Regensberg, Germany

Today we visited the medieval center of the city of Regensburg, the oldest city on the Danube.  It survived the world wars without too much bombing damage, although the nearby Mescherschmitt factory was an Allied target.  About 20 years ago the city of 100,000 residents began to preserve its historic old town, aided recently by the designation as an UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

Dom, Wurstkuche, & the salt trade building

The Roman walls date back to 179 AD, but the majority of the buildings are from the 12th-15th centuries.  The skyline is dominated by the Gothic Cathedral, Dom St. Peter.











The other feature of the skyline are towers built by wealthy businessmen to show their importance -- the towers are empty.  This area was part of the salt trade, and the stone bridge across the Danube was one of the only bridges for 400 km... the tolls to cross made the businessmen even richer.  Like Passau, this area was affected by the 2013 floods, but it was only 3-5 feet deep here.  In this photo you can see one of the towers, and near the river's edge, the level of the 2013 flood.

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Stone Bridge tower, gate to the city



"Goliath" building

The streets are narrow and made of cobblestone.  The buildings now must be painted in the old colors to maintain the historic integrity.  Some of them have been renovated and the original frescoes restored. 















The Dom has a free-hanging organ... only attached by cables to the ceiling.  The cathedral was built in the 13th-14th centuries and features huge stained glass windows.

freestanding organ

Dom stained glass

We also saw a Wurstkuche (sausage kitchen) which has been serving since 1320.  Fast food is not a new trend.


wurstkitche (green building)


We had to back out of Regensberg... almost a half mile before going up a new channel and into the Regensburg lock.  The afternoon was spent sailing through farm land in somewhat foggy conditions.  By the time we reached Kelheim and the start of the Danube-Main-Rhine canal, it was raining.  Tonight we cross the ridge between the Danube drainage (the Black Sea) and the Rhine drainage (the North Sea).