#wurstkuchl

Wurstkuchl's landlady Alexandra Meier told German BR24 TV: "To be honest, it doesn't bother us at all." She said she was proud that her family makes sausages and that people come because of the quality of the products. "I don't think people will say, 'I'm not going there anymore because it's only the second oldest."

Wurstkuchl

It must be midday, and time for lunch. There’s a queue more than twenty deep for the takeaway- or takeout-counter, as people walk away with a long thin grilled sausage sitting snug in an undersized oval bun. Next to the Döner, I’m also fond of the “Bratwurst”, or grilled pork sausage.

Along the Danube promenade in Regenburg’s Old Town is the historical sausage kitchen, formally “Die Historische Wurstkuchl zu Regensburg”, better known as “Wurstkuchl”. The Wurstkuchl is known as the oldest running grilled-sausage stand in the world, with the presence of a stand serving food to labourers from town and visitors from the river since the 12th-century.

“Six piggies on a bed of hay”

•   6. Schweinsbratwürstl vom Rost mit Sauerkraut, Jacob Dunkel vom Fass •   6 pork bratwursts with sauerkraut, Jacob “Dunkel” (dark) beer on tap. The sausage, sauerkraut, mustard, and beer are all made locally.

Despite the cool windy late-autumn day, I’m at a table outside, and I’ve a coupon for six sausages on sauerkraut. With generous dollops of sweet mustard, I eagerly wipe the plate clean accompanied by a couple of crusty bread rolls made with caraway seeds, and washed down with dark beer from the Jacob Brewery (in Bodenwöhr, 40 km northeast from Regensburg). Though I could’ve taken a seat inside, it’s entertaining watching my neighbours devour their orders and watching people standing in line with anticipation.

I step inside to watch the grill-action take place and people inside huddled together in a cozy warm environment. Outside on the walls is the popular special “Bratwurstkipferl zum Mitnehmen, € 2,50”, highlighting grilled sausage in a roll for takeaway, and high-water or flood marks from the Danube over the past hundred-plus years.

At the south end of the Steinerne Brücke (Stone Bridge), the Wurstkuchl is adjacent to the Salzstadel which presently houses the UNESCO World Heritage Visitor Centre (Besucherzentrum Welterbe). Given the limited total seating, it’s cheaper to get a sausage-in-a-bun for takeaway/takeout than to sit and order at the benches inside or outside.

Thanks to Regensburg Tourism for providing access to services, facilities, and guided tours in the city, and to Wurstkuchl for their hospitality. I made the photos above on 14 November 2015. This post appears on Fotoeins Fotopress at fotoeins.com as http://wp.me/p1BIdT-7un.

Montag, 15.24 Uhr: Die Historische Wurstkuchl wird kontrolliert geflutet. Oberbürgermeister Hans Schaidinger äußert sich in einer Pressemeldung zur Situation: „Wir sind gut vorbereitet und haben die Lage im Griff“, sagt der OB.