WWII Sites in Regensburg, Germany: 9 Interesting Museums & Historical Sites

Checking out the WWII sites in Regensburg, Germany is an interesting way to spend a day in this medieval city on the Danube. Exactly halfway between Munich and Nuremberg, it makes the perfect stop on any Bavarian WWII road trip.

I visit Regensburg regularly and find it to be perfectly sized. You can easily walk to all the WWII sites in Regensburg from the center of town and most of these sites are free to visit.

Regensburg in World War II

Being that Regensburg is already within the country of Germany, persecution of its Jews began almost immediately after the Nazi Party seized power. On Kristallnacht (November 8/9, 1938), Regensburg’s synagogue was destroyed along with several Jewish homes and businesses. Nazi authorities also arrested many local Jews and sent them to Dachau Concentration Camp.

Throughout the war, the city’s Jews were regularly deported to either to Piaski concentration camp in Poland or Theresienstadt in Czechoslovakia (where they were eventually sent to the death camps of Auschwitz, Bełżec, and Sobibor). In March 1945, Nazi authorities opened a subcamp of the Flossenbürg concentration camp in Regensburg itself where they imprisoned 460 forced laborers.

Both targets were hit and the mission was considered a success, but it came at a great cost as the Allies suffered major losses in terms of men and planes. Precision bombing all but obliterated the Messerschmitt factory in Regensburg. Germany suffered a setback in its industrial production as a result of the damage to its ball bearing plant, but nothing paralyzing.

In fact, Germany actually learned many lessons from this—they began dispersing their industry and even moved it underground to prevent such attacks in the future. The result of the Schweinfurt bombing is a perfect example of “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”

The Schweinfurt-Regensburg Raid is portrayed in episode 3 of the AppleTV series Masters of the Air.

Regensburg after the war

Because the Schweinfurt-Regensburg Raid resulted in direct hits to both intended targets, the medieval center of Regensburg largely survived the war unscathed. Most of the historic city center remains intact to this day and is even recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

From 1945-1949, Regensburg became the location of the largest displaced persons camp in Germany. At its peak, it held around 5,000 Ukrainian refugees and 1,000 others including Jews, Poles, and other eastern Europeans.

Also check out: 17+ Must-See WWII Sites in Nuremberg, Germany

Map of WWII sites in Regensburg

This map contains all the WWII sites in Regensburg I mention in this post. To save this map: Click on the star ⭑ next to the map’s title to save in your Google Maps. To use this map: When you get here, open Google Maps on your phone, click “Saved” at the bottom, then click “Maps.”

For all the non-WWII related stuff to see and do in Regensburg, see my full post in that link. (From my other travel site.)

WWII sites in Regensburg

Here are the (few) WWII sites in Regensburg you can visit – a mix of memorials, museums, and original historical sites:

1. Oskar Schindler’s house

Having drained his entire fortune saving the lives of more than 1200 Jews during the Holocaust, Oskar Schindler was more or less completely destitute after the war. He evaded arrest and persecution for war crimes by fleeing Poland for the American occupation zone in Germany. He settled in Regensburg at the end of 1945 and lived here for nearly five years before emigrating to Argentina.

Today, there’s a commemorative plaque on the wall of his first Regensburg apartment where he lived with his wife Emilie. Because the building is still privately owned, you can’t go inside and there’s nothing more to see than the plaque. Regardless, I still believe it’s a worthwhile stop among the WWII sites in Regensburg if only to take a moment to remember his story. Look for a red plaque on the wall of the yellow building at Watmarkt 5.

And if you haven’t yet, please watch Schindler’s List before your trip to Regensburg. Actually, don’t even wait; just watch it now. It’s one of the greatest movies ever made. Currently available on Netflix and Amazon.

3. Regensburg Concentration Camp

On March 19, 1945, the Nazis opened a subcamp of the Flossenbürg concentration camp in Regensburg and brought in 460 male prisoners. In just five weeks, 40 prisoners had already died from the abhorrent living conditions.

With Allied forces closing in, the Nazis hastily emptied the camp on the night of April 23, 1945 and sent the surviving prisoners on a death march headed south. A further 50 prisoners were either beaten to death or shot for not being able to keep up or for trying to escape. On May 3, 1945, the prisoners were discovered by US Army troops and liberated while marching through the Berchtesgaden area.

This camp was set up in what was, at the time, the Colosseum Inn. Today, the building holds a small restaurant and some other small businesses, but the Colosseum sign is still there, making it easy to match with historical photos.

4. Book burning memorial

Over in the center of the Old Town is one of Regensburg’s main squares—the Neupfarrplatz. Its history goes back thousands of years and it was at one time the city’s Jewish quarter. As such, it has regularly been the location of Jewish homes and a synagogue, and also of Jewish persecution. The white stone structure on the ground outlines where the synagogue stood before it was destroyed in 1519 and the Jews expelled from the city.

5. Stumbling Stones

Stumbling Stones (Stolpersteine in German) can be found all over Europe (with the exception of Paris) and represent the last known residence of a Holocaust victim. These small brass blocks typically contain the name of the victim, their birth and death dates, as well as which camp they were deported to and the manner of their death.

At Gesandtenstraße 10, between the Bohemia Hotel and the Maradonna Pizza place you can find 11 stumbling stones all together. (This is rare.) These were the very first stolpersteine installed in Regensburg (2007) and they represent the six families who were forced to live together in this “Jews’ House.”

6. Memorial plaque at the synagogue

Regensburg’s current synagogue opened only in 2019, 80 years after its predecessor was destroyed during Kristallnacht. On its side, near the main entrance, you’ll find a large black memorial plaque noting this as the location of the Regensburg synagogue from 1912 to 1938 when the Nazis destroyed it.

7. German WWII cemetery

Leaving the Old Town and walking straight through the train station and over the rail lines, you’ll eventually end up at the Regensburg Upper Roman Catholic Cemetery. And in this cemetery is a plot containing the graves of 304 German World War II soldiers.

Five Commonwealth prisoners of war who died in captivity are also buried here. As are some civilians victims from the Schweinfurt-Regensburg Raid. More info here: German graves | Commonwealth graves

8. Former Gestapo Headquarters

Over near the eastern edge of Regensburg’s Old Town you’ll find a yellow building tucked into a hidden corner. Today, this is the local police headquarters. During the Second World War, this was the Gestapo headquarters.

Given that it’s still a police headquarters, you can’t go inside (unless you earn that opportunity the hard way, I guess). Unlike most of historic Regensburg, this building and the ones surrounding it were actually built by the Nazis for these purposes. The long balcony on the front was included as the “Führer’s Balcony,” and what’s left of the fresco mural on the right side (the figure of Justice) is original.

On the night of Kristallnacht, it was here where the Gestapo brought arrested Jewish citizens. And it was from here where all the deportations to all the camps were coordinated. “Trials” and executions were also held here.

9. House of Bavarian History

Just up the road from the Gestapo headquarters is the House of Bavarian History. This museum is quite large and covers all of Bavaria’s history, but if you want to skip all that and head straight for the Dictatorship – Catastrophe – New Beginning exhibit, I wouldn’t judge you.

This wing of the museum covers World War II in Bavaria – how it began and the forces that made it possible, the Holocaust, American occupation, and more. It has tons of great artifacts as well. I highly recommend a visit here (and check out the rest of the museum if you have time because it is super interesting).

Where to stay in Regensburg

I highly recommend staying in Regensburg’s Old Town so you can easily walk everywhere you need to go. There are plenty of parking areas as well as just a short walk to and from the train station.

Like this post? Have questions about visiting the WWII sites in Regensburg? Let me know in the comments below. Have a great time in Germany!

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