Vintage German charm in Franconia

Visit Franconia and you can have the best of both worlds.

One half of this large region of southern Germany – the eastern half – is obsessed with beer, while the other – the west – is much more preoccupied by wine, much of it produced in their distinctively-shaped Bocksbeutel bottles. And in both cases they’re as good as you’ll find.

Naturally, when one thinks of Germany one often thinks of beer, and wine. And bratwurst. And castles. And culture.

And there are few regions where all of these are more evident than in Franconia.

Essentially the northern part of the large state of Bavaria, Franconia has a distinctiveness to it that surprises visitors. Franconians, for example, don’t consider themselves Bavarians, and Die Franken, as the Germans refer to them, are very different to people to the south from Augsburg or Munich.

Famed for its Christkindlesmarkt, yet infamous for its 20th-century history under the Nazis, Nuremberg has so much more to it than just its Christmas market and Hitler’s parade grounds.

Historically, it is a fascinating place, and a city of great significance dating back hundreds of years.

Take a trip to Nuremberg – described by one of its former mayors as “the most German of German cities”, and to Coburg, an hour and a half away by train, and you have, as I did, the opportunity to see some magnificent palaces and castles.

In Nuremberg, the Kaiserburg was one of the most important fortified imperial palaces of the Holy Roman Empire. For centuries it stood at the centre of European history, a secure military outpost, providing prestigious accommodation for the emperors.

Like much of the city, a great deal was destroyed by bombing during the Second World War. But it was impressively restored in the years that followed, and some of the historic rooms have now been further redesigned to house the exhibition Emperor-Empire-City which takes you on a tour, showing the unique role the castle played from the Middle Ages to the 19th century.

And from the castle terrace, there are great views over the roofs of the Old Town.

It is worth sampling the special atmosphere in the main Market Square, and try to be there at noon to watch the mechanical clock and glockenspiel at the Frauenkirche. More imposing still, especially when it’s dark, is the Gothic-style Lorenzkirche just a few streets away.

There are countless historic sites worth visiting in Nuremberg, from the Hangman’s Bridge and the tower where the hangman lived above the Pegnitz River, to Albrecht Dürer’s House, to the Nazi Party Rally Grounds Documentation Centre and Nuremberg Trials Memorium.

For traditional local food, try the finger-sized Nuremberg brats or little bratwursts – pork seasoned grilled sausages with oregano, which come in 6, 8, 10 or 12, or for something more substantial, check out Böhms Herrenkeller and the rich-tasting Nürnberger Sauerbraten with lebkuchen sauce, served with cranberries, red cabbage and dumplings.

I stayed at a glorious boutique hotel in the very centre – the Drei Raben (Three Ravens), where each room tells a different story from the world of Nuremberg legend. I was in the “Blue Agnes” room, telling the legend of a young girl in a blue dress who lived in the watchman’s tower when a great fire broke out in the city. The fire overwhelmed large numbers, including the watchman – yet Agnes simply disappeared, only ever reappearing in a ghostly form.

Fortunately, I didn’t see her, and slept like a log.

It was an easy, short train journey north to Coburg where I explored this town’s links, via the house of Saxe-Coburg, to our own royal family.

Coburg is the home of the ducal castles Veste Coburg, Ehrenburg, Callenburg and Rosenau, and their famous art collections. Prominent residents were Martin Luther, Johann Strauss and Queen Victoria.

It was through wedding her first cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, that Victoria was to have an important dynastic connection, not just at home to the British Empire, but right across Europe where, by means of skilful marriage, this ruling house went on to occupy a position of far-reaching political importance. At Ehrenburg Palace, you can see the bedroom of Queen Victoria, who was a frequent guest here, and some magnificent works of art. Rosenau, set in a romantic English landscape garden, and where her beloved husband Albert was born, was one of Victoria’s favourite places, and it was not hard to see why.

Franconia (with more than 300!) has more breweries per square kilometre than any other region in the world, and only 20km from Coburg you will find Kulmbach, which boasts one of its beers as the strongest on Earth. This summer you could drive, or cycle, to all of these places along part of the famous Burgstrasse (castle road) which wends its way from Mannheim in the west to Prague in the east.

Or take in the Franconian Beer Fest in Nuremberg on May 25-29, which has special prominence in 2016 as it celebrates the 500th anniversary of Germany’s beer purity laws.