The historic city of Regensburg is one of the best-preserved medieval towns in Europe. It is located at the confluence of the River Danube and the River Regen in the south-eastern region of the Federal State of Bavaria, just 120 kilometres north-east of Munich. The large Aldstadt (Old Town) with its cobbled streets, is dominated by the twin towers of the Cathedral of St Peters, is today a U.N.E.S.C.O. World Heritage Site and contains a wealth of landmarks going back over 2000 years and looking much as it did during its heyday as a Free Imperial City, which it was for 600 years. This remarkable Old Town contains1,400 registered and carefully preserved medieval buildings that coexist with structures from the Roman Era. Referred to as the city of churches, Regensburg was, from the 8th century when it was originally founded as a Bishopric, a centre from which Christianity spread throughout central Europe, aided by its trading activities along the River Danube. This trading activity was given a boost in the 12th century with the construction of the Steinerne Brucke, the 16 arched stone bridge over the River Danube, which opened up further trading opportunities between northern Europe and Venice. With its long history of trading, Regensburg’s growth slowly expanded and created powerful merchant families who built houses to flaunt their wealth. This in turn created the beautiful medieval city we know today, added too by the churches, the bridge, the patrician mansions with their symbolic towers and the already existing Roman walls!!
The city of 130,000 residents lies only 70 kilometres west of the border with the Czech Republic from which it is separated by the Bavarian Forest and stands in the northern bend of the river Danube, whose expansive river plains offer fertile arable lands to the south. Regensburg is today a busy and bustling University city, a popular tourist destination and home to a lively, cultural and entertainment scene.
There are many tourist attractions within the city with the major city landmark being one of the finest Gothic buildings in Bavaria, the 13th century Regensburg Cathedral which towers over the Old Town. The Cathedral includes a number of medieval stained glass windows and adjoining the building on the north side is the Bishop’s Palace which contains the Cathedral’s Treasury Museum. Across the Cathedral’s garden can be found the cloisters which house two earlier buildings, the All Saints’ Chapel and St Stephen’s Church. Also of great importance to the city is the 12th century Stone Bridge, which is a masterpiece of medieval engineering which remained for centuries the only solid crossing of the Danube. When the bridge was first built it was a symbol of the wealth of Regensburg’s merchants, and included three towers which were used to collect tolls and protect the city. However today only the southern tower remains which contains a clock and the Bruckturm Museum. Just to the north of the Cathedral are some of the city’s Roman ruins which are the oldest structures in Regensburg, being the Porta Praetoria, which is the gate of the Roman military camp named Castra Regina, the fortress built in A.D. 179 by Emperor Marcus Aurelius. This gate is the only remaining gate of a Roman military camp in northern Europe.
There are so many more attractions in the city it is hard to detail them all so here is a short list. The 12th century Church of St James, also called the Schottenkirche as it was built by Scottish and Irish Benedictine Monks – the 13th century Parish Church of St Ulrich which stands next to the Cathedral and contains the Diozesanmuseum – the 14th century Rathaus or Town Hall which is home to the city’s mayors, the Reichstagsmuseum and in the lower levels there is a dungeon and torture chamber!! – the 11th century Romanesque styled Church of Obermunster – the 13th century abbey church of St Emmeram which is now known as the Palace of the Princes of Thurn and Taxi once owned by one of the city’s rich and powerful families, and today houses a branch of the National Museum of Bavaria – the Golden Tower, which is one of the city’s most impressive of Regensburg’s patrician families – the Kepler Memorial House, a 16th century house of Johannes Kepler, astronomer and mathematician - the Document Neupfarrplatz which contains underground walkways that lead to the ruins of Regenburg’s Roman and Jewish quarters!! The city is also home to several museums, however the most important is the Historisches Museum which displays a detailed account of the growth of Regensburg from the Stone Age to the early Middle Ages with a strong focus on Roman times.
If you are touring there are two interesting buildings within the vicinity of Regensburg which are worth a visit. The most important is the ‘Walhalla Hall of Fame and Honour’ which is located approximately 10 kilometres east of the city. It was commissioned by King Ludwig I of Bavaria and built in the early 19th century. It was modelled on the
Parthenon and stands on a hill overlooking the River Danube. The other is the ‘Hall of Liberation’ or the Befreiungshalle, which can be found upon Mt Michelsberg above the city of Kelheim approximately 25 kilometres south-west of Regensburg. It too was commissioned by King Ludwig I of Bavaria to commemorate the victories against Napoleon during the “Wars of Liberation’ during the very early 19th century.
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