerania.

It experienced a period of great prosperity from the 12th century onwards, during which time it was briefly the centre of the Holy Roman Empire.

From the middle of the 13th century onwards, the bishops were princes of the Empire[9] and ruled Bamberg, overseeing the construction of monumental buildings.

Following the Second World War, Bamberg was an important base for the Bavarian, German, and then American military stationed at Warner Barracks, until closing in 2014.

[9] The area was Christianized chiefly by the monks of the Benedictine Fulda Abbey, and the land was under the spiritual authority of the Diocese of Würzburg.

In 1007, Holy Roman Emperor Henry II made Bamberg a family inheritance, the seat of a separate diocese.

The Emperor's purpose in this was to make the Diocese of Würzburg less unwieldy in size and to give Christianity a firmer footing in the districts of Franconia, east of Bamberg.

[citation needed] The emperor and his wife, Kunigunde, gave large temporal possessions to the new diocese, and it received many privileges out of which grew the secular power of the bishop.

Pope Benedict VIII visited Bamberg in 1020[10] to meet Henry II for discussions concerning the Holy Roman Empire.

[citation needed] From the middle of the 13th century onwards, the bishops were princes of the Empire[9] and ruled Bamberg, overseeing the construction of monumental buildings.

[citation needed] The old Bishopric of Bamberg was composed of an unbroken territory extending from Schlüsselfeld in a northeasterly direction to the Franconian Forest, and possessed in addition estates in the Duchies of Carinthia and Salzburg, in the Nordgau (the present Upper Palatinate), in Thuringia, and on the Danube.

[citation needed] The witch trials of the 17th century claimed about one thousand victims in Bamberg, reaching a climax between 1626 and 1631, under the rule of Prince-Bishop Johann Georg II Fuchs von Dornheim.

[11] The famous Drudenhaus (witch prison), built in 1627, is no longer standing today; however, detailed accounts of some cases, such as that of Johannes Junius, remain.

[14] The free state of Bavaria and the Federal Republic of Germany gave protections to Bamberg, though the city does handle its own management of properties.

Bamberg was chosen for its location in Upper Franconia, reasonably close to the residences of the members of the dissident northern Nazi faction but still within Bavaria.

While Bamberg was not attacked as badly as nearby Nuremberg, 4.4% of the city ended up being destroyed and 378 civilians died.

[18][19] Three significant landmarks in the city were hit: the Erlöserkirche or Church of the Redeemer at the Kunigundendamm which was almost completely destroyed (only the tower remained), the historic Altane on the Grüner Markt and the Alte Maut or Old Toll.

[20] After that, low-flying Allied aircraft continued to attack Bamberg, threatening large gatherings of people and sometimes also dropping leaflets mocking National Socialism and its propaganda.

The traditional industry of market gardening with large inner-city cultivation areas, which has characterized the city since its beginnings, is still present.

Due to its dependence on the combustion engine, the company announced in 2019 that it would be switching to fuel cells,[145] although around 1000 jobs are to be transferred to other locations from 2026.

Organ building, which is currently being continued by master craftsman Thomas Eichfelder, is particularly noteworthy, as is the construction of violins, clarinets and other woodwind instruments.

Tourism generates around 330 million euros in gross revenue in Bamberg every year - in the hospitality, retail and service sectors.

[30] The Town of Bamberg was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1993 due to its medieval layout and its well preserved historic buildings.

The new cathedral, built by Saint Otto of Bamberg, was consecrated in 1111[39] and in the 13th century received its present late-Romanesque form.

[citation needed] The Neue Residenz (New Residence) (1698–1704) was initially occupied by the prince-bishops, and from 1864 to 1867 by the deposed King Otto of Greece.

Destroyed in 1553 by Albert Alcibiades, Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach, it was used after scant repairs only as a prison, and increasingly fell into decay.

[42] Other churches are the Jakobskirche, an 11th-century Romanesque basilica; the St. Martinskirche; the Marienkirche or Obere Pfarrkirche (1320–1387), which has now been restored to its original pure Gothic style.

In October and early November many of the 70 breweries in and around Bamberg celebrate Bockbieranstiche with special releases of Bock beer.

[47] The University of Applied Sciences Bamberg offers higher education in the areas of public health.

Bamberg is connected to other towns in eastern Upper Franconia such as Bayreuth, Coburg, and Kronach via the Bamberg–Hof line with trains usually running at least every hour.