An hour and a half hour northeast from Munich by train, where the river Danube meets the river Regen, you will find the medieval city of Regensburg.  Regensburg is the only major German city with an intact medieval city center, which has over 1,200 buildings listed as being of historic interest, and UNESCO World Heritage status. This city's architectural legacy might be unparalleled in Germany. Its architecture stretches back nearly 2,000 years. Regensburg is any history- or architecture-loving tourist’s dream come true.

Largely untouched by the ravages of World War II, the old town of this Bavarian city is one of Germany’s unique gems. Its importance dates back to the second century A.D., when it was known as Castra Regina by the Roman Empire. Its significance as a trading and political center within the Holy Roman Empire left behind a remarkable architectural legacy.

The best general vantage point of the city is from the 12th-century stone bridge, which crosses the Danube to the north of the city center. Standing on this medieval engineering wonder, over which traders, crusaders, peasants, and tourists have passed for more than 800 years, it seems as if time had stopped centuries ago. From this spot, you will find a broad view of the Regensburg skyline and a nice glimpse of the great gothic cathedral and the Goldener Turm, or Golden Tower, which part of a medieval patrician house that is emblematic of the important role that trade played in this city during the Middle Ages, as well as to Italian architectural influences that managed to reach north of the Alps. These tower houses, of which the Goldener Turm may be the most famous example, are dotted throughout the city and date from the 11th to 14th centuries.

After the bridge, consider a visit to Regensburg’s cathedral, which still dominates the city’s skyline, as it has for centuries. Like many of the great churches of Europe, it took a long time to build. It was begun in 1275, finished in 1634, but the tower spires weren’t added until the 1860s. The façade features a wealth of medieval sculpture, including a depiction on its south side of Jews suckling a pig, a reminder of the anti-Semitism that eventually forced the Jewish community to flee Regensburg in the 16th century. Inside the cathedral, perhaps the most famous sculpture is the smiling Angel Gabriel, which dates to 1280, and is part of an Annunciation group. A magnificent collection of medieval stained glass from the 13th and 14th centuries still survives. To get a sense of how much maintenance the cathedral still requires, visit the stonemasons’ yard in the Domgarten, located just behind the cathedral off of Domstraße. Here, rough and finished blocks of stone are piled high waiting to be incorporated into the cathedral. Inside the small wooden workshop, the stonemasons toil away, their chisels echoing through the yard.

Just north of the cathedral you’ll find the most impressive relic of the Roman town that existed before Regensburg. A significant portion of the Porta Praetoria, built during the reign of Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius and once the main gate into Castra Regina, still survives, incorporated into a later structure that stands on the Unter den Schwibbögen. Though only part of it survives, it remains imposing and impressive and testifies to the ingenuity of the Roman builders who erected it in the late second century A.D.

If you head west, Unter den Schwibbögen becomes Goliathstraße and then Rathausplatz as you approach the Rathaus, or town hall. Part of the town hall contains the chamber used for the Imperial Diet (or Reichstag), the parliament of the Holy Roman Empire, between 1663 and its abolition in 1806. This medieval hall, which dates from the 13th and 14th centuries, is attached to a later Baroque “new town hall” that was built between the 1660s and the 1720s. The Imperial Diet hall is open to the public, but by guided tour only. You can book a tour in the tourist information center in the Alte Rathaus, or old town hall, next door.

The Schloss Thurn und Taxis (Emmeramsplatz 5) was St. Emmeram’s Benedictine Abbey from 739 until its dissolution in 1803. The princely Thurn und Taxis family, who ran a postal system traversing the European continent until the 18th century, then converted the great Benedictine foundation into their primary residence. The palace and its nearby churches contain a wealth of Romanesque, Gothic, and Baroque art and architecture left over from the monastic period. The Thurn and Taxis family still resides here, but the building is open to tourists, and in the winter there’s a wonderful Christmas market in the palace courtyard with TK. St. Emmeram’s Basilica, attached to the palace, is a Baroque makeover of a much older building by the Asam brothers, two of the most famous late Baroque German architects and sculptors, and well worth a visit. The north portal of the church contains interesting Romanesque survivals, including mid-11th-century representations of Christ, St. Emmeram, and St. Denis.

In addition to Regensburg’s remarkable architecture, there are well over a dozen museums, including the City Museum (Museen der Stadt Regensburg www.museen-regensburg.de), which offers a fascinating look at the city’s history. There is plenty of accommodation to choose from in Regensburg, should one wish to stay. ranging from luxurious hotels to cheap hostels. While the city contains countless architectural wonders, Regensburg is still a vibrant and living place with a variety of local shops and first-rate restaurants. This city could be just a day trip from Munich, but its treasures certainly warrant a longer stay and greater exploration. I recommend at least two days to discover one of the best-preserved city centers in all of Europe.

By Ben Haley