THE HISTORIC WURSTKUCHL!

Known throughout the world simply as the “Wurstkuchl”, this historic cooking and sausage kitchen has long since become the epitome of Regensburg, along with the Stone Bridge and the cathedral. Situated at the foot of the world-famous bridge, right next to the Salzstadel, it was the place to go for workers, stonemasons and dockers to have a hearty meal during the construction of the bridge and the cathedral. The original small building itself, leaning against the city wall, served as a construction office from 1135 to 1146, during the construction of the stone bridge. After completion of the structure, which was celebrated as the eighth wonder of the world at the time, the building office became the “Garküche auf dem Kranchen”. The name was no coincidence, as the clientele consisted mainly of port and construction workers, as “Kranchen” meant crane or cranes at the time.
There were always port workers, as the port in Regensburg served the rich trading patricians of the Free Imperial City of Regensburg as a transshipment point for goods from all over the world for centuries.

Originally boiled meat from the cookshop, the new owner, the cook Wolfgang Schricker, probably introduced the bratwurst around 1806. This marked the beginning of the era of the Schricker-Meier family and the legendary Regensburg sausages, which continues to this day. A visit to the Wurstkuchl has long been a must for every tourist and visitor to the city. And at least once you should try the six sausages on cabbage with croissants, or as the people of Regensburg say “6 on cabbage”. Even as old Regensburgers, we can’t resist the aroma wafting from the old Wurstkuchl around the corners of the Salzstadel to the Stone Bridge. A croissant with bratwurst is always a good idea – we’re already looking forward to the next one. “1000 years of flooding but still dry feet” can be read on the Wurstkuchl’s homepage and indeed, hardly any other building in Regensburg has been “flooded” as often as the historic kitchen and forecourt, which borders directly on the Danube. The most extreme high water levels have also been immortalized on various plaques and markers on the building, testifying to the power and might of the Danube when it was flooded after long periods of rain.

Even if it seems as if the entire Wurstkuchl consists of a huge grill on which the sausages sizzle and the ladies, in their original traditional costumes, delight the hungry with a sausage croissant in the sweat of their brow. If you venture past the steam and the smell of the sausages, you can discover the Stüberl right next to the Kuchl. Here it seems as if we can immerse ourselves in the “good old days” and we wouldn’t be surprised if a Ludwig Thoma, a Valentin or a Weiß Ferdl sat down here. You absolutely have to enjoy it!

For a long time, there was a legendary regulars’ table in the rustic parlor, where people philosophized, talked shop and, of course, enjoyed a good meal and beer. The Regensburg author and BR presenter Werner A. Widmann, who contributed a lot to the awareness and reputation of the city with his contributions about Regensburg in his programs “Zwischen Spessart und Karwendel”, also liked to sit here for a Weißwurst meal or a twilight pint. During her era, Grandma Schricker even welcomed celebrities from the post-war film industry, such as Margot Hielscher and Hans Moser. And since Johann Wolfgang von Goethe resided in the Weißes Lamm during his stopover on his trip to Italy – albeit in Cognito – it can be assumed that he also enjoyed a hearty meal in the historic Wurstkuchl. Perhaps he wrote this sentence back then: “A wonderful cheerfulness has taken over my whole soul, like the sweet spring mornings that I enjoy with all my heart!” In any case, our hearts and eyes always open when the aroma lures us to the Wurstkuchl.

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Many thanks to our author Marion Lanzl for this article!

Marion Lanzl is a freelance writer and loves to stroll around her second home Regensburg and meet up with her friends in one of the wonderful cafés. Here on RegensburgNow she writes about her favorite city.

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