Ernst Bandel was born on 17 May 1800 at Ansbach.
His father, Georg Karl Friedrich Bandel (1741–1818) was a Prussian civil servant (Regierungsdirektor).
His childhood was dominated by political events (the French occupation in 1805; the 1813 War of Liberation) which left him a lifelong patriot.
After Ansbach became Bavarian in 1806, Ernst's father worked for the new government and became the president of the local appellate court.
In 1813, he became a noble.
At fourteen, Ernst von Bandel began to take drawing lessons at the Academy of Fine Arts, Nuremberg, with the engraver Albert Christoph Reindel.
Two years later, he went to Munich to apply for a position with the Royal Bavarian Forestry Office.
While there, he met the architect Karl von Fischer and became his student.

His father's death in 1818 and the resulting financial stress almost forced him to give up his interest in art, but through his father's connections with the royal family, he was able to arrange a generous grant from King Maximilian I. The following year, he was given a job as a draftsman at the Hofbauamt (the office responsible for the construction and maintenance of the royal buildings).
Ernst Bandel was born on 17 May 1800 at Ansbach. His father, Georg Karl Friedrich Bandel (1741–1818) was a Prussian civil servant (Regierungsdirektor). His childhood was dominated by political events (the French occupation in 1805; the 1813 War of Liberation) which left him a lifelong patriot. After Ansbach became Bavarian in 1806, Ernst's father worked for the new government and became the president of the local appellate court. In 1813, he became a noble. At fourteen, Ernst von Bandel began to take drawing lessons at the Academy of Fine Arts, Nuremberg, with the engraver Albert Christoph Reindel. Two years later, he went to Munich to apply for a position with the Royal Bavarian Forestry Office. While there, he met the architect Karl von Fischer and became his student.
His father's death in 1818 and the resulting financial stress almost forced him to give up his interest in art, but through his father's connections with the royal family, he was able to arrange a generous grant from King Maximilian I. The following year, he was given a job as a draftsman at the Hofbauamt (the office responsible for the construction and maintenance of the royal buildings).
Ernst von Bandel