Thon-Dittmer-Palais, Regensburg

The Thon-Dittmer-Palais is located in the center of the old town of Regensburg, the capital of the Upper Palatinate in Bavaria, and is part of the northern outskirts of the Haidplatz. The city palace with its neoclassical facade was built in two phases, combining two Gothic house castles. The four wings of the palace, two of which are equipped with arcades, enclose an inner courtyard in which there are still elements of the previous buildings, such as the Gothic Sigismund Chapel, a Gothic oriel with a relief of a pair of lovers and the figure of a Baroque vanitas, and a Renaissance courtyard with arbors. The complex is listed under file number D-3-62-000-544 as a listed monument of Regensburg.

The palace was purchased by the city of Regensburg from the Thon-Dittmer heirs in 1856, originally with the intention of establishing a municipal educational and cultural center here. The intention was realized to some extent, but the building was also used for other purposes. Until the 1960s, the building was used so intensively and in so many ways that it was briefly threatened with demolition in 1956. After renovation measures, the building was increasingly used for cultural purposes from 1957, initially by the German-American Institute and the Regensburg Public Library. Following extensive renovations from 1977 to 1981, which involved the demolition and rebuilding of the north wing, both the inner courtyard and the rooms of the palace are now predominantly used for cultural purposes.