Coburg Things to Do Tips by antistar

St. Moritz Church

One of the finest churches in the town, St. Moritz was the church of Coburg when it was built. Today it is the Protestant communities church, made special by the visits of Martin Luther, who would preach here back in the 16th century when he visited the town.

Website: http://www.morizkirche-coburg.de/

Veste-Coburg

The Veste is Coburg. It's outstanding. You can see it from all over the town, and it is fantastically well preserved. Whenever I would come back from a long trip abroad, the Veste would be the first thing I would see heading into the town. It would tell me I was home. It was always a warm welcome.

The castle has a long history, dating back to the turn of the first millenium. It hosted Martin Luther when he translated the bible (part of the movie about him is set here). It was home to the Coburg royal family for centuries, until they moved out to the Palace downtown and other locations. It still contains a significant art collection from those times.

Directions: You can walk up the hill from Schlossplatz, or take bus 5 from nearby Theaterplatz. The 5 bus runs every 30 minutes at peak times.

River Itz

A pleasant walk on a warm evening is to wander along side the River Itz as it meanders through the town. You can join the river path at one of the many bridges around the town, such as at Mohrenstrasse, or on Bahnhoffstrasse, on the way to the train station.

Altstadt

Coburg's old town, or Altstadt, is demarked by a number of prominent gates, like the Spitalgasse pictured. Inside the gates, there are numerous narrow streets and wonderful old buildings. The whole place is incredibly well preserved, and this has much to do with the fact that the town was one of the few parts of Germany not to feel the effects of Allied bombing during the war. The Altstadt is quite small, and easily encompassed in a day, but even after spending many months in Coburg I kept finding new places to walk down and investigate that I had missed on previous days.

Rathaus

Coburg's townhall, or Rathaus, is an imposing and impressive building located in the central market place. It was built between 1577 and 1579, and remodelled in the 18th century. This huge building, with its ornate and delicately coloured facade, coupled with the Stadthaus opposite, make the Marktplatz a wonderful place to wander around, either at night or during the busy weekends. On those days you can also find plenty of the sausage stalls, like the one pictured, smoking away and creating a tantalising smell that draws you in from all the streets around.

Schloss Ehrenburg

This isn't the most attractive palace I have ever seen, but like the fortress that overlooks it, the building has an impressive history. It was the official residence of the Duke of Coburg from 1547 - 1918, and also houses richly ornamented apartments for Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert, possibly Coburg's most famous son. Construction of the palace started in 1540, but it was greatly remodelled after a fire in 1690.

Directions: In the main Schlossplatz square.