(Germ. Regensburg, Fr. Ratisbonne), a town of Bavaria, in the upper palatinate, on the right bank of the Danube, here crossed by an ancient stone bridge, at its confluence with the Regen, 65 miles N.N.E. of Munich. It has an antique and somewhat dull appearance, as it has greatly fallen off from its former size and splendour. The old walls which surround it are in a dilapidated condition, and the ditches filled up. Entrance is obtained by six gates into the town, where the streets, narrow and crooked, though clean, are lined with old-fashioned stone buildings. Several loop-holed embattled towers rise from the houses to remind the spectators of the ancient turbulent times; and in the street of the ambassadors there are many memorials of the days when its splendid mansions were occupied by the representatives of great monarchs and nations. The arms of various countries decorate many of the houses, among which are the eagle of Austria and the lion of St Mark. The Gothic cathedral of St Peter, though both of its towers are unfinished, is one of the masterpieces of German architecture. It was begun in 1275, and left off in 1634. The ground plan is peculiar, as the lower storey has no transepts, but only the upper. The western front is extremely beautiful, and richly adorned. In the interior are many fine statues and works of art; among the rest, the high altar of solid silver. From the summit of the building a beautiful and extensive view is obtained over the course of the Danube, with the chain of the Alps in the distance. Within the cathedral inclosure are the remains of two more ancient churches, curious and interesting to the antiquarian. There are numerous other churches in the town, but few of them possess much interest. A gloomy and irregular old building near the cathedral is the town-hall, the meeting-place of the German Diets from 1663 till 1806. In the assembly-hall are still to be seen the seats and benches which are said to have been used. The building also contains dungeons and a torture chamber; in the latter, directly below the hall of the Diet, is the most perfectly preserved collection of instruments of cruelty that exists in Europe. A large building, formerly the Benedictine convent of St Emmeran, is now the residence of the Count of Thurn and Taxis. In the garden belonging to it stands a monument to Kepler, who died at Ratisbon in 1630, and is buried in the adjacent churchyard. The town contains, besides the buildings already mentioned, a theatre, public library, picture gallery, collection of antiquities; lyceum, gymnasium, and other schools; hospital, infirmary, orphan and blind asylums, &c. The manufactures include beer, brandy, tobacco, leather, wax-candles, porcelain, earthenware, paper, cotton, steel, brass, &c. Ship-building is actively carried on, and there is a considerable trade and navigation on the Danube; salt, timber, and corn, being the chief articles of commerce. In the vicinity of Ratisbon stands the Walhalla, a building after the model of the Parthenon at Athens, containing busts and monuments of celebrated Germans from the earliest period. It was founded by King Lewis of Bavaria in 1830, and completed in 1842; a magnificently-adorned building, but, as a temple of Fame, not by any means so impressive as the time-hallowed fane of other countries. It stands on a hill commanding towards the east, a view of the dark slopes of the Bavarian Forest on the north of the Danube, and the rich plain of Straubing on the south, with the ruin-crowned heights of Donaustauf, and the towers of Ratisbon to the west, and in clear weather the distant Alps to the south. Ratisbon is a town of great antiquity, and was a place of some importance under the Romans. With the exception of one square tower, said to be of Roman origin, there are no remains of this period. The first German emperor, Louis the German, fixed his residence here; and the town was afterwards the seat of the dukes of Bavaria, and the capital of that country. Frederick Barbarossa, in the twelfth century, made Ratisbon immediately dependent on the empire, and as such it remained till 1803, when it was given to the Archbishop of Mentz. The town enjoyed great prosperity during the middle ages; but, like Augsburg and Nuremberg, it fell into decay after the discovery of the Cape of Good Hope. In 1809 it passed again into the possession of Bavaria. Pop. 25,000.