Author: Stefan

When you’re walking through Regensburg you might not notice that the city is of Roman origin, but the traces are there and easy to find. In 179 CE the Romans created a fortification close to the rivers Regen and Donau. The Castra Regina was home to the third Italian legion and protected the Upper Germanic-Rhaetian Limes which was in this area the river Donau. On the other side of the river Germanic people were living and had continuous conflicts with the Romans.

The two towers of the Gothic-style cathedral St. Peter dominate the skyline of the city of Regensburg. Entering the building feels like being teleported into a different world, with the high ceiling and the rich decorations it has a special atmosphere. The church was built from the year 1275 on and became usable in 1450. The creation of the towers lasted until 1869, all in all a very long construction period.

The city of Regensburg was founded by the Romans in 179 CE. They created their military fortification called Castra Regina facing the river Donau. The main gate of every of these fortifications was called Porta praetoria and the Porta praetoria of Castra Regina has been preserved throughout the centuries. In fact, in addition to the Porta Nigra of Trier the gate at Regensburg is the only preserved Roman gate in Germany.

Close to the city center of Regensburg a long bridge spans the river Donau, the Steinerne Brücke. It was built between 1135 and 1146 and was by that time the only bridge crossing the Donau between Ulm and Wien. The bridge is 336 meters long and eight meters wide. With its 16 arches it was the antetype for the famous Karlův most at Praha (516 meters long, built in 1357).