BE A TOURIST IN YOUR OWN CITY!

Have you ever been on a city tour? Or at the tourist information office, just to have a look? At the top of the Trinity Church tower? No?
Well then, it’s high time! Most of us avoid the typical “tourist spots” in Regensburg. But it’s really nice to let yourself drift and look through the eyes of a visitor. You’ll see, it’s fun!
We have put together a small daily program for you here:

10 tips for a stroll through Regensburg:

In the morning:

St. Peter’s Cathedral
Everyone who visits Regensburg for the first time is deeply impressed by this Gothic cathedral. For us Regensburgers, the cathedral has somehow become part of everyday life. But whether outside or inside – there is a lot to discover in and around Regensburg Cathedral. Take a closer look at the smiling angel, look for the devil and his grandmother or admire the largest suspended organ in the world.
If you have time, you should definitely take a guided tour of the cathedral, it’s well worth it. Incidentally, the Domspatzen sing here on Sundays at 10 a.m. during mass.

House of Bavarian History
One of the newer attractions in Regensburg. The view into the foyer alone is worthwhile, where the large lion is cheering visitors on under the diamond-shaped glass roof. If you have time, you should definitely visit the exhibition. In front of the Haus der Bayerischen Geschichte, you can also view art in public spaces: the 8-metre-long golden Waller by artist duo Cisca Bogman & Oliver Störmer has been causing a stir since 2019. You can find out more about art in public spaces here:
Art Walk

Danube promenade
From the House of Bavarian History, you can walk along the Danube towards the Historische Wurstkuchl. A detour to the Iron Bridge is worthwhile, the view of the city from here is unique.
On the right-hand side of the path are two museum ships, the Freudenau and the Ruthof. The latter ship has an eventful history: it was built in 1922/1923 at the Ruthof shipyard in Regensburg, after which the ship was named, and then operated as a train ship on the Danube. In 1944, the Ruthof ran aground on a mine near the town of Érsekcsanád in southern Hungary and sank. The wreck was raised and reconstructed in 1956. From then on, the ship sailed under the Hungarian flag under the name Érsekcsanád and repeatedly returned to Regensburg as a steam tug. In 1979, it was acquired by the Regensburg Maritime Museum Working Group and converted into a museum ship.

Wurstkuchl
Treat yourself to six on cabbage, take a look inside and check out the flood marks on the outer wall. The Historsche Wurstkuchl has sunk many times in the Danube floods.
Originally, this small building served as a construction office during the construction of the stone bridge in the Middle Ages from 1135 to 1146. When the structure, celebrated at the time as the eighth wonder of the world, was completed, the construction office moved out and the small house became the “Garküche auf dem Kranchen”. The customers of the Garküche were port and construction workers, hence the name “Kranchen”, the word for cranes at the time. Incidentally, there were no sausages there at the time, only boiled meat. It wasn’t until around 1800 that the well-known sausages were put on the grill.

By boat to Walhalla
After so much sightseeing, it’s time to relax on the boat. You can get tickets in the pavilion right next to the Wurstkuchl. You can take the boat to Walhalla every day until October 3rd (departures twice a day at 10:30 or 14:00). We take the boat at 14.00 and arrive at the pier at Walhalla at around 14.45.
With the Walhalla, Bavarian King Ludwig I created a monument to himself high above the Danube near Donaustauf. Once there, you have to climb the 358 steps to enjoy the breathtaking view or visit the temple of fame with its busts (admission €4.50). The boat sails back to Regensburg at 4.00 pm and arrives there again at 5.00 pm. Allow three hours for the excursion.

Café Prinzess
Back in Regensburg, we walk from the Danube along the picturesque Brückstraße opposite the Stone Bridge towards the Old Town Hall. On the way, we see the large fresco of David against Goliath on the Goliath House. Here we turn right towards the Kohlenmarkt. There were several markets in Regensburg in the Middle Ages, and all sorts of things were sold at the Kohlenmarkt, with coal being the main commodity from the 18th century onwards. A little further straight ahead you can already see the yellow Old Town Hall, on the left at Rathausplatz 2 is the Café Prinzess, which was Germany’s first café when it opened in 1686. Try one of the homemade chocolates here, for example the “Barbara Kisses”, named after the pretty Regensburg burgher’s daughter Barbara Blomberg. Barbara Blomberg became famous because she was the mistress of Emperor Charles V in 1545 and had a son by him, who fought as “Don Juan de Austria” in the naval battle of Lepanto and won the victory. His monument can be found nearby on Zieroldsplatz.

Don Juan D'Austria Regensburg — Don Juan D’Austria

Old Town Hall
After this little refreshment, we take a look at the Old Town Hall.
The Perpetual Diet met here from 1594. Proverbs such as “to put something off” or “to decide at the green table” were born here.
Next to the gate to the Old Town Hall are the old town measurements. There, buyers could check whether the dimensions of the goods were correct. For example, the town shoe or a fathom can be found there. Today, the fathom is still used as a measure for firewood.
If you want to find out more, you should definitely take a tour of the town hall, which is really interesting, including a look inside the former torture chamber.

Stone Bridge
But let’s go back to the Stone Bridge and the bridge tower.
There used to be three towers on the Stone Bridge: the bridge tower, a central tower and the black tower at the northern end of the bridge near Stadtamhof. The bridge tower is the only surviving one of these three towers. Incidentally, debtors used to be locked up here in the past. They begged for coins with a fishing rod, which they lowered from the tower window, to collect their debts.
Further straight ahead, about halfway up the Stone Bridge, you can see a cockerel and a hen on the right. The reason for this is an old legend:
the master bridge builder made a bet with the master cathedral builder as to who would complete his building first. However, as the cathedral construction progressed faster, the master bridge builder made a pact with the devil to help him. In return, the devil wanted the first three souls to cross the bridge. From then on, bridge building proceeded apace and the bridge was completed first. The devil demanded the three souls, but the master bridge builder was no fool: at the opening ceremony, he first chased a rooster, then a hen and a dog across the bridge. Enraged, the devil tried to destroy the bridge, which is why, according to legend, it has a hump. However, the bridge had actually been finished for a long time when construction of the cathedral began in 1273.

The famous Bruckmandl can also be found on the bridge.
It is not known why the Bruckmandl is here, some believe it is a south-facing wise man who looks south and holds his hand to his forehead to protect himself from the sun. Others believe in the legend of the devil and the master bridge builder. According to this, the Bruckmandl represents the master bridge builder looking anxiously at the progress of the cathedral’s construction.

Stadtamhof
The Stone Bridge was the link between the free imperial city of Regensburg and the Bavarian town of Stadtamhof, which only became part of Regensburg and was incorporated on April 1, 1924.
Today Stadtamhof is a popular district with many cafés and lots of greenery.

Alte Linde
At the end of our tour program, we naturally go to a beer garden. From the Alte Linde you have another unbeatable view of the city. Right next to it is another wonderful beer garden, the Spitalkeller.

Have fun discovering!

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