The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1896-11-12
OLDEST INN IN EUROPE.
rocuIiaritics and Famous Guescs OF tht
c.sth OF Zum Culdenen Krcuz.

rbo old imperial town OF Rogens-
.nrg Ratisbon as we call it, is in these
Sovs comparatively little visited by
shc tourist. For one Anglo-American
,,isitor who stops at Regensburg fifty
r,olte n point of seeing Nurnberg. Yet
Nurnberg has of late become a busy
ard smoky manufacturing town, the
hothed of Socialism and the home OF
iobor disputes, while Regensburg, a
nouple OF hours further down the line
a,ii retains its medieval character
so ancient customs, and Its Old World
bosnitality. This fine South German
citv on the Danube, In days gone by
the seat OF the Imperial Diet, the po.
IItical capital OF that historic empire
which Voltaire declared to be neither
holy nor Roman" Is the possessor oil
the Oldest inn In Europe. Those who
have to lodge beneath the roof which
has sheltered royalty Will find In the
Golden Cross at Regensburg a resting
place after their own hearts. No other
guest house" In Europe. for the Gold
on Cross scorns the modern title OF
hotel, can boast Of such a royal Glen
.ele. and no other inn possesses records
OF such great antiquity. 1t was in an
upper chamber OF the Golden Cross
that Kaiser Karl ". ION whose empire
the sun never set" rested from cares
OF politics and theology in 1546; and II
was here, too that the future victor
of Lepanto, Don John OF Austria, was
born year later-the offspring OF the
wayward Kaiser and the bewitching
barmaid OF the Golden Cross, Barbara
Dlombergh. A medallion OF Don John
now adorns the wall of his birthplace
and choice inscription, by local
antiquary tells how Kaiser Karl kiss
ed a maiden's lips" and how his son
grew up to be "the comfort and the
safeguard Of Christendom" from the
Turkish hosts which threatened 1t
But, even before Don John was born
CT thought of, the Golden Cross had
made a name for itself in the world
During the present century the rec
ord of royal guests is most remarka-
bile. The visitors books, which date
from 1919, contain the names of more
than 500 imperial, royal and princely
personages, and some pages read like
extracts from the first part Of the
"Almanach de Gotha." The late cook
OF tho Golden Cross used to say thai
during forty years service she had
tickled almost every royal palate In
Europe. Among the guests were Kina
Frederick William w. OF Prussia and
his Queen, the old Kaiser William, who
was frequently there: the Emperor and
Empress of Austria, the latter OF whom
stops at the Golden Cross whenever
she comes to see her sister; the Prin-
cess of Thurn and Taxis, the Empress
of Brazil, the late Emperor Frederick
and his consort, the King and Queen
,of Saxony, the ex-King OF Hanover,
Ahe late King of Greece, the King OF
Wurtemberg, the Tsarina Alexandra oi
Russia, the late Emperor Napoleon
Ill, who came here as a boy with his
father in 1923 and again in 1924 on his
way from Corsica, and every member
of the Bavarian royal family for three
generations back. 1t was while stop
ping at the Golden Cross that the EN-
peror of Austria received the fatal
telegram announcing the death OF his
ill-starred brother, the Emperor Maxi
MILAN of Mexico, at Queretaro in
1867; and, by curious yet melancholy
coincidence, poor MaXimillian had
spent his honeymoon ten years earlier
in the same inn.
They showed us with pride the room
where in 1865 Prince Bismarck, at that
time Prussian Premier, slept, when he
came with his sovereign and a retinue
of officials to hold the well-knoWn
Conference of Ministers" which was
the last attempt to prevent the fratri'
cidal war between Austria and Prus-
sia. The negotiations were held in the
small hall" of the inn, under the
presidency of King William of Prus-
sla. The room is now adorned with
portraits of the six most distinguished
guests of the establishment, but the
Bismarck bedroom has been preserved
just as it was thirty years ago. Equal
ly proud Is our host of the autographs
of Schiller and other men of letters
which he possesses. The author OF
wilhelm Tell" wrote the words "und
cine Heimath ist es" CIT Is indeed a
home'O in memory of his stay at the
inn, and no landlord could wish for
better advertisement. The last great
rejoicing which took place at the Gold
en- Cross was in August, 1890, whcn
the Prince Regent of Bavaria and the
whole Bavarian royal family celeorat'
ed there the birthday of the first King
Ludwig of Bavaria, who founded the
Walhalla, near Regensburg, in men,
ory OF Germany's mighty dead. IN
honor of this day the host affixed d
line relief of King Ludwig TO his walls.
where it now divides with the Older
medallion OF Don John the attention
of every stranger rs he passes by
Fortunately, the Golden Gross has pre-
served its quaint old architecture ana
its sweet simplicity, in spite OF the dis
tinguished patronage which it has en-
joyed for so many centuries. More
wonderful sill, it hos retained its for
mer moderate scale o' charges. This
resting place OF Empofors and Prln'
ces' is no EarYenu ~ pot-house yes
terday, palace to-day T. atfec.s sur
prise whenever, az once happened, a
sovereign Prince arrives in Rcsens-
burg and Is so micgdiGCd as to choose
some other hotel as his night quarters
But it does not despise the humble
middle-class traveller because 1t has
numbered the courts of Europe among
Its customers. The building is a per-
lect bit OF the Middle Ages. The old
~ oh f,C rnI