Regensburg: a UNESCO-listed historic center

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Regensburg (about 150,000 inhabitants) is a city in the German state of Bavaria, located about 90 km from Nuremberg and 100 km north of Munich. The city lies at the confluence of the Danube with the Regen River, the Danube, dividing the city of Regensburg from the Stadtamhof district, which was previously a separate city.

Regensburg is one of the oldest cities in Germany, in 90 AD. the Romans built a small border fort. Later, in 179 AD for the troops of Legio III Italica, the settlement of Castra Regina was founded, which then became the capital of Rezia. In the Middle Ages it was one of the first German cities to become a bishopric (8th century).

In 2006, the old town of Regensburg with the Stadtamhof district was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The medieval city contains many buildings of exceptional quality that testify to the importance of Regensburg as a commercial center of the region, the architecture of its palaces spans two millennia, including Roman remains, and Romanesque and Gothic buildings.

WHAT TO SEE: THE MAIN ATTRACTIONS OF REGENSBURG

Regensburg is famous for the medieval architecture of its well-preserved historic center. Among the major attractions we can mention the Cathedral (Dom St. Peter), the Porta Praetoria – the only one left of the Roman city walls -, the Church of St. Jakob (Jakobskirche), the Steinerne Brücke – medieval bridge over the Danube built in the XII century -, the Town Hall, the Market. Among the parks, the Donaupark and the Regensburg Botanical Gardens are worth a visit.

AN IMPORTANT GOTHIC CATHEDRAL

The Cathedral (Dom St. Peter), a pure example of German Gothic architecture, is the most important Gothic building in Bavaria. The church was founded in the 8th century, of this period two chapels remain in the cloister. The works for the construction of the current cathedral were started in 1275 and completed in 1634, with the exception of the two twin towers (105 meters high), which were finished in 1869.

The interior contains numerous valuable monuments including the tomb of Margareta Tucherin (1521), a masterpiece by Peter Vischer, very beautiful also the windows that embrace a period that goes from the eleventh to the twentieth century. The cathedral is famous for its choir of children and young people, the Domspatzen, which animate the Sunday mass at 10 am.

OTHER INTERESTING BUILDINGS

The Jakobskirche (Church of St. James), is a 12th century Romanesque basilica with a beautiful figured portal. The church is located near one of the medieval wall gates, the Jakobstor. The old parish church of St. Ulrich, built in the 13th century houses the Diocesan Museum, which contains an antiquarian and religious art collection.

Other interesting buildings in the city are: the Emmeramskirche, a majestic abbey dating back to the 13th century, with an isolated bell tower and a beautiful cloister now known as Schloss Thurn und Taxis, a huge and majestic residence owned by the Thurn und Taxis family, located in the immediate vicinity of the Old Town.

The Town Hall, a 14th century building, which now houses the historical museum, contains the rooms used by the Imperial Diet (the Immerwährender Reichstag, the permanent assembly of the principles of the Holy Roman Empire) between 1663 and 1806. The Steinerne Brücke (Stone Bridge), medieval bridge over the Danube was built between 1135 and 1146, is 310 meters long. The Goldener Turm (Golden Tower), an ancient medieval tower built in 1260, is located on Wahlenstraße.

TO VISIT IN THE SURROUNDINGS

The Walhalla is located about 10 km east of the city, on the heights above the Danube. A neoclassical structure built between 1830 and 1841 on a project by the architect Leo von Klenze. The construction represents one of the most significant works of German neoclassicism. It has the form of a Doric temple (it is the reproduction of the Parthenon). The building was commissioned by Prince Ludwig I of Bavaria to celebrate the great German men. The temple houses 128 busts and 65 commemorative plaques of great German personalities.

Not far from Regensburg, 30 km, in the surroundings of Kelheim, lies the Befreiungshalle. A large circular construction commissioned by Prince Ludwig I of Bavaria to glorify the heroes of the liberation war of 1813.

A few kilometers away from Kelheim there is another interesting building: the Benedictine convent of Weltenburg. One of the highest examples of Bavarian Baroque. The convent overlooks the Danube between suggestive rocky gorges.

Those interested in Roman fortifications can visit what remains of the Roman Limes (declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005), the fortified border that stretched for over 550 km from the Rhine to the Danube River, the defensive structure began just east of Regensburg.

WHAT TO SEE: MUSEUMS

Regensburg offers a good selection of museums, in the city we find in fact: the Historisches Museum, the historical museum of the city houses a collection that ranges from prehistory, to the Romans, to the Middle Ages, up to the arts and costumes of the twentieth century.

Städtische Galerie “Leerer Beutel”, art gallery dedicated to the works of Bavarian artists of the XX and XXI century. Reichstagsmuseum, is the museum of the town hall, today it houses a historical museum in which you can visit, among other things, the Reichssaal (assembly hall), various apartments and the medieval torture chamber.

Kepler-Gedächtnishaus, the place where Kepler (1571-1630) died in 1630. The museum houses tools, letters and documents of the great scientist. Document Neupfarrplatz, this museum displays the remains found under the Neupfarrplatz of the Roman camp of Castra Regina, and the medieval remains of the Jewish quarter with the extraordinary discovery of 640 14th century gold coins.

Domschatzmuseum, is the cathedral’s treasure museum. Museum St. Ulrich, is the Diocesan Museum, which contains an antiquarian and religious art collection. Kunstforum Ostdeutsche Galerie (KOG), museum of modern art by German artists. Naturkundemuseum Ostbayern, a Natural History museum. Donau-Schiffahrts-Museum, the Museum of Navigation on the Danube. Golfmuseum, the Golf Museum. Dinoraeum, the Dinosaur Museum.

The climate of Regensburg.