Regensburg: the most charming city in Germany
A few years ago I was living in another city of Germany: Regensburg. I spent there one full year and one month ago I had the opportunity to come back to visit the city where my love for Germany started.
Regensburg is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the Danube, Naab and Regen rivers. It is capital of the Upper Palatine subregion of the state in the south of Germany. It has more than 150.000 inhabitants and is the fourth-largest city in the State of Bavaria after Munich, Nuremberg and Augsburg. From its foundation as an imperial Roman river fort, the city has been political, economic and cultural centre of the surrounding region.
The medieval centre of the city is a UNESCO Worl Heritage Site. Regensburg inclides the largest medieval old town north of the Alps with nearly 1.500 listed buildings and a picturesque cityscape. Its most famous sights are located mainly in the Old Town, such as:
The Dom (Cathedral): is an example of pure German Gothic and is regarded as the main work of Gothic architecture in Bavaria. It was founded in 1275 and completed in 1634, with the exception of the towers, which were finished in 1869.
The stone bridge, built 1135-1146, is a highlight of medieval bridge building. The knights of the 2nd snd 3rd crusades used it to cross the Danube on their way to the Holy Land.
The Regensburg Sausage Kitchen is a major tourist destination, but locals eat there as well. It was originally built as the construction headquarters of the stone bridge and now lies adjacent to it.
Schloss Höfling, a castle owned by the Thurn und Taxis family.
In addition, near Regensburg there are two very imposing classicsl buildings erected by Ludwig I of Bavaria as national monuments dedicated to German patriotism and greatness:
The more imposing of the two is the Walhalla, a costly reproduction of the Parthenon, erected as a Teutonic temple of fame on a hill rising from the Danube ad Donaustauf, 10 kilometres to the east. The interior, which is richly decorated with coloured marble, gilding and sculltures, contains the busts of more than one hundred notable Germans.
The second of King Lidwig‘s buildings is the Befreiungshalle at Kelheim, 25 kilometres higher up the Danube. It is a large circular monument built for the glorification of the heroes of 1813 War of Liberation.
About Museums and exhibitions, there are around 20 museums in regensburg, such as The Regensburg Museum of History, the Diocese Museums, the Regensburg Museum of Danube Shipping…
Twice a year the Regensburg Dult takes place. There is one in September, and another one in May, which I visited last time. This is a Bavarian Volkfest that lasts around two weeks and everyone is wesring the typical Bavarian clothes, Dirndl and Lederhose. There are a lot of tents where you can eat the local food and drink a real german beer while listening to the most signofican Schlagermusik! I recommend visiting it if you want to experience a bit of the wellknown Oktoberfest!!
Spanje