Regensburg is one of Germany's oldest cities, with human settlement along the Danube dating back to the Stone Age. A 2006 archaeological discovery of a Celtic tomb traces Regensburg's history back to around 400 BC. Around 79 AD, the Romans built a fort here as an observation post, capable of housing 500 cavalry or 1,000 infantry. Simultaneously, a settlement emerged on the Danube's west bank, along with the oldest Roman brewery north of the Alps. The Marcomannic Wars (166–180 AD) between Germanic and Sarmatian tribes and the Roman Empire destroyed both the fort and settlement soon after they began.
After repelling the Marcomanni, Emperor Marcus Aurelius ordered the construction of a legionary fortress around 170 AD, named "Castra Regina" (fort on the Regen River), Regensburg's Latin name. Its stone walls, about 10 meters high with four gates and numerous towers, still have visible remnants in the old town. Regensburg was officially founded in 179 AD, commemorated by a stone inscription on the east gate. Housing around 6,000 soldiers of the Legio III Italica, it was the main military base of the Roman province of Raetia.
From around 500 AD, Regensburg served as the seat of the Agilolfing Dukes of Bavaria until Duke Tassilo III abdicated in 788, ending their rule. As one of Germany's oldest Catholic dioceses (established 739 AD), Regensburg retained its bishopric even after becoming a Protestant free imperial city in 1542.
In the 9th century, Regensburg became a key city of the East Frankish Carolingian dynasty. The wife of Louis the German, as well as the last two Carolingian kings, Arnulf of Carinthia and Louis the Child, were all buried here.
During the Middle Ages, long-distance trade with Paris, Venice, and Kyiv brought economic prosperity, making Regensburg one of Germany's wealthiest and most populous cities. Its medieval Romanesque and Gothic buildings preserve this glorious era. A testament to this period is the Stone Bridge over the Danube, built between 1135 and 1146—a medieval engineering marvel that inspired many later bridges and served as a strategic crossing. In May 1147, Conrad III launched the Second Crusade from Regensburg, and Frederick I began the Third Crusade here in May 1189. Construction of Regensburg Cathedral began in 1273, and together with the Stone Bridge, it remains a symbol of the city.
Free City of the Holy Roman Empire
The Perpetual Diet of Regensburg in 1663
In 1207, Regensburg was elevated to a free imperial city, and in 1245, Emperor Frederick II granted it self-governance, sparking centuries of conflict between the city council, the bishop, and the Duchy of Bavaria. After years of economic decline, Regensburg lost its free imperial status in 1492. Internal unrest continued, and in 1500, Maximilian I imposed a new city charter. Exploiting the power vacuum after Maximilian's death in 1519 until Charles V's coronation, the city carried out a pogrom, burning the Jewish quarter and expelling one of Germany's largest Jewish communities. In 1542, Regensburg converted to Protestantism in hopes of escaping Catholic and imperial control, but conflicts with the bishop persisted. During the Thirty Years' War, Swedish forces occupied Regensburg in 1633, and it was recaptured by the Holy Roman Emperor and Bavaria in 1634.
Since the East Frankish period, Regensburg had been a major political center, hosting numerous Imperial Diets. By the late 18th century, the city faced severe internal crises and near economic collapse. Citizens and officials successfully petitioned the Imperial Aulic Council in Vienna against government mismanagement, leading to imperial intervention and debt relief that saved Regensburg from bankruptcy.
City of Bavaria
Regensburg around 1900
Comments