Straubing

Such a quiet night near the old abbey of Oberalteich. Woke really refreshed with a gently breeze making conditions ideal. Before we left for Straubing, a little further along the Danube, we curious as to the nature of the church alongside where we had stopped. 

Being a former Benedictine Abbey, commenced in 1100, and now a parish church, we wondered what it may be like.  The Abbey was dissolved in 1803 with the secularisation of Barvaria and became the parish church from that time. What we found was a very richly decorated church with many precious church artefacts, so much so, a metal screen separated these parts of the church. This was the first of four churches for the day - but it is Sunday!!

On returning to the van, we set our GPS to Straubing, about 9 km along the Danube. Here we found a shady parking spot near the centre of Straubing which allowed us perfect access to the city. 

Straubing was the royal seat of the House of Wittelsbach. (A few days ago we were in the town of Schärding in Austria which owed its style and architecture to being under the rule of the Whittelsbachs). The town is particularly noted for its 600 m long market square punctuated by  the 68m high Town Tower (Stadtturn) in the middle. The buildings along the market place reflect the will of the nobility and the confidence of the middle class of the medieval period. 

The market place and the 14th century Town Tower. 

Rathaus (Town Hall) in the centre of the picture is under reconstruction due to a fire two years ago. 

One of the renaissance fountains grazing the market place. 

We visited three churches in Straubing and each in their own way were highly decorated, leaving you in no doubly what the church thought of their position in the society of the times. 

Again, a highly decorated church. 

Of particular interest was the Church of St Peter, a complex with with six centuries of wrought-iron crosses and gravestones, and, three Gothic chapels and the Romanic basilica. One of the chapels was built by the Duke to atone for the death of the barber’s daughter, Agnes Bernauer, who, as a commoner, could not be recognised as a suitable match for his son and heir. So he had her condemned to death as a scorceress. She was drowned in the river Danube in 1435. In her memory a festival is held in Straubing every four years. Luckily commoners don’t have the same fate these days!

At Peter’s complex; the medieval cemetery, medieval tiles with the Whittelsbach emblems and the thick wooden medieval door of St Peter’s. 

The Chapel built to stone for the mistreatment of 
Agnes Bernaue. 

Our tour brochure list 17 significant places to visit in Straubing, of these 10 were churches - all very decorative in their style. Fortunately, only three of these saw these intrepid travelers!

Some cute cherubs adorning the pulpit in the Church Of St James. 

In the early 1950s an some contents of an old Roman equestrian armoury was uncovered in Straubing and the treasures uncovered were of the highest significance. Remembering that the outer limits of the Roman Empure was bordered by the Danube and the Rhine Rivers.  The finds are now part of the collection of the famous Gäuboden-Museum - a wonderful collection. 

Some of the many ceremonial breast plates, face mask and leg protectors found in the Toman armoury. 

Many every day items sound alongside the armoury finds. 

In the midst of rattling around graveyards we were hit by a thunderstorm - the first rain that people here had seen in weeks. After the rain had settled we packed our bags and headed further along the mighty Danube to Regensburg where we planned to spend the evening.