Straubing

Infobox German Location
Art = Stadt
Wappen = Wappen_Straubing.pnglat_deg = 48 |lat_min = 53
lon_deg = 12 |lon_min = 34
Lageplan =
Bundesland = Bayern
Regierungsbezirk = Niederbayern
Landkreis = Kreisfreie Stadt
Höhe = 322
Fläche = 67.58
Einwohner = 44633
Stand = 2005-12-31
PLZ = 94301–94315
Vorwahl = 09421
Kfz = SR
Gemeindeschlüssel = 09 2 63 000
Adresse = Theresienplatz 20
94315 Straubing
Website = [http://www.straubing.de/ www.straubing.de]
Bürgermeister = Markus Pannermayr
Partei = CSU
image_photo=straubing001.jpg
image_caption=View of Straubing.

Straubing is an independent city in Lower Bavaria, southern Germany. It is seat of the district Straubing-Bogen. Annually in August the Gäubodenvolksfest, the second largest fair in Bavaria, is held.

The city is located on the Danube forming the center of the Gäuboden.

History

The area of Straubing is continuously settled since the Neolithic. The conquest by the Romans in 16-14 BC had a dramatic impact on the whole region. Even today a lot of traces of the 400 year lasting Roman occupation can be found (for example the famous 'Römerschatz' (roman treasure) which is shown in the Gäubodenmuseum). "Sorviodurum", as the Romans called it, was an important military support base.

After the fall of the Roman Empire Straubing became a center of settlement of the Bavarii, mostly around the church St. Peter (built in the 9th century) between Allachbach and Danube. According to the customs of the Bavarii the settlement was named after their leader "Strupinga", which later evolved into the name Straubing.

1218 a new part of the city (called 'new town') was founded by Louis I Wittelsbach, Duke of Bavaria. Straubing became the capital of Bavaria-Straubing under the dukes of Bavaria-Straubing-Holland under Duke William I when Bavaria was divided among the sons of Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor in 1349. In 1429 Straubing passed to Ernest, Duke of Bavaria-Munich, who ordered to murder Agnes Bernauer in Straubing. The grave of Agnes Bernauer can't be found. But in the graveyard of St. Peter church is a chapel built by Duke Ernest.

This new town is nowadays the center of Straubing with many shops, offices, restaurants and a pedestrian area. Most buildings there still have medieval style. The nightlife of Straubing, with many pubs and discotheques, is concentrated in this area.

A must is the beautiful gothic cathedral-like Basilika St. Jakob, the romanesque St. Peter's Church, the Carmelite Monastery with its baroque Church and library, St. Vitus (see picture), where you can find a life-size personifciation of "state and church" joined in holy matrimony.

Straubing also has many industrial areas and a port at the river Danube with access to the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal, a connection from the North Sea to the Black Sea. It is the center of the Bavarian high tech offensive in biotechnology.

Main sights

* City tower [http://www.dia-niederbayern.de/Bilder/Straubing_Stadtturm.jpg]
* Herzogsschloss [http://www.vs-st-jakob.de/start/schloss.jpg]
*Romanesque Church of St. Peter [http://www.viadanubia.de/images/2001_0613_124323StraubingStPeter.jpg]
*Basilica of St. Jacob [http://www.basilika-st-jakob.de]
* Church St. Vitus (St. Veit) - home of the oldest still existing Confraternity in Germany, the St. Salvator-Confraternity [http://www.salvator-bruderschaft.de]
* Carmelite Monastery and Church (since 1368 - the only monastery which survived the dissolution of 1802) The monks support especially Palestinian Christians [http://www.karmelitenorden.de/straubing/fuehrung.html]

Festivals and main cultural events

* Straubinger Frühlingsfest - a spring festival(annual)
* Gäubodenvolksfest and Ostbayernschau - most people prefer this instead of the "Oktoberfest" in munich (annual)
* Museum containing Roman artifacts.
* Agnes-Bernauer-Festspiele - a historical play to remind of the murdered Agnes Bernauer
* Straubinger Zoo
* A Jazz festival - "Jazz an der Donau" - one of the greatest jazz-festivals in Europe with specialguests like Seal, Aretha Franklin or Mousse T. (annual)
* Bürgerfest (burgher festival) is hold every two years in the historical center of Straubing

Historical residents

* Agnes Bernauer
* Mathias Flurl
* Joseph von Fraunhofer
* Jakob Sandtner
* Emanuel Schikaneder
* Ulrich Schmidl
* Carl Spitzweg

Sports

* Ice hockey: Straubing Tigers - DEL (Highest German League)
* American Football: Straubing Spiders - Germany's 2nd American football team, founded in 1985

Twin towns

Straubing is twinned with:
*flagicon|FRA Romans-sur-Isère, France
*flagicon|Ireland Tuam, Ireland
*flagicon|AUT Wels, Austria