Donaustauf is a market town in
Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
, east of
Regensburg at the foothills of the
Bavarian Forest
The village of Zell in the Bavarian Forest
The Bavarian Forest (German: ' or ''Bayerwald''; bar, Boarischa Woid) is a wooded, low-mountain region in Bavaria, Germany that is about 100 kilometres long. It runs along the Czech border and is co ...
. The ruins of
a medieval castle, presumably erected between 914 and 930, tower above the small town. Situated nearby on a hill rising from the
Danube
The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , p ...
is the imposing
Teutonic temple of fame,
Walhalla, a costly reproduction of the Parthenon in Athens. The Walhalla was commissioned by
Ludwig I
en, Louis Charles Augustus
, image = Joseph Karl Stieler - King Ludwig I in his Coronation Robes - WGA21796.jpg
, caption = Portrait by Joseph Stieler, 1825
, succession=King of Bavaria
, reign =
, coronation ...
,
King of Bavaria
King of Bavaria was a title held by the hereditary Wittelsbach rulers of Bavaria in the state known as the Kingdom of Bavaria from 1805 until 1918, when the kingdom was abolished. It was the second time Bavaria was a kingdom, almost a thousand ...
, and inaugurated on 18 October 1842.
Donaustauf had been a fief in the
Duchy of Bavaria
The Duchy of Bavaria ( German: ''Herzogtum Bayern'') was a frontier region in the southeastern part of the Merovingian kingdom from the sixth through the eighth century. It was settled by Bavarian tribes and ruled by dukes (''duces'') under ...
, but in 1710 it was transferred to
Bishopric of Regensburg. In 1803 it joined the newly formed
Principality of Regensburg, but just 7 years later, at the it was returned to Bavaria, which, in turn, endowed it to the princes of
Thurn and Taxis
The Princely House of Thurn and Taxis (german: link=no, Fürstenhaus Thurn und Taxis ) is a family of German nobility that is part of the ''Briefadel''. It was a key player in the postal services in Europe during the 16th century, until the e ...
. In 1899, the princely house was elevated to a dukedom, receiving the title of Duke of Wörth and Donaustauf.
Maximilian Karl, Prince of Thurn and Taxis and his family, who liked the romantic scenery of Donaustauf, moved to the newly constructed princely Castle Donaustauf in 1843, which, however, was completely destroyed during a blaze on 4 March 1880.
[http://www.feuerwehr-donaustauf.de/page.php?mid=129 Der große Brand von Donaustauf am 4. März 1880]
References
Regensburg (district)
Populated places on the Danube
{{Regensburgdistrict-geo-stub