{"id":18059,"date":"2021-04-09T13:17:00","date_gmt":"2021-04-09T11:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/?p=18059"},"modified":"2023-06-22T10:30:27","modified_gmt":"2023-06-22T08:30:27","slug":"old-town-hall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/germany\/bavaria\/regensburg\/old-town-hall\/","title":{"rendered":"Old Town Hall – from the Perpetual Diet and the Torture Chamber"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
One of the most impressive buildings in Regensburg is the Old Town Hall on Rathausplatz. Here you can go on a journey of discovery with a guided tour and learn about the history of Regensburg’s imperial days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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Regensburg needed a town hall in 1245, when the city became a free imperial city. Now the city was allowed to have a mayor and a council. Thus, in the middle of the 13th century, the oldest part of the town hall still preserved today was built.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 55-metre high council tower and the annexes were built near the former Roman fort. An arch on the ground floor of the tower leads to the town hall courtyard.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
The two-storey council hall building was erected in 1320-1330; originally it stood free next to the town hall building, but only later was a connection created between the two buildings. In the course of this work, the portal building with staircase and vestibule to the Imperial Hall was also built. This entrance seems to have become somewhat larger than originally planned. If you look more closely, you will discover that a window of the Imperial Hall has been added. If one counts the windows in the hall, one notices a grouping of four windows, only in one place are there three windows. Window number 4 has been blocked by the newly built wall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An oriel adorns the window front of the Imperial Hall. This is where the emperor showed himself to the people when he was present during the Imperial Diet and had homage paid to him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Little stories about the Old Town Hall<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The coat of arms of Regensburg shows two crossed silver keys on a red shield. If you look at the fa\u00e7ade of the Old Town Hall, you will see the coat of arms seven times. There is no place in the old town where the coat of arms can be seen more often.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Two statues stand at the entrance to the town hall. With folded arms, hammers in their hands, throwing stones and looking grim, they symbolise the protection of the city. The names given to the two figures are particularly beautiful: Schutz and Trutz!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Imperial Diet in Regensburg<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Already under Charlemagne, the emperor and the princes met for imperial assemblies. At first, this still took place at different locations. Regensburg was also the venue 16 times. From 1594 on, the imperial days were held only in Regensburg, but these meetings were limited in time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
In 1663, another Imperial Diet was convened in Regensburg. At first, they negotiated about the desired support that Emperor Leopold I had requested against the Turks. After the Emperor had left the city again, the envoys of the princes only wanted to settle the remaining business and then leave Regensburg as well. But there was no end to the work and the Diet could not be dissolved. Rather unintentionally, the Perpetual Diet came into being, which met for 143 years in the Imperial Hall and the adjoining deliberation rooms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In retrospect, it can be said that it was the first German parliament (not democratically elected) to meet in Regensburg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Time after the Imperial Days<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
After the Holy Roman Empire ceased to exist, the Imperial Hall was unused for many years. From 1806, the hall was used for storage. Later, people warned that this historic room was “going to rack and ruin” and accused the city of Regensburg of lacking a sense of responsibility with historic property. Regensburg then decided to renovate the hall. Financing was provided by a lottery and the construction work was completed in 1910.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reichstag Museum<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The guided tour of the City Hall takes you through the rooms of the Reichstag Museum, the historic rooms where the Perpetual Diet was held.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/vonortzuort.reisen\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/regensburg-rathaus-turm.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"Eingang](\"https:\/\/vonortzuort.reisen\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/regensburg-eingang-altes-rathaus-683x1024.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n![\"Stadtwappen](\"https:\/\/vonortzuort.reisen\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/stadtwappen-regensburg.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"Regensburg](\"https:\/\/vonortzuort.reisen\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/regensburg-rathaus-uhr.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"Gr\u00fcner](\"https:\/\/vonortzuort.reisen\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/regensburg-rathaus-gruener-tisch.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"Ratssaal](\"https:\/\/vonortzuort.reisen\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/regensburg-rathaus-ratssaal.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"Folterkammer](\"https:\/\/vonortzuort.reisen\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/regensburg-rathaus-folterkammer.jpg\")
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