Regensburg is a Bavarian city on the Danube of Southeast Germany. There were settlements here during the Stone Ages. Around 90 AD the Romans built a fort here. Not until the Stone Bridge was build during 1146, Regensburg began to flourish. The bridge connects the trade from northern Europe to Venice, and because of this Regensburg became the cultural center for southern Germany noted for its gold works and fabric.
Steinerne Brucke (Stone Bridge) built between 1135 and 1146
Today, the Stone Bridge still stands with some restorations which will be completed soon.
Regensburg is the best preserved medieval city in Germany. Its Old Town Center was listed by UNESCO as World Heritage Site. With its oldest pedestrian street, built by Romans, in Germany, it is easy to get around. Here are some of the views of this Old Town which is still active and viable.
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The Town Hall Square consists of the Old Town Tower of the 13th century and the baroque style Old Town Hall and the Gothic Imperial Chambers building where the Perpetual Imperial Assembly met from 1663 to 1806. This is where the expressions “to put something on the long bench” (to postpone something) and “to sit at the green table” (to take important decisions) come from.
The Old Town Tower
“The protection and defende” on the facade of the Old Town Hall
Imperial Chamber Building
Goliathhaus Regensburg (‘Goliath House’ ) built around 1260 and the painting of David’s fight with Goliath was done around 1573 is both listed by UNESCO as one of the landmarks of the World Heritage City of Regensburg.Cathedral of Regensburg dedicated to St. Peter’s is an example of the Gothic architecture in Bavaria. Its construction started in the early 11th century and approximately 600 years later it finally finished in 1872. This cathedral is the Bishop’s church and home of the Regensburger Domspatzen (“cathedral sparrows”), It is also the burial-place of many important Bishops
The valuable stain glass windows of the Regensburg Cathedral installed between 1220-1230 and 1320-1370.
Interior of Regensburg Cathedral
Interior of Regensburg Cathedral
Interior of Regensburg Cathedral
stain glass of Regensburg CathedralAlte Kapelle (Old Chapel) or Basilica of the Nativity of Our Lady is oldest catholic worship place in Bavaria. It is a fine example of the baroque style of the 18th century and one of the masterpieces of the rococo decorationSt. Emmeram Church was originally a Benedictine monastery in 739. It had a collection of books and manuscripts and in the 11th century serves as a library. Now the collection along with the treasures of the Abbey had been removed to Munich.
Interior of St. Emmeram’s Abbey
Interior of St. Emmeram’s Abbey
Interior of St. Emmeram’s Abbey
Interior of St. Emmeram’s Abbey.
Last but not the least is the wonderful sausages from the restaurant specialized in different sausages. It sells approximately 6,000 sausages daily. Inside the restaurant only seats 35 people, but outside there are tables that can seat even more. One would not want to pass this up. Get a hotdog type sausage bun and eat it on the go is worth it too.
The Historic Sausage Kitchen of Regensburg, the oldest continuous open public restaurant in the world. The original building is the office of the construction workers for the Old Stone Bridge. When the bridge was finished it turned into a restaurant frequented by dockers, sailors, and cathedral workers. It became a grill sausage restaurant when the family took over in 1806.
Passau sits on the bank of the Danube where its two tributaries, the Inn River from the south and the Ilz River from the north flow into the Danube.
The confluence of the River Inn, Ilz, and the Danube
This confluence of the rivers often causes flooding of the city from time to time and the worst was in 1501 as shown on the building wall.
Markings on each flood
Narrow street and St Stephen’s Cathedral showing in the backgroud
Passau Old Town covered in cobber stone and narrow streets
Along the river bank is where the old part of the town sits. It used to be the busy merchant’s market exchange center, now it is mostly occupied by artisans. Passau was an old Roman colony until it was granted by the Holy Roman Empire to the Prince-Bishop of Passau along with a territory that included the present-day Vienna up to Hungary with its capital in Passau. The St. Stephen’s Cathedral here was the original mother church of the St Stephen’s Church in Vienna. The original cathedral was destroyed by fire in the 17th century. What we see today is the rebuilt of St. Stephen’s Cathedral of the Baroque style.
Inside St Stephens’s Cathedral decorated by Giovanni Battista Carlone and frescos by Carpoforo TencallaThe largest cathedral organ in the world with 17,774 pipes and 233 registers, all of which can be played with the five-manual general console in the galleryVeste Oberhaus from the riverThe view of the confluence of the river Danube, Inn River, and Ilz River from the Oberhause fortress
Veste Oberhause is the Oberhause fortress built 1219 by the Bishop of Passau. It sits facing the Danube between the Ils and Inn River which puts it in a good position to monitor the goods passing by, therefore it served as a stronghold for the Prince-Bishop to collect tax for his principality. Today it houses a museum, youth hostel, restaurant. The ground had been used for open theater.
The Townhouse of Passaulook at the colorful buildings of Passau. It is said the color represents the goods they sell. Such as the pink is for meat products, yellow is for beers and green is for produce.
awesome retirement 