Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz

City History, Art and Architecture

The town museum presents exhibits on Neumarkt’s history, from its medieval founding and heyday as a royal residence to its time as a garrison town for the Bavarian Chevaulegers, its years as a spa town, the beginnings of industrialisation and the Second World War. One special focus is the Goldschmidt & Pirzer velocipede factory and the later Express works. A visit to the museum lets you explore different periods in the town’s history. Neumarkt is also home to the world’s only museum dedicated to historic Maybach vehicles.

The Lothar Fischer Museum displays selected pieces from its collection of around 450 sculptures, and hosts temporary exhibitions several times a year. Guided tours take place on Sundays at 3 pm. On the first Sunday of the month, they start at 11:15 am and are accompanied by a children’s tour for ages six and up. If you are planning a museum visit, you can take these different Sunday times into account.

The Court Church of “Our Lady” also offers points of interest for visitors interested in art and history: it houses the richly decorated marble tomb of Otto II of Mosbach, as well as a Late Gothic statue of Saint Sebastian and a stone Madonna dating from 1480. The Palatinate Count’s Palace on Residenzplatz is a reminder of the splendour of courtly life in Neumarkt when it was an old royal residence. The Historic Reitstadel was established in the 1980s as a cultural centre with a concert hall and exhibition spaces. Concerts and performances by internationally renowned artists have become a hallmark of the town. Held every summer, the Neumarkt Castle Plays bring open-air performances to the castle courtyard.

Another local landmark is Neumarkter Lammsbräu, one of Germany’s oldest organic breweries. Dietfurt hosts the Chinese Carnival every year on Unsinniger Donnerstag (the Thursday before Shrove Monday), attracting several thousand guests. Those interested in local culture and traditions can therefore discover both the town’s history and an annual event in the surrounding area.

Town Park and Discoveries for Children

Neumarkt Town Park has a large playground, water terraces with fountains, a broad staircase overlooking the historic townscape and numerous public artworks. The entire site is protected as an archaeological site, architectural monument and garden monument. For families, the park combines a designated play area with other distinctive design and historical features. The children’s town trail, “With Philipp Through Neumarkt’s History,” leads to 18 stops around Neumarkt. If you prefer to explore the sights without a guide and at your own pace, you can use the Tomis audio guide.

Routes and Excursions in the Region

An approximately 90-minute walking tour takes you through Neumarkt and introduces the town’s history as a trading centre, a Palatinate residence and a garrison town. The “Zeugenbergrunde,” a certified “Wanderbares Deutschland” quality hiking trail, is another hiking option near Neumarkt. For planning further tours in the district, there are several themes to consider: cycling routes along the Schwarze Laber and the old Ludwig-Donau-Main Canal, and hikes along the Weiße and Wissinger Laber. The Ludwig-Donau-Main Canal is particularly well preserved in the district of Neumarkt i.d.OPf. and is one of Germany’s most interesting industrial monuments.

From the Lengenbachtal near Deining to Dietfurt, the Jurasteig and the Water and Mill Trail share the same route along the Weiße Laber. When choosing a holiday apartment, you can therefore consider whether you would like your stay to centre on Neumarkt’s town attractions or on a particular regional route. For an excursion further afield, the Altmühltal Archaeology Park, which is free to visit at any time, runs from Kelheim to Dietfurt a.d.Altmühl and features 18 stops; it is Europe’s longest archaeological park.

Wolfstein Castle Ruins are another historic landmark visible from far across the town of Neumarkt. They are open continuously from 1 April to 31 October; the ruins are not accessible from 1 November to 31 March. You can take this seasonal restriction into account when deciding whether to include the ruins in your planned excursions.

More Local Pages

For further orientation, see our pages on Berching, Lupburg, Dietfurt an der Altmühl, Velburg, Parsberg, Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz, Postbauer-Heng, Pyrbaum, Pilsach, Mühlhausen, Lauterhofen, Breitenbrunn, Freystadt, Hohenfels, Berg bei Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz and Deining.

For the regional travel overview: Bavaria.