Neuburg

Neuburg an der Donau is the administrative centre of the Neuburg-Schrobenhausen district in Upper Bavaria and has approximately 28,000 residents. The town is situated north-east of Augsburg and west of Ingolstadt on the Danube river, which splits in two at Neuburg to form an inhabited island, the Leopoldineninsel.

City Highlights

Neuburg is one of the oldest towns in Bavaria. There was a settlement in the area around Neuburg at the beginning of the last Ice Age; the Celts and Romans came later, and in 742 Neuburg became an episcopal see. The town's heyday, however, began in 1505 when it became the capital and royal seat of the newly established principality of Palatinate-Neuburg. The first Count Palatine, Otto-Henry, was a typical Renaissance man who wanted to draw on new ideas in architecture, art, science and politics for his residence. The buildings that dominate the townscape today were created during his reign: Neuburg Palace, considered by many to be the most beautiful of its kind on the Danube, the Oberes Tor (upper gate), the Palace Chapel, the oldest Lutheran-Reformed church in the world, and Grünau hunting lodge. Otto-Henry's successors brought even more glory and splendour to the town, commissioning other magnificent buildings such as the Royal Stables (a triple-naved hall with a striking rib-vault ceiling, currently used as an events venue), the Hofapotheke (court apothecary) and the architectural ensemble around Karlsplatz which includes the glorious town hall and fine patrician houses. Not forgetting the many noteworthy churches in Neuburg: the Church of St. Peter, the Hofkirche (court church) dating from the early 17th century and the Church of Christ, built in the modernist style between 1927 and 1930, are among the important religious buildings in the town and well worth a visit. But that can be said of almost everything in Neuburg!

The Museo Nacional Del Prado in Madrid, the Alte Pinakothek in Munich, the Palace Museum in Neuburg: these three museums are home to the largest representative collections of Flemish baroque art from the 16th century. Neuburg's Palace Museum, home to the elegant Bavarian State Gallery of Neuburg, is a museum of the highest international standing. Other attractions at the palace include the Archaeology Museum, with numerous finds from the region dating from pre-/early history, a department at the palace museum documenting the history of the former Principality of Palatinate-Neuburg, and an exhibition of beautiful antependia and silk embroidery by the Ursuline nuns on the third floor. The palace is also well worth seeing in its own right. Because of its artistic quality and excellent state of preservation, it is among the most important palaces from the first half of the 16th century anywhere in Germany – and is one of the country's most beautiful Renaissance palaces.

Grünau hunting lodge, originally a moated palace, is located seven kilometres east of Neuburg an der Donau in the largest single expanse of alluvial forest in central Europe. It too dates back to Count Palatine Otto-Henry, who had the hunting lodge built for his wife in 1530. Inside the main building, the room layout has remained largely unchanged, and it is easy to imagine how the dining room, two stately apartments and various other rooms were used in earlier times. Today, Grünau hunting lodge serves as a venue for cultural events. It hosts garden festivals from time to time in May and a magical Christmas market in December.

Neuburg is a great place for shopping, and once a year, usually in late September, the town hosts its late-night shopping event 'Neuburg leuchtet'. This gives people the opportunity to browse the town's many unique shops and specialist stores until 11pm. The most popular area for shopping is the pedestrian precinct in the lower part of town around Schrannenhalle, Spitalplatz and Färberstrasse.

Accommodation and restaurants in Neuburg

Neuburg has a wide range of hotels, inns, guesthouses, holiday apartments, restaurants and cafés. For younger travellers, there are a number of dedicated guesthouses, a youth campsite, the general campsite at the rowing club, and a motorhome and caravan site that is free to use and offers all the necessary water and waste amenities.

In Neuburg, you can enjoy down-to-earth regional cooking in traditional inns with wood-panelled ceilings, tiled stoves and cosy corners. Bavarian hospitality that comes from the heart! The 'aussicht' hotel and restaurant offers a touch of romance and nostalgia. One of the oldest restaurants in Neuburg, it dates back more than 400 years and is located only a short walk from the Hofkirche (court church), the palace, the theatre and Birdland Jazz Club. It also has a parking stand for bicycles. The Klosterbräu, set in a romantic abbey garden with a cloister and summer house, is a wonderful place to enjoy traditional local fare. Guests can relax and unwind to their hearts' content in the adjoining three-hectare abbey park, which has a carp pond and grazing pasture for horses.

Activities in Neuburg

For a truly memorable experience, try a Danube cruise on a replica of a historical fishing boat, known as a Zille, which will take you along one of the most scenic stretches of the river. From the river, you have stunning views of the former royal seat of Neuburg with its monumental yet almost mediterranean old quarter – it is quite simply one of the most glorious townscapes on the Danube. Motors are intentionally eschewed to ensure that passengers can enjoy the natural setting to the full and to protect the unique habitat of the Danube valley from noise and emissions.

There are countless opportunities for cycling tours in the surrounding area, for example past Grünau hunting lodge, to the pilgrimage church in Bergen, or in the Schutter river valley heading for the Eichstätt Alb. If you'd rather avoid uphill climbs, the flat Donaumoos basin is the largest area of low moor for miles around. On the Danube Cycle Route you can follow the course of the river from its source to the Black Sea. And if you want to cycle in the footsteps of the Romans, the Via Raetica passes through the Neuburg's old quarter.

Contact:

Neuburg an der Donau Tourist Information
Ottheinrichplatz A 118
86633 Neuburg an der Donau

Tel.: +49 (0)8431 55240
Fax: +49 (0)8431 55242

tourist@neuburg-donau.de
www.neuburg-donau.de
 

Opening times:

Good Friday to October: daily 9am-6pm
November to Maundy Thursday: Monday to Thursday 9am-12 noon and 2pm-4pm, Friday 8am-1pm

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