Sightseeing In Regensburg

All the sights in Regensburg are in the old town on the south bank of the River Danube. Most of the old town is a pedestrian zone. The area is about 15 minutes walk from the main station along shopping roads – the Altstadtbus is a convenient alternative. All the areas below are within easy walking distance of each other, with the Turn und Taxis Palace about 15 minutes walk from the center.

The Regensburg Dom Area

Construction of the Dom St Peter (Cathedral), Domplatz 5, started around 1260 shortly after Regensburg became a Free Imperial City. It was a prestige project to show off the wealth of the city and it is still the most important Gothic structure in Bavaria. The new cathedral replaced its Romanesque predecessor, of which the Eselturm (Donkey Tower) above the north transept is the only remaining part. The city overestimated the size of its purse as well as the skill of the architect. His planned 160-m (520-foot) single tower could never have been constructed. In addition to the laws of physics, a shortage of funds meant that the building was only completed in 1525, sans tower. The spires, making the west towers 105 m (340 feet), were only added in the 19th century and it was a shoddy job – they had to be replaced a century later. The western façade is richly decorated.

Inside, the church has three naves and a non-projecting transept. Most of the stained glass windows, as well as the sculptures of Mary and the Archangel Gabriel, on the west transept pillars, are from the 13th century. The high altar was constructed between 1695 and 1785. Note the plaque on the south wall for Pastor Johann Maier. He was hanged on the square on April 24, 1945 for demanding that the city should surrender to the advancing American army rather than waste life and property on a lost battle.

The Domschatzmuseum (Cathedral Treasury), shows the wealth of the cathedral in goldsmith work and vestments from the 11th to the 19th century. The designs of the planned single tower for the cathedral can be seen at the entrance to the museum.

[ Related page: Cathedrals in Germany ]

The Diözesanmuseum St Ulrich (Diocesan Museum), Domplatz 2, has a rich collection of sculpture, paintings, and goldsmith work from the 11th century to the present. The museum is housed in the Early Gothic former church of St Ulrich.

The Alte Kapelle (Old Chapel), Alter Kornmarkt, was originally a Carolingian Pfalzkapelle, but after two centuries of neglect was rebuilt as a Romanesque structure in 1002. However, in the 18th century it was transformed into a Rococo masterpiece. Its rich gilded interior decorations can be seen through the gates at the rear of the church during the same hours as the cathedral.

The Historisches Museum (City History Museum), Dachauplatz 2, is in a former Minorite monastery. It has displays on local history from the Stone Age to the present. Highlights include the Act of Foundation – an eight-m (26-foot) stone with an inscription referring to the foundation of the Roman garrison here in AD 179. Further exhibits focus on Eastern Bavarian arts and crafts.

The Porta Praetoria, Unter den Schwibbögen, is part of a gate that remained from the Roman garrison, Castra Regina, established here in the second century. It is part of a more modern building and was covered by plaster for centuries, but is now again uncovered. Apart from the huge monuments in Trier, this is the largest surviving Roman structure in Germany.