The history of Bamberg - a German city in the Bavarian district Upper Franconia - started in 902 when a "Castrum Babenberg" where the main cathedral is now was mentioned for the first time. It was owned by the East-Franconian Babenberg dynasty that lost it in 903. From then on, "Castrum Babenberg" belonged to the King for 70 years. In 973, Emperor Otto II. gave it to his cousin Heinrich, the duke of Bavaria, as present. Heinrich's son - Heinrich II. - founded a bishopric in 1007 and the building works of the first cathedral started. This action established the history of Bamberg as seat of prince-bishops for the next 800 years.
In the 16th century, an uprising of the citizenship against the prince-bishop was suppressed.
Bamberg's first university - now called Otto-Friedrich University Bamberg - was founded in 1647, closed in 1803 and re-opened in 1949.
Under the reign of Prince-Bishop Lothar Franz von Schönborn, Bamberg flourished. He put in charge famous contemporary architects like Balthasar Neumann and the Dientzenhofer brothers who designed many beautiful buildings of baroque style.
After the Thirty Years' War, Bamberg lost its independency and was made Bavarian Province in 1802.
At the end of the Second World War, the first constitution of Bamberg was signed - it also was the first democratic constitution of Bavaria. As Bamberg was hardly destroyed in the war and therefore still has the most intact city center in Germany, it was appointed UNESCO world heritage in 1993.