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“Bamberg,
Germany - Little Venice by Moonlight” by Paul McGehee. A nighttime view
of the historic Statue of St. Kunigunde on the Lower Bridge over the
Regnitz River in the famous Bavarian town, as it appeared in the early
1950's. Spared from allied bombing in World War II, the beautiful
half-timbered buildings and cobblestone streets of Bamberg accurately
represent the history and traditions of Old Germany and Franconia. Two
things protected Bamberg in those war years, the fact that it was not
an industrial or munitions center, and the fact that the town is the
final resting place of a Pope, the only such instance of this north of
the Alps. Pope Clement II, who reigned as Pope for less than one year
died in 1047 and is interred at Bamberg Cathedral, the Dom. Kunigunde
(975-1040) was Empress of the Holy Roman Empire by marriage to Holy Roman Emperor
St. Henry II. She herself briefly ruled the empire after the death of her spouse in 1024.
She soon thereafter entered a monastery and became a nun, and was known
for her charitable work caring for the poor and infirmed. She
died in 1040. St. Kunigunde and her husband St. Heinrich are the patron
saints of Bamberg. They are both entombed in the Dom, near this scene. Along
the Lower Bridge there is a statue of St. Kunigunde situated at a
lookout point over the river. This bridge over the beautiful Regnitz is
a popular spot from which to watch people from all over the world go
by. The strand of buildings in the background along the river is known
as Little Venice (Klein-Venedig). Originally this was a fishing
village, with the picturesque structures dating back to the middle
ages. Little Venice is one of Germany's top tourist attractions to this
day.
“Bamberg, Germany - Little Venice by Moonlight” is faithfully reproduced as an archival-quality print from
McGehee's original color pencil and acrylic artwork, each hand-signed
by the artist.
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