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Alter Kornmarkt
The Romans had used this area to house their officers, prefects,
crew quarters, and baths. In 400 AD, the Germanic
tribe called the Bavarii, left the Castra Regina, and declared
Regensburg the capital of Bavaria with the Corn market as
their residence. The residence was expanded in 850 for the
Carolingian palace in addition to the Palatinate Chapel (later
called the Old Chapel), which were added at this time. The
emperor, bishops, and representatives also held their meetings
for the Reich (empire) here. The ‘Herzogshof’ (Duke’s
Court) is now a hotel worth seeing! It is still maintained by
the Wittelsbachern, who resided in the building until 1245.
The Herzoghof is connected with an arched buttress to the
Römerturm or Roman tower, formerly known as the Heidenturm
or Pagan-Tower. The tower is 28 meters high with 4-meter
thick walls. It served as a place of refuge from attacks, as
well as an archive and treasure chamber. For a long period of
time the Corn Market was used not only for impressive military
parades and tournaments, but also bloodthirsty justice of
the middle ages. Up until 1830, it served as the grain market
for Regensburg, which was later moved to Haidplatz.
Neighboring the Corn Market is the Niedermünsterstift
(Niedermünstergasse), a convent housing the resting place
of Saint Erhard (700AD). The convent was rather liberal as it
allowed women to withdraw from sisterhood and even wed
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after retirement. The convent had connections to the house
of the Bavarian Duke and enjoyed many imperial freedoms,
which remained in place until secularization. The Niedermünster
Church is actually the 4th church to stand here
today. All four churches have had the exact same measurements,
beginning at the head of Saint Erhard’s tomb. Also located
on the square is the Karmelitenkloster St. Josef (Carmelite
Cloister), whose foundation was laid in 1641 by Emperor
Ferdinand III and completed in 1672. The ‘Echter Regensburger
Karmelitengeist” (medicinal water) was created by Father
Ulrich Eberskirch in 1721 and is very well known. Noteworthy
here is the western façade in baroque style.
Dreifaltigkeitsberg-skyline view
The city district of ‘Steinweg-Pfaffenstein’ is home to Dreifaltigkeitsberg
(Holy Trinity Mountain), also known as Osterberg
(Easter Mountain). Dreifaltigkeitsweg, a path from Steinweg,
leads up the mountain to the Church of the Saints of Trinity
(Dreifaltigkeitskirche). Deciduous trees line the ‘Kreuzweg” with
14 beautiful shrines illustrating the Passion of Christ - bas-reliefs
done on gold backgrounds. The cross pillars have the names of
their benefactors and originate from 1845. From atop the hill,
there is a gorgeous view of the city with St. Peters Cathedral and
all of its surroundings. A cemetery borders the Church of Holy
Trinity here on the hilltop. When the last outbreak of the Plague
reached Regensburg in 1713, the residents of Steinweg and
Stadtamhof built a church here in an effort to avert this Godly
punishment.
The foundation was laid in the midst of the Plagues rage and
was finished in 1715. Highlights of the church include the retral
ceiling paintings, the tombstone of Michael Schlecht, the Plague
memorial, the baptismal font, the gothic stone relief of the
cross, confession boxes (1732-35), and the Pieta from 1717. The
altar pictures were painted by the renowned Johann Gebhardt
from Prüfening in the early 18th century. The ceiling fresco was
painted more recently by Karl Manninger in 1961.