document Neupfarrplatz

Hardly any other part of Regensburg mirrors the city´s 2000 year history like the Neupfarrplatz square:

The Neupfarrplatz square

The 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 in turn 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 centre of commerce. No wonder, then, that spectacular events took place here: in 1796 a soldiers´ uprising which 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 1942/43 the formation of a resistance group, its members representing all shades of political opinion, which was brutally crushed by the Nazi regime.

The Romans

Six metres below the Neupfarrplatz square lie the remains of the Roman legionary fortress Castra Regina, founded in 179 AD by Emperor Marcus Aurelius. The camp was destroyed several times but this area has always remained inhabited.
During construction of the document a small part of a Roman interior was uncovered: walls and the remains of a brick floor belonging to a building converted several times and which 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. This is the earliest mention of a Jewish settlement in Germany. For over 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.

The treasure

The most spectacular find made during the 1995-98 excavations dates from the end of the 14th century, when the medieval Jewish community was at its peak:

A treasure trove of 624 gold coins, found not far from where the document is located.

The excavations

Between 1995 and 1998 the most extensive excavations within the Regensburg city centre to date were carried out on this approximately 3000m² site. In the course of these excavations the remains of cellars belonging to houses and buildings of the Jewish quarter were unearthed.

The most sensational find was the Gothic synagogue and the remains of the previous Romanesque synagogue. In several places the Roman layer could be investigated. 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 gold coins or the gold ring of a high-ranking Jewish official.

The multimedial presentation

So as not to distract from and spoil the lasting impression of these archaeological remains
- representing two millennia of history - through the unwelcome effect of didactic elements, a multimedial presentation was created depicting the history of the Neupfarrplatz square as a paradigm of Regensburg´s 2000 year history.

The highlight of the presentation is a technologically highly sophisticated, expert reconstruction of several parts of the medieval Jewish quarter.

Realisation of this ambitious project was only possible thanks to international cooperation and the generous support of the EU and the HypoVereinsbank.

Contact

Museen der Stadt Regensburg
Dachauplatz 2-4
D-93047 Regensburg
Phone: +49-(0)941/507-1442
Fax: +49-(0)941/507-4449
E-Mail: museen_der_stadt@regensburg.de

Entrance in a guided tour only
Büro Management Museumsführungen (office for guided tours)
Keplerstraße 5, 92047 Regensburg
Phone: +49-(0)941/507-3442
Fax: +49-(0)941/507-5442
E-Mail: museumsfuehrungen@regensburg.de

For individuals:
Thursday, Friday, Saturday at 2.30 PM
July and August: also Sunday, Monday at 2.30 PM
Tickets and information material: Tobacco Shop Tabak Götz, Neupfarrplatz 3
Charge: EUR 5,-, reduced rate EUR 2,50, family rate EUR 10,-

For groups:
On appointment

Charge: groups up to 25 people with german-speaking guidance EUR 50,-, with foreign language guidance EUR 65,-, pupils EUR 40,-