Old town of Regensburg with Stadtamhof

Map

The Old Town of Regensburg with Stadtamhof: A Medieval Gem on the Danube

The Old Town of Regensburg with Stadtamhof, located in the southeastern part of Bavaria, Germany, stands as a testament to the region's rich historical and architectural heritage. Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2006, this medieval town boasts a remarkable collection of buildings spanning over two millennia, from ancient Roman structures to Gothic masterpieces.

More to come…

UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site

Located on the Danube River in Bavaria, this medieval town contains many buildings of exceptional quality that testify to its history as a trading centre and to its influence on the region from the 9th century. A notable number of historic structures span some two millennia and include ancient Roman, Romanesque and Gothic buildings. Regensburg’s 11th- to 13th-century architecture – including the market, city hall and cathedral – still defines the character of the town marked by tall buildings, dark and narrow lanes, and strong fortifications. The buildings include medieval patrician houses and towers, a large number of churches and monastic ensembles as well as the 12th-century Old Bridge. The town is also remarkable for the vestiges testifing to its rich history as one of the centres of the Holy Roman Empire that turned to Protestantism.

UNESCO Justification of the World Heritage Site

Criterion (ii): The architecture of Regensburg represents the city's role as a medieval trading centre and its influence in the region north of the Alps. Regensburg was an important transition point on continental trade routes to Italy, Bohemia, Russia and Byzantium. It also had multiple connections with the transcontinental Silk Roads. As such, the city exhibits an important interchange of cultural and architectural influences, which have shaped its urban landscape.

Criterion (iii): The Old Town of Regensburg bears an exceptional testimony to cultural traditions especially in the Holy Roman Empire, being the location for most of the assemblies of the Empire in the High Middle Ages. Regensburg also significantly contributed to more recent European history being the seat of the Perpetual Assembly from 1663 to 1806. As a testimony to these functions, there are the remains of two imperial Palatine palaces from the 9th century, and a large number of other well preserved historic buildings, which are testimony to the wealth and political importance of the community.

Criterion (iv): The Old Town of Regensburg with Stadtamhof is an outstanding example of a central-European medieval trading town, which has well preserved its historical stages of development, and which is an exceptional illustration to the development of commerce particularly from the 11th to 14th centuries.

Encyclopedia Record: Regensburg

Regensburg is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the rivers Danube, Naab and Regen, Danube's northernmost point. It is the capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the state. With more than 150,000 inhabitants, Regensburg is the fourth-largest city in the State of Bavaria after Munich, Nuremberg and Augsburg and the eighth-largest of all cities on the river Danube. From its foundation as an imperial Roman river fort, the city has been the political, economic and cultural centre of the surrounding region. Later, under the rule of the Holy Roman Empire, it housed the Perpetual Diet of Regensburg.

Read more on Wikipedia