Join me on this unforgettable journey through Regensburg, one of Europe’s most underrated historic cities and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Once a Roman legion camp and later dubbed the “Manhattan of the Middle Ages,” Regensburg is packed with fascinating stories, stunning architecture, and cultural treasures that history lovers and curious travelers will adore.
📌 In this video, you’ll explore:
🏛️ Roman ruins & the Porta Praetoria (179 AD)
🕍 The towering Regensburg Cathedral & its 37-ton hanging organ
🏯 The Golden Tower & medieval merchant wealth
🌉 The legendary Stone Bridge — model for London & Charles Bridge
🖼️ The Goliath House mural & the story of the Goliards
🏘️ Stadtamhof — the artisan quarter across the Danube
🕰️ St. Emmeram’s Abbey — final resting place of emperors & martyrs
🏛️ The Old Town Hall & the Perpetual Diet (precursor to the EU & UN)
🕊️ WWII history, Nazi subcamps & Jewish heritage monument
Whether you’re planning a trip to Bavaria, love off-the-beaten-path destinations, or crave rich historical storytelling, this video is for you. Even on a cloudy day, Regensburg’s pastel buildings, medieval towers, and Roman walls shine with timeless beauty.
💡 Travel Tip of the Week: Save money with the Bayern Ticket when traveling in Bavaria with two or more people — perfect for day trips like Munich to Regensburg!
🎥 Succinct, story-driven, and packed with historical anecdotes — this episode of Mary Goes Round the World brings you closer to the soul of Regensburg.
00:00 Introduction
00:30 World War II
00:54 Roman gates
01:06 Danube
01:19 Towers
01:34 Stone Bridge
02:36 Stadtamhof
03:01 Goliath House
03:30 Roman history
04:26 Regensburg Cathedral
05:10 St. Emmeram’s Abbey
05:30 Old Town Hall and Perpetual Diet of 1663
05:59 Nazi sub camp
06:20 Jewish marker
06:31 Conclusion
06:49 Tip of the Week
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By Unknown author – Katalog Ausstellung HRR, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1334028
By Painter O. Zacharias (1711) reproduced on a pre-WW II postcard. – Delcampe online auctions, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28823162
Agneshm, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
British Air Ministry photo AIR 34/236, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
US Army Signal Corps, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Maksym Kozlenko, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
By USAAF photographer – https://www.americanairmuseum.com/archive/media/media-413725jpg, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=144950716
Photochrom Print Collection, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Schmeissnerro, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Bundesarchiv, Bild 185-12-13 / CC-BY-SA 3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/de/deed.en, via Wikimedia Commons
Uplifting Acoustic Tune with a Bright, Positive Vibe by Nancy_Sinclair — https://freesound.org/s/751877/ — License: Attribution 4.0.
🔎 Keywords: Regensburg Germany travel, Bavaria hidden gems, UNESCO cities Europe, Roman ruins Germany, medieval architecture, Stone Bridge Regensburg, Regensburg Cathedral, offbeat European destinations, historical travel vlog, cultural travel Germany, Mary Goes Round the World
[Music] Welcome to Reagansburg, Germany, in the center of Bavaria. It started out as a Roman legion camp about 2,000 years ago and eventually became the Manhattan of the Middle Ages because of its tall buildings and narrow streets. It would eventually become a mega city, becoming the center of Europe for 150 years. It’s considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Let’s go check it out. The city was probably spared from heavy damage during World War II because the Allies were more focused on destroying the Messmmet factory which was also in Reagansburg. The Messmid factory built aircraft for the Germans. With its uniquely large, wellpreserved historic center, Reagansburg was added to the Onesco World Heritage list in 2006. The gate systems from the Roman era was replaced by a medieval city wall in the 14th century. This east gate is considered one of the most beautiful city gates in Germany. The city sits on the banks of the Danu. If it were sunny, these pastel colored houses really pop and really define the beauty of the city. Even during cloudy days like this one, it’s still clear why Reagansburg is such a crowd-pleaser. Another fascinating part about the architecture here are the towers like this one called the Golden Tower. It dates back to the 13th century and was built by rich merchants as a show of their wealth. At one time there were 60 of them. Here we are on the stone bridge. It was built between 1135 and 1147 and for 800 years it was the only reliable crossing over the Danube here in Reagansburg. It served as a major international route between Northern Europe and Venice. Construction of the bridge took a mere 11 years and became a model for other stone bridges in Europe, including the London Bridge and the Charles Bridge in Prague. The bridge originally had three towers, but only the Gate Tower has survived and dates back to 1300. Here on the stone bridge, there’s a story about this guy behind me. He was the bridge builder and he was having a competition with the builder of the cathedral. And from this point you see him looking out, he was looking over at the construction of that cathedral. He was losing the competition, but he made a pact with the devil according to the story. And that pact was that he was going to give the souls of the first three people who crossed the bridge. Walk over the stone bridge, you will undoubtedly see an island in the middle of the Danube, and you’ll see another side of Ringensburg. You don’t expect to see. Stoddenhof doesn’t look like the rest of this photogenic city, but is still a significant part of the history in Regensburg. Its architecture is more focused on functionality with artisans and river workers calling this home. Walk around this city and make sure to look up and see this impressive mural. It’s of David and Goliath and was installed in the 16th century. It’s painted on the historic Goliath house that was built in 1260. The name is not from the Bible story, however, but because of the traveling theology students that stayed on the grounds here. Back then, those theology students were called golards. Meandering through the old town, it’s easy to forget that years ago, most of this area was a Roman fortress. And what’s kind of neat, you can see that the new Raensburg was built on top of the old camp. Back when Reagansburg was a Roman Legion camp, we’re talking 2,000 years ago. There was a wall that surrounded the area. It seems they’re trying to preserve it, so they put it in this indoor area. There’s a museum attached, but you can see the wall for free. And here is part of it now. It was 2 km long back then and had four gates. Lucky for us, some of those gates still exist today. Let’s go back above ground to see one of those gates. The Pora Ptoria dates back to 179 AD and was once the northern gate of the Roman camp. And back during the Roman era, it was 20 m high. Now it’s a mere 11 m. The Reagansburg Cathedral, also known as St. Peter’s Cathedral, was completed in 1520 after more than two centuries of construction. But for more than 350 years, there were no towers. The cathedral just had two stumps because they ran out of money. But a couple of Bavarian kings invested the money and by 1872, the towers were put up and now construction was truly finally completed. Let’s go check inside. Inside the cathedral, you see the world’s largest hanging organ. It’s 37 tons, has more than 5,800 pipes, and is held up by just four steel cables. While the cathedral certainly has an impressive interior, check out St. Amram’s Abbey. Its exterior isn’t as impressive as the cathedral, but the inside and its history is significant. This dates back to 739 AD and is the final resting place of an emperor and St. Em, a martyr who died in Reaganburg. What’s behind me is the old town hall. It was finished up in 1320, but in 1663, the perpetual diet was held here. Diet is not what we think of diet now. Diet is a legislative body and it was in session for almost 150 years. No recess. Can you imagine that? And that diet is considered the predecessor to the German Parliament, the EU, European Union, and the United Nations. Being in Germany, there are remnants of the Nazis presence here. This building was used as a subcamp for the nearby Flossenberg concentration camp during the latter part of World War II. Subcamps were often used as detention centers for prisoners who were forced to work for various Nazi war industries. We didn’t have time to dig into the history of the Jewish community here, but this monument stands as a reminder of their 1,000yearong presence here since 981. There is so much to see here in Reagansburg, no matter what time of year. But know that if you come like say in the winter time, it might be hard to snag one of those short Danube River sightseeing cruises. But it’s still worth a visit. Thanks for joining me on this episode of Mary Goes Round the World. Here’s my tip of the week. If you’re traveling with two people or more, make sure you buy a Bayern ticket if you are traveling within Bavaria. So, we went from Munich to Reagansburg, bought the tickets at the same time. Two tickets, first person’s one price. Any additional people are another fee, but it’s a fraction of the original price. So, you save money when you buy the tickets at the same time and you have more than one person traveling. That’s your tip of the week. [Music]
2 Comments
nice looking city that I'd never heard of. thanks for posting
My beautiful hometown ❤ Glad you liked it!