Regensburg

Regensburg stands at the northernmost reach of the Danube, near its meeting with the Regen and Naab. A Roman legionary fortress, Castra Regina, occupied the site before it became a seat of Bavarian rulers and bishops. The Stone Bridge, built between 1135 and 1146, opened a crossing on routes linking northern Europe with Venice. Wealthy merchants prospered here, and in 1245 Regensburg became a Free Imperial City.

In 1519 the city expelled its Jewish community and destroyed its synagogue. The council adopted the Reformation in 1542, although the Catholic bishop and several imperial abbeys retained their own authority within the city. From 1663 to 1806 Regensburg was the permanent seat of the Imperial Diet: envoys from the territories of the Holy Roman Empire gathered here, making the old trading city a centre of imperial diplomacy.