Small Town Germany

I arrived in Neuburg from Stuttgart by train one afternoon in September. Nicki and her parents warmly welcomed me at the train station with hugs and kisses.

Unfortunately, I came down with a nasty case of the flu and did everything to enjoy my trip to Neuburg and visit with my friend and her family. Instead of visiting Munich the Saturday I was in town, Nicki and I felt it would be best to tour the Old Town of Neuburg.

Neuburg is located on the Danube River (German: Donau) and in the Danube Valley in the State of Bavaria (German: Bayern). It is not a well-known tourist town, but it deserves praise in this journal. The Residenz Palace, church, and Old Town Square dominate the landscape of Neuburg and give it an old-world charm.

Nicki and I toured the Residenz Palace and its Museum. In its heyday (16th Century), Neuburg was part of the principality of Pfalz-Neuburg. The Palace Museum has a great collection of the prehistory and history or Pfalz-Neuburg that is not to be missed.

After the palace tour, Nicki and I walked around an annual arts and crafts fair that was happening in the Palace Square. Artisans from all over southern Germany displayed their wares, and I bought my mother a hand-crafted pottery candleholder.

Nicki and I had to cut the trip to Neuburg short because I got sick right after leaving the crafts fair, but I will not forget the wonderful time we had that cloudy afternoon in Neuburg. My friend Nicki and her parents'' warm hospitality was one of the highlights of my 2001 trip to Europe, and I intend to return there soon.

Quick Tips:

The Residenz Palace is open daily (except holidays) and there is a 3 euro addmission fee to tour the museum and its courtyard. Both the courtyard and the museum are not to be missed.

Arts and crafts fairs and festivals are held in Neuburg every summer along with Oktoberfest in the fall. The crafts fair I went to with Nicki was held in mid-September. There are arts and crafts and food stands througout the Palace Square. You will probably have to park some distance from the square and walk in. So, wear good shoes.

Best Way To Get Around:

Neuburg is located near the city of Inglostadt, the home of Audi, and is very easily reached by car, bus, or train. The train is the best way to get to Neuburg, and you can either arrive or depart from Inglostadt or Neuburg on trains that come and go many times a day. Munich is only about 90 minutes away from Neuburg by train and less than a half an hour from Inglostadt by car.

Once in Neuburg, you can go by bus or car. During festival time, you will most likely have to park a good distance from the Old Town and walk in. So, wear good shoes and be prepared to do a lot of walking.

The Renaissance Era Residenz Palace in Neuburg, Germany is one of the most beautiful palaces in Germany with its simple, clean lines and arches and its very informative museum.

The history of Neuburg dates from prehistoric times, but the castle was built during the Renaissance during Neuburg's heyday in the early 15th Century when Neuburg was part of the Pfalz-Neuburg principality.

My friend Nicki and I enjoyed a cloudy September afternoon touring the Residenz Palace and its Museum of Prehistory and History.

The Residenz Palace's courtyard is not to be missed with its Renaissance arches and balconies overlooking it. There is also a mural on one of the walls depicting the history of the Renaissance in the Pfalz-Neuburg Principality that is breathtaking. There are also some whimsical gargoyle statues dressed in the clothing of the Renaissance in the courtyard that Nicki and I couldn't resist having our photos taken in between them. I loved it when Nicki and I entered a little alcove outside the courtyard and saw this awesome stag statue in a sea of bright lapis blue tiles. The stag is part of the Pfalz-Neuburg crest as it is in many crests of European royalty.

The terraces outside the courtyard have spectacular views of the exterior architecture of the Residenz Palace along with views of the Donau River and the city of Neuburg, which has not lost its old world charm and ambiance.

The museum takes up the entire Palace. I enjoyed walking through the 4 floors of the Palace Museum with Nicki and learning about the prehistoric, ancient, and Renaissance history of Neuburg and the Pfalz-Neuburg principality.

The museum and Residenz palace is open daily, but there are no English brochures and guides. So, I had to go by my little knowledge of German, which I noticed I understood and read more than I can speak it.

I highly recommend the Residenz Palace in Neuburg and other small town castles in Germany because they are not as crowded as many big city sights throughout Germany, and I feel that I learn more about the history of Germany and its principalities that way.