This guide follows five places in Würzburg's old town, from the river Main up to the cathedral: the Old Crane, the City Hall, the Four Tubes Fountain, the Falkenhaus and St Kilian's Cathedral. They lie on one short line through the centre, and together they show the city of the prince-bishops: its river trade, its citizens' town hall, its Rococo taste and the church of its patron saint. Most of them were badly damaged in the bombing of 16 March 1945 and carefully rebuilt.
Old Crane (Alter Kranen)
On the river quay just downstream of the Old Main Bridge stands a stone crane house with a turning roof and a long jib. Prince-Bishop Adam Friedrich von Seinsheim had it built between 1767 and 1773 to boost trade on the Main, and the architect was Franz Ignaz Michael Neumann, son of the famous Balthasar Neumann. It lifted goods between the ships on the river and the carts on the upper quay. It worked until 1846, when an iron crane further downstream replaced it. Today the quay around it is one of the city's favourite places to sit by the water on summer evenings, and the crane is one of the stops on our scavenger hunt.
- The Latin chronogram 'accipio trado quod libet expedio' (I receive, I hand over, I dispatch whatever you like), whose capital letters add up to the year 1773.
- The prince-bishop's coat of arms on the river side, held by figures of Franconia and of the river god of the Main, and the flood marks showing how high the river has risen.
Würzburg City Hall (Grafeneckart)
Würzburg's town hall is a group of buildings around the Grafeneckart, a medieval court whose name goes back to a bishop's official called Eckart. The citizens acquired it in 1316 and have run the city from here ever since. The tall tower was raised in 1453, and the Red Building (Roter Bau), named after its red sandstone, was added in 1659–60. Like most of the old town, the complex was wrecked in 1945 and rebuilt after the war. It is one of the scavenger hunt stops.
- The tall tower with its clock, rising above the fountain on Domstraße.
- Inside, a documentation room on the destruction of the city on 16 March 1945.
Four Tubes Fountain (Vierröhrenbrunnen)
In front of the City Hall, on Domstraße, stands the Vierröhrenbrunnen, the 'four-pipe fountain', named after the four spouts that pour water into its basin. It was made between 1763 and 1766: Lukas van der Auwera worked on it with the sculptor Johann Peter Wagner, who carved the figures. A tall obelisk rises from the middle, topped by Franconia, the female figure of the region, holding a sword and a banner. In summer people sit on its rim to cool off. The fountain is a scavenger hunt stop.
- Franconia on top of the obelisk, with the ducal hat that stood for the prince-bishops' title of Dukes of Franconia.
- The four cardinal virtues around the base: Courage with a helmet and lion skin, Justice with scales, Wisdom with a book and Temperance mixing water into wine.
Falkenhaus
On the Upper Market Square, next to the Gothic Marienkapelle, the Falkenhaus has the most elaborate Rococo front in Würzburg. The house was once the home of the cathedral parish priest; in 1735 an innkeeper, Franz Thomas Meißner, bought it and ran it as the inn 'Zum Falken' (the Falcon), which gave it its name. In 1751 his widow had the façade covered in rich stucco. The building burned out in 1945 and the façade was rebuilt in the early 1950s from old photographs. Since 1952 it has housed the tourist information office and the city library, and it is a stop on the scavenger hunt.
- The three curving gables and the white stucco garlands, shells and scrolls on a yellow ground.
- The view across the market square to the Marienkapelle, with its red-and-white walls and tall spire.
St Kilian's Cathedral (Kiliansdom)
At the top of Domstraße stands the cathedral of St Kilian, the Irish missionary who, according to tradition, was killed in Würzburg around 689 with his companions Kolonat and Totnan. Work on the present church began in 1040, and it is one of the largest Romanesque churches in Germany. Its four towers make it easy to recognise from the bridge and the vineyards above the town.
The fire of March 1945 gutted the cathedral, and in 1946 part of the north wall of the nave collapsed. It was rebuilt and reopened in 1967 with a mix of restored Baroque stucco and plain modern surfaces, a contrast that still divides opinion. It is one of the stops on the scavenger hunt.
- The tomb monuments of the prince-bishops along the nave pillars, including two by the sculptor Tilman Riemenschneider, for Rudolf von Scherenberg and Lorenz von Bibra.
- The Baroque stucco that survived in the nave, next to the plain white walls of the post-war rebuilding.
- The Schönborn Chapel on the north side, designed by Balthasar Neumann for the burials of the Schönborn prince-bishops.
How to see them in one walk
Start at the Old Crane on the river, then walk along the quay to the Old Main Bridge with its statues of saints. From the bridge, Domstraße leads straight up to the City Hall and the Four Tubes Fountain. Turn left onto the Marktplatz to see the Falkenhaus and the Marienkapelle, then come back to Domstraße and finish at the cathedral. From there it is a short walk on to the Residence, the prince-bishops' palace.
See Würzburg with World City Trail
Our Würzburg scavenger hunt turns the old town into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops, from the Juliusspital to Residenzplatz, and all five places in this guide are among them: the Old Crane, the Four Tubes Fountain, the City Hall, the Falkenhaus and the cathedral, together with the Old Main Bridge and the Marktplatz. At each stop you solve a puzzle and hear a short story, at your own pace.
If you prefer a different format, there is also a self-guided walking tour and an outdoor escape game in Würzburg.
Play the Würzburg scavenger hunt →
Take the self-guided walking tour of Würzburg →
Play the outdoor escape game in Würzburg →
Facts checked in October 2026.