Regensburg, Germany

 

The Old Stone Bridge

Regensburg, the Castle on the river, was founded in 179 AD. After the Roman Empire fell, a Bavarian tribe took over the city and it became the capital of Bavaria. The high point was between the 6^th and 12^th centuries when trade to the East and West along the river made this the largest city in the region. In 1135 they began construction of the Old Stone Bridge, which would become the only bridge across the Danube for almost 200 years. The legend has it that the builder of the bridge had a bet with the builder of the Cathedral for who would complete construction first. The bet included doing bodily harm to the loser. The Cathedral had God on his side, so the bridge builder made a pact with the devil that the devil could have the souls of the first three who crossed. The bridge was built in eleven years. The duke, bishop, and mayor wanted to be the first to cross. But the builder told them we should test the bridge by having two cats and a dog cross first, saving their souls. We saw the remnants of the Roman gate into the castle.

St. Peters under reconstruction

St. Peter’s Cathedral was started in 1275, but the steeples weren’t completed until 1872 (a clear loser in that bet). Unfortunately, they were completed in cheap concrete and are undergoing their second renovation.

Nearby was the golden tower, nine stories high, taller than any of the 20 other towers built by merchants.  The town hall has rods that are the official measurements for length in the region to keep the merchants honest. After our tour of the city, we stopped at a nearby tavern for a beer. 

Let's have a beer

That evening we were entertained by the Regensburg Girls Choir. Their singing sounded angelic and brought me to tears.