REGENSBURG, GERMANY: TOP TEN PHOTOS OF THE CITY

Location, location, location!

The secret to real estate success is what empires are built on.  Just ask Donald Trump. Empires have certainly built on this philosophy be it modern day or medieval. Where would Egypt be without its Nile, or Europe without the Danube?  Europe would  undoubtedly be minus a few abbeys, cathedrals and castles.

The Danube runs from the Black Forest of Germany to the Black Sea in Rumania and Ukraine, weaving through 10 countries along its 1,785 miles of waterway.   

It’s Europe’s second longest river, playing second fiddle to the river Volga. The Danube basin was the site for some of the earliest human cultures.  Thank you Charlemagne, Napoleon and the first King of Bavaria, Ludwig, for the canal we call the Danube River today.  Atta boys! 
 
It was the Danube River that would carry Jimmy and me into four (Germany, Austria, Hungary and Slovakia) of the 10 countries this river intersects.   We did sneak into the Czech Republic
also, just not via the Danube River.

You want to know what the other six countries are, huh?  I’m so glad you asked.  I’m just a font of wisdom now when it comes to Europe.  NOT!  But I digress.  I do that quite frequently.

The other six countries the Danube traverses are Romania, Serbia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Ukraine, and Moldova. You know Moldova, right; as in watches. Oh wait, that’s Movado.  Oops! 

Never heard of Moldova? Of course, when I was in school there was a  Czechoslovakia  too.  Countries are just popping up and disappearing at the speed of WiFi!  And thanks to that lovely twenty-first century invention, you can discover all there is to know about Moldova via this link.

Jim and I began ourWaltz of the Blue Danube Tour in Regensburg. We discovered quite quickly why Regensburg has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, one of only 962 sites listed worldwide for their cultural or natural properties.  A large portion of the city called Old Town, one of Germany’s best preserved medieval towns, remains as it stood thousands of years ago. 
 
I fell in love with the historic old quarter; found its narrow, cobblestone streets that often open up into large squares colorful, charming and very clean.  The quaint buildings, the historical churches, and the abbeys had all managed to come through the World War II bombings mostly unscathed.  

But enough of my love story with this Bavarian capital city. I’ll let my top 10 photos speak for
themselves.

1.  Steinerne Brucke

Regensburg’s Stone Bridge is one of two major symbols of the city.  It was the only bridge across the Danube at Regensburg for 800 years, making Regensburg a center of trade and government. The bridge was built over an eleven year period, from 1135 – 1146 and used by the knights of the 2nd and 3rd crusades to make their way to the Holy Land. 

With the bridge currently under construction and open to pedestrians and bicyclists only, when
construction is completed in 2014, the bridge will remain closed altogether to vehicular traffic.

2.  Porta Praetoria & Castra Regina

The giant blocks of stone that make up this tower are part of a fort dating to the year 179 AD under the Emperor Marc Aurel.  They are part of the oldest building in Germany, Porta
Praetoria. The tower seen here is one of 30 towers believed to encompass a  450 x 550 meter area used as a military camp for 6000 men.  The tower serves as a reminder of the Roman settlement, Castra Regina.

3.  Candlergaffe

The streets in medieval times were not near as clean as the ones Jim and I found lined with shops and homes in the old quarter of town.  This narrow street bearing the German name Candlergaffe is where members of the working class lived and ran shops selling goods and services.  Today's working class still endures crowded working and living conditions indicative of the Middle Ages although the neighborhood is not as dark or dirty. 

4.  Goliathhaus

This painting on the side of Regensburg’s Goliath House dates back to the year 1573 and is located on the southern base of what was considered the old Roman fort.  Along with Haus Heuport, this building is the largest ‘city castle’ in Regensburg, what some call "Italy's northernmost city."   

5.  Haidplat

This city square named ‘Haidplatz’ is a word meaning wasteland that is sparsely overgrown. 
Many of Germany’s towns are dotted with similar type squares, places where town meetings, social gatherings and even tournaments would be held in during the Middle Ages.  Today during good weather the square is used for casual dining or that cup of cappuccino, even occasional concerts.   

6.  Schloss St.  Emmeram, Thurn & Taxis

Our local guide, Julia, stops to give us the 411 on Schloss St. Emmeran, Thurn & Taxis.  The building behind her was originally an abbey and Benedictine monastery at St. Emmeram, owned by the Thurn & Taxis royal family since 1812. Prince Karl Alexander, hereditary post master general of the Holy Roman Empire, received the monastery as partial compensation for surrendering his rights to the Bavarian postal system.  He moved his family to Regensburg, officially making the abbey one of the largest private residences in all of Europe.  Today a portion of the abbey is a museum dedicated to chronicling the lifestyles and traditions of Europe’s most important aristocratic families.  

7.  Regensburger Dom

While St. Peter’s Church dates back to the year 1273 when the 600-year construction project began, it was not the first church on that sight, although certainly the tallest given the 345 foot tall twin spires.  The first church, dating to 700 AD, burned to the ground twice.  Since 2009, this pure German Gothic cathedral houses the largest free-hanging pipe organ in the world with 80 registers.

8.  Rathas, Reichstag & Folterkammer

We happened upon a wedding at Regensburg Town Square during our tour of the city.  We were told all marriages must occur at the Town Hall, although couples can choose to have a second ceremony at a local church.

In the basement of the Town Hall are prison cells dating to ancient times and a torture chamber used to force the confessions needed for an official conviction.  According to records, only three people survived the  typical 14-day torture period and were confined to the prison below rather than hanged.

9.  Salzstadel

Salt routes are the oldest trade routes in Europe.  Regensburg was a key player in the buying and selling of this ‘white gold’ with their free city status.  Their status simply meant they had the right to collect tolls for all boats passing through their depot. 

10.  Kuckucksuhr

The German Cuckoo Clock has its origins in the Black Forest where this artform was introduced sometime between 1740 and 1750 in Schonwald.  There were more clocks than I had time to peruse this enormous collection at the famous Drubba Clock and Gifts Store in Regensburg.