Regensburg - the finest medieval town in central Europe

Almost 2,000 years ago, the Romans founded the imperial town of Regensburg around the northernmost reaches of the Danube. Originally a Roman camp based around the Castra Regina fort, this perfectly preserved medieval town is home to around 1,400 architectural monuments from the Middle Ages. Regensburg was a seat of the German emperors and the Bavarian dukes for centuries following Charlemagne's reign. In the High Middle Ages, overseas merchants made the free imperial town one of the most prosperous in central Europe. Stretching 300 metres and with 15 huge stone arches, the famous 12th century bridge over the Danube is the second-oldest in Germany. Regensburg's old town is the largest ensemble of original Romanesque and Gothic architecture north of the Alps. It is home to an array of outstanding man-made structures, including the Romanesque Scots' portal and Regensburg Cathedral, which is the only French Gothic cathedral east of the Rhine. Alongside its two towers which rise to a height of 105 metres, the cathedral is blessed with some of the finest medieval stained glass in Germany.