PLAZA INN Regensburg

The Historical Museum, housed in the former Minorite monastery, explains art and cultural history from the Stone Age to the 19th century. The collections encompass topics from prehistory and early history, the Roman period, medieval stone sculpture, life and trade in medieval Regensburg, sacred art of the 15th and 16th centuries, to domestic culture and crafts of the 16th to 19th centuries.

At the southern end of Regensburg's old town, not far from the main train station, lies the princely Thurn and Taxis Palace. This magnificent complex originated from the buildings of the former Benedictine monastery of St. Emmeram. In connection with the abolition of postal rights during the secularization of 1810, the House of Thurn and Taxis acquired the majority of the monastery grounds and developed them into their ancestral residence. The oldest buildings date back to the 8th century. This makes the former monastery of St. Emmeram one of the oldest and most important monasteries in Bavaria.

Regensburg Cathedral (St. Peter's) is one of the most important Gothic architectural achievements in Bavaria. With its towering spires, visible from afar, the cathedral is the centerpiece of the UNESCO World Heritage city of Regensburg. The colorful stained-glass windows from the 13th and 14th centuries are particularly impressive. The cloister, once the burial place of Regensburg citizens and canons, is primarily characterized by its 15th-century Gothic rib vaulting. The All Saints' Chapel, built in the mid-12th century by builders from northern Italy, evokes memories of Ravenna and can be visited on a guided tour. Regensburg Cathedral is the only Gothic cathedral in Bavaria.

The Neupfarrkirche is a Protestant parish church located on Neupfarrplatz in the old town of Regensburg. Construction of the church, originally planned as a Catholic pilgrimage church, began after the destruction of the Jewish quarter in 1519. The high revenues from the initially thriving pilgrimages were intended to finance the construction of a large Catholic pilgrimage church. However, when the decline in pilgrimages later revealed that the financing of the Catholic church was no longer secure due to a lack of income, construction was halted. The financing for the provisional completion of the church was negotiated between the two parties involved and then assumed by the Imperial City of Regensburg, which intended to use the church as a new Protestant church after the introduction of the Reformation.

The Porta Praetoria is considered one of the oldest surviving structures in Regensburg. In Roman times, it served as the northern gate of the Roman legionary camp Castra Regina, a so-called "swing gate," and is therefore estimated to be almost 2000 years old. This makes the Porta Praetoria, along with the Porta Nigra, the northern city gate of Trier, which was built at the same time, the only surviving Roman gate north of the Alps. When the old Roman camp road – the via praetoria – was built over in the Middle Ages due to lack of space, the Roman camp gates were almost forgotten.

Haidplatz is one of the oldest and most traditional squares in Regensburg's historic old town. It originated as a long, triangular meadow ("Heide") west of the former Roman fort. Over the centuries, magnificent buildings were erected here, celebrities became frequent visitors, and the people of Regensburg celebrated spectacular festivals.

A visit to Regensburg wouldn't be complete without seeing it: a masterpiece of medieval architecture in Germany – the Stone Bridge. Alongside Regensburg Cathedral, it is the city's most important landmark and was certainly one of the reasons for Regensburg's inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The Stone Bridge, which connects the old Bavarian district of Stadtamhof with Regensburg's Old Town, was considered a true wonder of the world in the Middle Ages. It was built in just 11 years, presumably between 1135 and 1146. The bustling trade of Regensburg, an important economic center in the Middle Ages, necessitated a permanent river crossing. Thus, the city council and citizens decided to construct the bridge. For almost 800 years, until 1935, it remained the only bridge in Regensburg and the surrounding region, serving as a reliable crossing over the Danube.

Perched high above the Danube near Regensburg, the Walhalla dominates the surrounding landscape. This neoclassical building, in the form of a columned temple, was commissioned by the Bavarian King Ludwig I (reigned 1825-1848) and is one of the most important German national monuments of the 19th century.

The House of Bavarian History (HdBG) was established in 1983 as an agency of the Free State of Bavaria and has been located in Augsburg since September 1993. Its tasks include the preparation and execution of cultural history exhibitions, in particular the Bavarian State Exhibitions, the conception of the House of Bavarian History – Museum in Regensburg, which opened in 2019, and the publication of the Edition Bayern series.