Explorations of one of the most intact medieval city centers in Germany!
Regensburg has the largest intact medieval city centers north of the Alps. It’s not a surprise that the city was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2006 for all the preserved buildings. How did it all survive? Much of the medieval centers of larger cities were either destroyed for progress or because of fire bombing in WWII. Regensburg’s factories were targeted instead of the city center. There was also a big economic downturn in the region which kept the city center from being bulldozed in the name of progress. By the time that the economy picked up in the 1960s, preservation was seen as the way to go instead.
An Ancient Roman fort was built in what today is Bamberg in 90 CE and a new fortress built in 170 CE. Today, only a little bit of this fortress remains. I was super excited to see some Roman ruins. This trip had the least amount of ancient ruins that I’ve ever seen on a trip to Europe before.
Jana Irving A wee bit of a Roman gate, the Porta Praetoria.
Regensburg served as the capital of Bavaria from the 6th century to the 13th. Conveniently located on the Danube, the city grew wealthy from trade. From 1663 to 1806, Regensburg was the permanent setting of the Imperial Diet, a meeting of territorial leaders from around the Holy Roman Empire. There really isn’t a good definition of what they actually did, just that they were important, and they met in Regensburg.
Jana Irving Heading towards my first stop.
Jana Irving Basilika St. Emmeram was the church part of the Abbey St. Emmeram, next to Schloss St. Emmeram (St. Emmeram Castle). It was founded in the 8th century.
Jana Irving To get to the church, you have to walk through a cemetery of sorts. I’m not sure any bodies are still there but the tombstones are.
Jana Irving It’s been renovated a few times since the 8th century.
Jana Irving This church is probably one of my favorite stops in Regensburg.
Jana Irving In the front of the church, there is this weird choir area. There is also a much older crypt underneath.
Jana Irving Gorgeous church.
Jana Irving A very elaborate old medieval tomb.
Jana Irving Heading into the old city. It’s fairly colorful.
Jana Irving Cute little street.
Jana Irving Complete with its own tower.
Jana Irving I love how colorful this city is.
Jana Irving So colorful!
Jana Irving The Altes Rathaus (Old City Hall). The tower section is from the 14th century.
Jana Irving The oldest section of the Altes Rathaus, the Reichssaal is where the Imperial Diet met.
Jana Irving Very cute.
Jana Irving Goldener Turm, another tower.
Jana Irving A tower-like house?
Jana Irving Neupfarrplatz and Neupfarrkirche.
Jana Irving These narrow streets prove it was a medieval town at some point.
Jana Irving Dom St. Peter (St. Peter Cathedral). The outside was covered in scaffolding, so let’s skip the outside.
Jana Irving A gorgeous Gothic cathedral.
Jana Irving Weird decorative figures.
Jana Irving It was so dark in the cathedral that I had to use my cell phone. It’s the same way I photograph a cave.
Jana Irving Cutting through the church yard.
Jana Irving Look how tiny that building on the left is! I wonder what its used for.
Jana Irving Awesome looking restaurant.
Jana Irving Germany sure likes giant murals on their buildings.
Jana Irving This city is adorable.
Jana Irving Brückturm. the gate leads to a fantastic 12th century bridge.
Jana Irving The other side of Brückturm on the Steinerne Brücke (Old Stone Bridge).
Jana Irving Steinerne Brücke from further away.
Jana Irving An amazing half-timbered building.
Jana Irving All these towers are reminding me of Florence.
Jana Irving The last stop on my list was Schottenkirche (Scotts Monastery), which has an amazing door. The Romanesque portal is now protected by an awning, hence the metal bars.
Jana Irving It’s a fairly simple Romanesque church, built in the 12th century. It got the name, Scotts Monastery, because it was founded by Irish missionaries and later run by Scottish monks.
Jana Irving Wandered my way back to the train station after a late lunch of wonderful pasta and came across this gem.
Jana Irving FYI. There’s also a building near the train station that you can drive through. It serves as a governmental office.
I traveled to Regensburg from Nuremberg on my way to Munich. It was a lovely side quest that involved some amazing pasta. Of course, it was just a wonderful town to walk around and explore in. This was just a taste of Regensburg. There is so much more than I covered here.
Check out my next update where I explore Munich!
or
Start at the beginning of this adventure in Zurich!
