Haid Square
Haidplatz is one of the oldest and most beautiful squares in Regensburg. It has its origin in an elongated triangular meadow ("Heide") west of the former Roman fort. Over the centuries, magnificent buildings were erected here. Large jousting tournaments with up to 300 participants took place on this square and spectators, jugglers and merchants came from all over.
Emperor Charles V was a regular guest at the "Golden Cross". Today's café and hotel was also a popular hostel for many subsequent emperors and kings during the Perpetual Diet. The room on the first floor was at times the most important German inn. It was a meeting place for the powerful, from King Ludwig I of Bavaria to the later German Emperor Wilhelm I or Emperor Franz Josef I of Austria. Today the "Golden Cross" is one of the most popular cafes on the square.
Next to the "Golden Cross" is the classicistic Thon-Dittmer-Palais. Far-reaching international relations made the Dittmers Regensburg's most successful merchants of the 18th century. On warm summer evenings, the Renaissance arcaded courtyard of the palace offers a wide range of cultural events.
Looking towards the cathedral towers, the red building of the "Neue Waag" catches the eye. Since the Middle Ages, the city scales were located here, along with a "Herrentrinkstube" (gentlemen's drinking room), where the councilmen could relax after strenuous deliberations. The "Neue Waag" gained fame through the religious discussions of 1541: Philipp Melanchthon and Johannes Eck sought a balance between the denominations in the tower of the "Neue Waag".
Since time immemorial, the people of Regensburg have celebrated lavish festivities on Haidplatz - it is impossible to list them all. A bizarre example from the 17th century: a famous French surgeon tried to cross the square on a tightrope as a festival attraction. To make matters worse, he hung fireworks all over his body. His dramatic fall, accompanied by the explosion of all the projectiles, would still make headlines today.
You should not miss this:
- Don Juan de Austria, hero of the naval battle of Lepanto, was conceived as an illegitimate child in the tower of the "Golden Cross" by Emperor Charles V and the girdler's daughter Barbara Blomberg
- Have a coffee in probably the most famous inn of the Middle Ages
- Visiting the inner courtyard of the Thon-Dittmer palace
- Admire the historical views of the square, right in the gateway next to the "Golden Cross
