ALTES RATHAUS REGENSBURG
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The Regensburg Town Hall shows the power of the town council in the Middle Ages. Worth seeing: the imperial hall and the torture chamber.
The former Gothic town hall is one of the oldest in southern Germany. Its size bears witness to Regensburg's privileged position in the Holy Roman Empire. The eight-storey tower was built around 1260, while the western part of the building dates back to 1360. In 1245, the city was granted the status of "Free City of the Empire" by the Emperor, which gave it important privileges, including the right to hold a city council. The town hall became the political centre of Regensburg. It also housed the judicial apparatus, such as the prison and the question room (i.e. the torture room). From 1663 to 1806, the town hall was the venue for the Perpetual Diet, one of the first German parliaments, which brought together princes, clerics and representatives of the Free Cities of the Empire.
Today, it is possible to visit the rooms on thefirst floor during a very instructive guided tour. The most beautiful part is undoubtedly the Imperial Hall, where the perpetual Diet met. Its wooden ceiling, trompe l'oeil paintings and oriel give it a real cachet.
Another highlight of the visit is the torture room(Fragstatt) with a frightening array of objects, each more chilling than the last, including a chair covered with spikes on which prisoners were made to sit, or the windowless cells where one could neither stand nor lie down...
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