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Regensburg UNESCO World Heritage
Some people call it "Italy's northern most city", others prefer to describe Regensburg as "Germany's medieval miracle". It's quite simply a city to love and love to be in.
Almost entirely undamaged in the Second World War, Regensburg still presents itself to visitors as an intact medieval city. In the Middle Ages, it was among the richest and largest urban centers in Europe. Even today there are over a thousand ancient buildings of two millennia. And which other city can offer a 1,083-foot-long "icon": the Romanesque stone bridge over the Danube? UNESCO has now recognized the town's exceptional historical value and added it to its list of World Heritage Site in 2006.
Strongly influenced by Italian urban architecture, the city is much more than just a museum. Narrow streets with their tiny shops and the wide squares with numerous pavement cafés and markets are reminiscent of towns basking in Mediterranean sunshine.
Since July, 13th 2006 UNESCO World Heritage
The old town of Regensburg is one of ten new sites to be inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List. In Regensburg, like in no other central European city, authentic buildings of outstanding quality bear witness to the town's political, religious and economic significance during the High Middle Ages. The tremendous wealth of the internationally active patrician families of medieval Regensburg was manifested in splendid towers and residences. Built between the 11th and 14th centuries, these well-preserved towers earned Regensburg the byname "Italy's northern most city".
The old town centre features a large number of remarkable buildings and structures including the Stone Bridge, an exceptional engineering achievement dating from the 12th century; the notable "Scottish church" of St. Jacob, with its richly carved Romanesque portal and the cathedral, the only example of French Gothic cathedral architecture east of the Rhine. The medieval stained glass windows are considered unique in Germany.
Strolling along the atmospheric, narrow lanes and crossing the historical squares characteristic of the town it is possible to imagine what life was like here in the past while at the same time experiencing the verve of today's modern city. Regensburg indeed deserves to be known as Germany's medieval miracle.