Amberg in Bavaria - everything you need to know about the history of the city, its inhabitants, sights, politics and industry.
The independent
city of Amberg
is located in Bavaria near Nuremberg and Regensburg.
Siemens AG is one of the largest employers in the region.
The Amberg beer festival takes place every year in the self-proclaimed "beer town".
Amberg - On April 24, 1034, the city of Amberg was first mentioned in writing in a document from Emperor Konrad II to Bamberg Bishop Eberhard I. At that time, the settlement was still called Ammenberg, which means "mountain of an ammo".
"Ammo" is an old personal name.
The history of the eastern Bavarian city on the Vils probably goes back much further to the 8th and 9th centuries.
City of Amberg: location and inhabitants
Amberg is an independent city that lies in the Upper Palatinate on the river Vils.
The closest major city of Nuremberg is 60 kilometers away.
The regional center is surrounded by the Amberg-Sulzbach district.
The Upper Palatinate hill country with its wooded areas, some rivers and elevations characterize the landscape of the area.
The urban area is divided into several smaller districts: These include Luitpoldhöhe, Speckmannshof, Kleinraigering and the Gailoh industrial park.
The city has a population of 42,126 (as of September 30, 2020).
The age groups up to 65 years and over 65 years make up a high proportion - they make up around half of all residents.
According to the forecasts of the Bavarian State Office for Statistics and Data Processing, the population should decrease to 40,900 by 2030.
Amberg saw its greatest increase in population in the 19th and 20th centuries.
The city experienced its peak in 1980 with 44,264 people.
After that, the population recently fell slightly.
Various religious communities have settled in Amberg: including the Roman Catholic Deanery Amberg-Ensdor, the Russian Orthodox Church and the Amberg Jewish Community.
City of Amberg: history
Amberg looks back on a long history: as early as the 12th century, the settlement was an important trading center for merchants. A favorable position for this is its location on the Vils, which leads over the Naab to the Danube.
Even then, the city was a hub for iron ore and the products made from it.
Amberg, on the other hand, mainly bought salt and grain from other areas.
In the 13th century, the fortified market square finally developed into a town.
In 1387, Amberg joined forces with Sulzbach and Nuremberg to form the “Great Hammer Association”.
Behind this trade association stood the hammer mills in the region, which made tools from pig iron.
Ore mining remained in the city until modern times: Amberg received its first blast furnace in 1883, and a second was added in 1911.
Other most important branches of industry emerged through the settlement of a rifle factory and a production facility for enamel goods.
In the Second World War, Amberg suffered little damage and the city center was largely preserved.
Thanks to extensive renovations to the old town in the 1970s, the historic center has been well preserved to this day.
In 1996, with the construction of the Amberger Congress Center (ACC), the city developed into an important event and congress location.
City of Amberg: culture and sights
The main attraction for tourists is the old town of Amberg: The circular walls with their four gates surround a collection of historical buildings, such as the Gothic town hall and the “Eh'häusl” - one of the smallest hotels in the world.
Another attraction is the Electoral Palace, which was built in 1417 under the rule of Elector Ludwig III.
from the Palatinate originated.
The complex was once three-winged, but today only the south wing is preserved due to several fires.
In addition, the city is home to several museums: the Amberg city museum, the air museum in the Klösterl am Eichenforst, the military museum and the Alte Feuerwache art exhibitions.
The Instagram account of Stadtmarketings Amberg offers guests a lot of inspiration for their visit.
Amberg is culturally diverse: in addition to the city theater in the former Gothic church of St. Bernardin, the musical events play a major role in the cultural calendar.
This includes the Amberg organ music in the St. Augustin school church and various concerts, most of which take place in the city theater.
There are also a number of events to discover in Amberg:
Fountain festival with a medieval market
Old town festival
Mountain Festival
Beer festival
Dult (fair)
Air night
Summer festival in the courtyard of the city library
City of Amberg: Economy and Industry
The economy of the city of Amberg today is based on several industries:
Metal and mechanical engineering
Electronics technology
Automation technology
Environmental and energy technology
Printing industry
One of the most important employers is Siemens AG, which manufactures electromechanical switching devices and programmable logic controllers in Amberg.
Other larger companies are Grammer AG, Kristall-Glasfabrik Amberg GmbH and 37 grad dialog GmbH.
Amberg's strengths include its modern infrastructure and business-friendly climate.
The city is connected supraregionally by the federal motorway A6 and the federal highways B85 and B299.
There is also a connection to the railway line between Nuremberg and Schwandorf.
The city is also working on various projects to establish itself as a “smart city”.
The focus is on mobility, digitization, climate protection and the 5G expansion, among other things.
A number of free services are available to companies in the region: management consultancies, arranging contacts to various offices, network meetings and workshops as well as publicizing innovative companies.
The Amberg Economic Development Corporation and the Volksbank-Raiffeisenbank Amberg invite interested companies to a “digital early pint” in the Schießl Wirtshaus once a quarter.
More information is available on the “Innovatives Amberg” website.
City of Amberg: Politics
The CDU politician Michael Cerny has been the upper citizen of the city of Amberg since 2014.
The qualified computer scientist previously worked at Siemens and has been a member of the Amberg city council since 1994.
In the local elections in 2020, the citizens entitled to vote confirmed him in office with a majority of 56.4 percent.
Other important people in Amberg politics are the 2nd Mayor Martin J. Preuß (CSU) and the 3rd Mayor Franz Badura (ödp).
The party landscape is made up of these groups:
Christian Social Union (CDU)
Bavaria SPD
Alliance 90 / The Greens
FDP district association Amberg
Free Voters Amberg eV (FW)
Ecological Democratic Party (ÖDP)
Amberger colorful
The Amberg List (DLA)
The Amberg coat of arms shows a Palatinate lion, which symbolizes the former belonging to the Electoral Palatinate.
The white and blue Bavarian Wecken can be seen underneath.
Amberg has a partnership with several cities and municipalities, including Desenzano del Garda in Italy and Siilinjärvi in Finland.
German town partnerships exist with Bad Bergzabern in Rhineland-Palatinate, Freiberg in Saxony, Geretsried in Bavaria and Schnaittenbach in Bavaria.
The city of Amberg for tourists
Amberg not only has a historic old town to offer: visitors also come for the many shopping opportunities, the excellent gastronomy and the diverse cultural offerings.
On a one-and-a-half-hour city tour, guests take an adventure trip through almost 1000 years of history and get to see impressive art-historical treasures.
The Amberg city guides can be booked all year round for groups of visitors.
There are also public tours between May 1st and October 31st of each year: every Friday at 4:30 p.m., every Saturday at 10:30 a.m. and every Sunday at 2:00 p.m.
The tourist information office at Hallplatz 2 in the city center sells tickets for this.
The themed tours are also popular: These include tours through the Maria-Hilf-Bergkirche and the city theater.
Anyone interested in the chilled barley juice from the city of Amberg can book the adventure tour “From beer taverns, beer brewers and beer pansies - stories about the beer city of Amberg”.
At the end of the tour, visitors can expect a small snack and a beer.
Another highlight is the Amberg whiskey walk with whiskey tasting.
For families with children, we recommend the adventure tour with the forester through the city forest.
