The history of Regensburg

Castra Regina - Roman Regensburg 

Regensburg is one of the few cities in Germany whose history goes back to Roman times. In 179, no less a person than Emperor Marcus Aurelius had a military camp built here for a complete legion - six thousand soldiers; the task was to defend the Danube border against the Germanic tribes living north of the Danube. The Romans were able to maintain their post for almost three hundred years, until they had to abandon it during the Migration Period. But even today, almost two thousand years later, impressive remains of that time can still be seen in various places in the city, part of the massive city wall, for example, or the Porta Praetoria, the only Roman gate in all of Germany besides the famous Porta Nigra in Trier. And in the Historical Museum there is even a whole section with finds and exhibits from the Roman times; here the antiquity becomes really alive again...

Living Middle Ages

The Middle Ages were Regensburg's great time - a time of powerful dukes, kings and emperors, important prince-bishops and pious, learned, art-loving monks as well as a population that ranged from wealthy wholesale and long-distance traders to the whole characteristic variety of craftsmen of that time. At that time, Regensburg was - hardly to be believed from today's point of view - one of the largest cities in the whole of Germany! In the old town, the "medieval wonder of Germany," evidence of this heyday can still be seen at every turn: the cathedral with its enormous dimensions, the vast number of churches and monasteries, or the many large-scale patrician houses with their imposing towers. Away from these large buildings, in the narrow, winding streets, you can also discover the everyday life of the simple people, the small traders, craftsmen and day laborers. Living Middle Ages - in Regensburg this is more than just a buzzword.

Gothic in Regensburg - trading metropolis of European rank

In the High Middle Ages, Regensburg experienced its economic heyday. Favoured by its location on the Danube, the city developed into a long-distance trading metropolis of European rank. People from all over the world came to Regensburg and made it a cosmopolitan city in terms of atmosphere. The architectural expression of this epoch was the Gothic style. Powerful and rich, Regensburg produced true masterpieces here - with the cathedral as the unrivaled highlight.

Regensburg in the Baroque - A walk through the epoch

Baroque architecture, sensuality and joie de vivre are not necessarily to be expected in the medieval world heritage city. On a round through the old town we accompany you to the time of the 17th and 18th century. The baroque walk leads to the extraordinary personalities of the epoch that still fascinate us today, to rooms made of light and the richness of decorative forms. Regensburg in the Baroque period was characterized by beliefs, the Perpetual Diet, opulence and the life of simple people. Living conditions and eating habits, diseases and hygiene problems can be clearly seen in the buildings, fountains, statues and churches. Tobacco and coffee were among the new pleasures, and depictions of transience and death reminded people in the Baroque era of the end of earthly life. In keeping with the architecture, music in churches and theaters soared to new heights. 

Romanesque in Regensburg - City of Kings, Dukes and Bishops

Regensburg is considered the "most Romanesque city in Germany". No wonder: In the Romanesque period, in the early Middle Ages, Regensburg was one of the most important places in Germany at that time. The desire to build in keeping with one's status was omnipresent - and money was no object. Thus, in the sacred as well as in the profane area, a building activity unfolded that was unparalleled and left its mark on the city.

Splendor and Glory - Regensburg and the Perpetual Diet

In the 17th and 18th centuries, more precisely from 1663 to 1806, Regensburg was home to one of the most important institutions of the old Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, the "Perpetual Diet". Dozens of envoys from all over Germany, some even from other European countries stayed in the city, some for a few years, some for their whole lives. In the town hall, in the magnificent, originally preserved "Reichssaal" and its adjoining rooms, they made great politics, circumstantially and prolixly, to be sure, but not without effect. And beyond the official meetings, it was not inconspicuous private life that was the order of the day. On the contrary, the high lords, all of whom came from aristocratic circles, also led an extremely glamorous representative life in the city, with festivities, receptions and balls galore. The most prominent example: the Princes of Thurn and Taxis, the emperor's representatives at the Reichstag. Glitz and glamour: That was everyday life in Regensburg back then!

Turn of the times - upheavals on the threshold of the 20th century

From the fairy-tale king Ludwig II to the First World War, from Romanticism to Revolution, this period spans. Around 40 years full of upheavals that could not have been more serious. The decline of the Wittelsbach dynasty shaped the era in Bavaria, as did a devastating pandemic. But it also includes the dawn of the wild 1920s with all its changes. At the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, the old rulers were swept from their thrones, and the way was clear for women's rights, democracy and modernity. What was going on in the small Bavarian provincial town with two thousand years of history? Who among the old monarchs visited the former imperial city, did the revolution take place here at all and where did modernity clearly take hold? Our tour guides will take you back in time to the Regensburg of a hundred years ago. On a walk off the beaten track, we will show you where and how the glamor and tragedy of the era are reflected.

With visit to the snuff museum

Ratisbonne et les Fraçais

On peut constater que de tous temps, il existait une relation intense entre la France, les Français et la ville de Ratisbonne. Tout commence avec les premiers missionnaires chrétiens qui arrivaient du pays des Francs. Puis vint Charlemagne qui séjourna plusieurs fois à Ratisbonne. Au XIIIe siècle, des maîtres d’oeuvre venant de France commencèrent la construction de la cathédrale gothique. A l’époque de la diète permanente la vie culturelle ressemblait en de nombreux points à celle de Paris! Ensuite est arrive Napoléon, la Bavière devint une royauté et Ratisbonne bavaroise… Aujourd’hui encore, la presence française est toujours d’actualité dans l’industrie par exemple, dans la gastronomie bien sûr et dans d’autres domaines encore.