Discover Straubing: History and Experiences

Straubing combines Roman and early medieval history with an open-air festival, wildlife and places along the Danube. The Gäuboden Museum invites you to explore 7,000 years of the city’s history and its surrounding area. Other highlights include historic buildings, more than 1,000 tombstones and a wide range of ways to discover the city. You can tailor your stay to the topics that interest you most.

City History at the Museum

At the Gäuboden Museum, a broad sweep of history meets a collection of remarkable objects. The City of Straubing describes the Roman treasure on display there as the largest closed hoard of Roman parade armour ever found. The “Baiern gefunden” (“Bavarians Unearthed”) exhibition explores another period in the past: opened in 2018, it is interactive and accessible, and brings together finds of regional historical significance from richly furnished early medieval burial grounds. It thus illustrates early Bavarian history. Comparing the Roman treasure with the early medieval finds shows just how far back the history covered by the museum reaches.

Festival, Wildlife and Historic Places

The Agnes Bernauer Festival also focuses on a story from the city’s past. This open-air play is performed every four years in the courtyard of Straubing’s ducal palace and tells the story of Agnes Bernauer, the daughter of a barber-surgeon. The four-year cycle is an important difference from the historical themes at the museum when planning your trip: if you want to see a performance, check which year it is being staged before deciding when to travel.

Around 200 animal species live at Straubing Zoo. Exotic animals include lions, parrots and crocodiles; lynxes, brown bears and bison represent native wildlife. This offers a very different focus from the city’s history and a useful point of comparison if you want to plan your time around themes rather than historical periods.

The former ducal palace on the Danube opens another chapter in the city’s history. From 1356, Duke Albert I had it built as the Lower Bavarian residence of the Wittelsbach Duchy of Bavaria-Straubing-Holland, which existed from 1353 to 1425. More than 1,000 tombstones at the historic St. Peter’s Cemetery also tell the story of Straubing. A high wall and mature trees surround the cemetery, which is considered a peaceful oasis. The palace and cemetery offer different insights: one is a historic residence, the other a burial ground with many records of the city’s past.

For a break near Straubing, the Straubing Danube Rest Stop lies on the Große-Laaber Cycle Route, just before the Große Laaber flows into the Danube. It has seating and bicycle racks, with views of Straubing and the Danube. You can also include a place to rest when exploring the area around the city.

More Destinations in the Wider Straubing-Bogen Region

Those who also explore the wider Straubing-Bogen region will find a distinctive historical focus at Bogenberg. Bogenberg is one of Bavaria’s oldest Marian pilgrimage sites still in active use. The Holzkirchen Candle Pilgrimage takes place at the pilgrimage church every year at Pentecost. The Bogenberg District Museum also explores the history of the Bavarian lozenges: from the Counts of Windberg-Bogen and their use by the Wittelsbachs and in the Bavarian state coat of arms, to their status as a symbol of Bavaria. Individually arranged guided tours can be booked for groups of ten or more and school classes, including outside opening hours, with advance notice by phone or in writing.

The circular trail around Beckenweiher in Wiesenfelden, also in the wider Straubing-Bogen region, offers a different kind of experience. The accessible trail is 2.3 kilometres long and suitable for pushchairs and wheelchairs. Five information points with benches and information boards cover the pond’s wildlife and plant life, its protected status and its history; the route also crosses a 110-metre nature observation boardwalk.

Discover More Places

Neukirchen, Stallwang, Wiesenfelden, Hunderdorf, Steinach, Windberg, Sankt Englmar, Perasdorf

Go to the overview of the wider region: Straubing-Bogen.