As I sit here and write this page about the town of Frensdorf I am seriously contemplating taking a year off my campaign around Germany. Why? Oh, it’s as simple as it’ll take that long to experience everything.
Ohhh, if only I didn’t have work to do…
As for work, how does anyone who lives here manage to get any work done at all with so many festivals and cultural events? It seems as if there’s something going on every weekend throughout Frensdorf’s fourteen districts — but the highlights include the Floriansfest in Herrnsdorf in May, which is the same month as Birkach’s Brunnenfest and Frensdorf proper’s Pfarrfest take place.
June is popular for fun with a Johannifest, the Pfarrfest in Reundorf, and ending with the Summer Festival. Come in September if you want to experience both a Kirchweih and a Kirchweihmarkt, with three more Kirchweih events, and a Wine Festival in October. November’s a good month as any, with both a Martinimarkt and two Christmas Markets (in Frensdorf and in Reundorf).
Everyone straight about what festival they want to come for? Good, ’cause you’ll want to experience the historical side of Frensdorf, too. One of the town’s oldest places to visit is what used to be Kloster Schlüsselau. The monastery, originally built in 1280, was destroyed during the Peasants’ War conflict in the 1520s, but its church is still standing and acts as a Parish Church.
I’m not taking anything away from the rest of Frensdorf’s other churches — which include such goodies as the Pfarrkirche (Parish Church) of St. Johannes in Frensdorf (built in the 14th century); the Pfarrkirche St. Jakobus in Herrnsdorf from the 15th century; and the Baroque Sts. Anne & Mary Church in Hundsdorf.
Any town as old as Frensdorf that has churches this old is bound to have a castle, right? Well, it did in the village of Wingersdorf back in the 12th century — though it’s long gone. The only castle around these days is Schloss Weißenstein (in nearby Pommersfelden), a stunning example of Baroque architecture known for its frescoes and gardens. Tours are available between April and October to see this palatial estate that took some seven years to build in the early 1700s.
While nowhere nearly as old, you’ll find paintings and furnishings from around the 19th century at the Peasants Museum. Here’s where you can see how regular folks lived and worked in the old farm building.
With all this to experience I almost forgot I was in Upper Franconia, perfect for just enjoying the great outdoors in the shadow of Bamberg and Höchstadt an der Aisch.
Then again, just relaxing at a local beer garden in this neck of the woods is good enough for so many of us. And I could easily spend a year right there just watching the whole world come on by. ;-)
