In the course of extensive excavations in the Regensburg Old Town, researchers unearthed the remains of cellars belonging to houses and buildings of the Jewish quarter, as well as sections of the Roman legionary fortress Castra Regina. Visitors are now able to climb into the earth for a rare look at "layers" from the past.

Between 1995 and 1998, archaeologists carried out the most extensive excavations to date within the Regensburg Old Town - nearly 28,000 square feet of area. In the course of these excavations, they unearthed the remains of cellars belonging to houses and buildings of the Jewish quarter.

The most sensational find was the Gothic synagogue and the remains of the previous Romanesque synagogue. In several places, researchers were able to investigate the Roman layer. With the help of the most modern technology, new knowledge about building techniques was gleaned, while numerous finds provided a wealth of information about everyday life in the medieval Jewish quarter. Also unearthed were more spectacular finds, such as the treasure trove of 624 gold coins from the late 14th century and the gold ring of a high-ranking Jewish official.


2000 Years of Neupfarrplatz Square
During the period of Roman legionary fortress Castra Regina, homes of Roman officers stood here. In the early Middle Ages it was the place of the Jewish quarter. After the Jewish quarter was razed to the ground in 1519, a pilgrimage chapel was built where the synagogue used to be. This wooden chapel was to be replaced by a monumental church of stone, but in fact only the choir and two towers were ever constructed in accordance with the original plans. In 1542 the unfinished church became Regensburg's first Protestant parish church after the town embraced the Protestant faith.

For the next almost 300 years the square more or less lay dormant, without any specific urban function. It was not until the mid-19th century, when traders made the move from market stalls to shop buildings, that the square gradually began to develop into a modern center of commerce. No wonder, then, that spectacular events took place here: a soldiers uprising in 1796 that threatened to spark off a fully-fledged revolution; the proclamation of a Workers' and Soldiers' Council in 1919; the burning of books by the Nazis in 1933; and in the formation of a resistance group in 1942-1943 that was brutally crushed by the Nazi regime.

The Romans
About 20 feet below the Neupfarrplatz Square lie the remains of the Roman legionary fortress Castra Regina, founded in 179 A.D. by Emperor Marcus Aurelius. The camp was destroyed several times but this area has always remained inhabited. Among other discoveries, archaeologists uncovered a small part of a Roman interior with walls as well as the remains of a brick floor belonging to a building that served as the home of a high-ranking officer. The house was located directly on the main road of the camp, the via principalis.

The Jewish Community
The Jewish quarter in Regensburg is first mentioned in a document dating from c. 1000 A.D. This is also the earliest mention of a Jewish settlement in Germany. For more than 500 years Jews lived here, largely free of persecution and pogroms, and left their mark on the history of Regensburg.

The Jewish quarter comprised about 39 houses and several public buildings, such as the synagogue. The community had its own administration, seal and judge. By the end of the 15th century, tension between Jews and Christians was beginning to increase. A few weeks after the death of Emperor Maximilian I, under whose rule Jews had enjoyed protection, the town council decided to expel the Jews from Regensburg.

Document Neupfarrplatz
Through the excavation of the south-wing of the shelter, it was possible to see an architectural concept which represents four different layers of time:

• The Roman Times – represented by the unearthed walls of the old Roman Fortress
• The Medieval Jewish Quarter – represented by the tree cellars
• The Early Modern Age – represented by stripes of excavated foundation of the Neupfarrplatz Church
• The Nazi Era – represented by the air-raid shelter ring

Contact
City of Regensburg - Museums
Bureau for Archives and Memorial Care, 

Keplerstraße 5, D-93047 Regensburg

Phone: +49-(0)941/507-3442
Fax: +49-(0)941/507-5442
E-Mail: museumsfuehrungen[at]regensburg.de

Entrance by guided tour only
Thursday, Friday, Saturday at 2:30 p.m.
Tickets and information material: Tobacco shop Tabak Götz, Neupfarrplatz 3

Additional guided tours in July and August
Sunday and Monday at 2:30 p.m.

Meeting Point: Document Neupfarrplatz

Charge: 5.00 € (2.50 €)