Neuer Ebracher Hof

The Neue Ebracher Hof is a protected Baroque palace in Bamberg, built for the Cistercian abbey of Ebrach in the 18th century. It stands on the Kaulberg, a slope rising above the Regnitz valley, close to the cathedral. The site was acquired by the abbey between 1200 and 1213, but the present building dates from 1765–68. Its façade is richly articulated with pilasters and statues by Ferdinand Dietz, including the abbot’s heraldic shield. A mansard roof crowns the main block, with lower wings framing the forecourt. The palace is notable for its troubled construction history. Plans approved in 1760 by Fürstbischof Adam Friedrich von Seinsheim were delayed by street-widening demands. Despite setbacks, the abbey rebuilt within the original boundaries under city master mason Martin Mayer. In 1910 the original sculptures were removed and replaced four years later by copies by Johann Speth. After secularisation it became a state office, housing the district authority from 1939 to 1966. Today the Neue Ebracher Hof belongs to the International Artists’ House Villa Concordia. It provides studios and flats for composers and visual artists. The entrance leads into a courtyard framed by low wings, while the main block contains the grand staircase and principal rooms. From the forecourt a broad view opens over Bamberg’s rooftops toward the cathedral spires. The building’s sculpted façade remains one of the city’s fine examples of late Baroque art.