Ratisbon

rat'iz-bon, a city of Bavaria. It is beautifully situated at the confluence of the Danube and the Regen. It was a strongly fortified military post of the Romans, and later a free imperial city. From 1663 to 1806 it was the seat of the German Imperial Diet. From the eleventh to the fifteenth century it was the most prosperous and populous commercial city in southern Germany. The city still retains its medieval architecture. Along the so-called Street of Ambassadors are numerous residences once occupied by members of the Diet. Some of these still have the armorial bearings of their ancient owners. Some of the more important residences still possess towers of defense erected by the medieval nobles. The Cathedral of Ratisbon resembles that of Strasburg in outward appearance. It is celebrated for its chief portal and a curious portico. It possesses good stained glass. A decided architectural feature is the Asses' Tower, containing a winding, inclined plane which serves as a stairway. Another building of interest is the city hall, containing a rich apartment in which the Diet or German Parliament used to meet.

The Walhalla, or German Temple of Fame, is a magnificent modern edifice completed in 1842 at an expense of $6,000,000. In its exterior form it resembles the Parthenon of Athens. It is surrounded by fifty-two fluted Doric columns. It is constructed chiefly of unpolished gray marble. Some of the blocks weigh fifteen tons. A superb hall in the interior, 180 feet long, 56 feet high, and 50 feet broad, is adorned by a frieze and by 101 busts of celebrated Germans, including Henry the Fowler, Frederick Barbarossa, Gutenberg the printer, Durer the painter, Luther the reformer, Wallenstein the general, Blucher, Frederick the Great, Lessing, Mozart, Kant, Schiller, Goethe, etc. Modern Ratisbon has a population of 45,000 people. It is a center of trade and possesses important local manufactures of beer, stained glass, boats, pottery, lead-pencils, etc. An art gallery, a large library, and numerous antiquities, together with a perfect climate, make the city a pleasant place of residence. See Hall Of Fame