Donaustauf

Donaustauf is a market town in Bavaria, 5km east of Regensburg at the foothills of the Bavarian Forest. 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 is the imposing Teutonic temple of fame, Walhalla, a costly reproduction of the Parthenon in Athens which was commissioned by Bavarian King Ludwig I and inaugurated on 18 October 1842.In 1810, the territory of Donaustauf, with restriction of the sovereignty, was given to the Princes of Thurn and Taxis as an indemnity for the imperial posts, which had been retired by the Kingdom of Bavaria.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.