The best city hikes and walks in Leipheimer Moos

The Lower Gate with its clock tower is one of Günzburg's landmarks. However, it is far more than just a striking, representative feature. It was once one of the most important entrances to the city. The tower keeper lived at the top and had to ring the bells hourly, day and night, so that the citizens knew someone was on watch. The many windows were not decorative, but provided a panoramic view. From here, the watchmen kept a lookout for enemies and fires.

There's Roman stuff everywhere in Günzburg.

To gain more living space along the city wall, the facades on the upper floors were designed to project forward by the width of a beam. Beneath the plaster lies a simple timber-framed structure, its panels filled with wattle and daub. The same construction method can still be observed in Münzgasse (behind the southern city wall). What, after successful renovation (and equipped with all the amenities of modern living technology), is now a beautiful residential location in the city center, was anything but a comfortable home without running water, sewage systems, electric lighting, and proper heating. In stark contrast are the tall, solidly built stone houses along the market square. Source: https://pages.et4.de/de/guenzburg/streaming/detail/POI/p_100047484/frauengaesschen-12

The Lower Gate was built in the Gothic style in the 14th century. More precise information about the builders and the date of construction is unavailable. Dendrochronological analysis dates the oak logs above the first upper story to the autumn or winter of 1436. This provides a clue as to the construction period of the final gate structure. In its original form, the tower, with its square base and octagonal spire, can be seen in the city view in the "Mirror of Honor of the House of Austria." There, it already bears the name "Das under Thor" (The Lower Gate). The tower keepers and their families used to live in the tower keeper's room. The fifth and sixth floors served as both work and living quarters. The tower keeper was also a music teacher. To supplement his meager wages, he gave music lessons to the students of the neighboring Piarist college. On clear nights, the Piarists are said to have practiced astronomy in the uppermost tower room. In 1817, the Lower Gate was fitted with its first clock. The clock mechanism originally came from the old town hall (demolished in 1809) and displayed the hours and zodiac signs on a large dial, the quarter hours on a smaller one, and the phases of the moon in between. Source: https://www.altstadtfreunde-guenzburg.de/

The court church, preserved as a late Renaissance building, is Mannerist and remains the true jewel of the square. It was built in 1579/80. Details of this elegant architectural style, such as Ionic columns and Corinthian capitals, are clearly visible inside the church. The sgraffito plasterwork on the west side of the church has been restored. The narrow, single-nave church, facing south and rising steeply, is directly attached to the palace and therefore has no separate facade. The church can be entered either through an entrance in the archway of the original palace or directly on the east side via a simple and unadorned entrance. Source: https://winckelmannakademie.wordpress.com/2020/06/23/das-schloss-und-die-hofkirche-in-guenzburg-an-der-donau/

The Margrave's Palace is a three-winged palace complex located in the center of Günzburg, featuring architectural elements from various periods. The Italian architect Alberto Lucchese oversaw the palace's reconstruction from 1577 to 1586 for Archduke Ferdinand II of Tyrol, costing 132,000 guilders. The palace remains the only surviving Habsburg residence in Germany and represents centuries of Austrian influence in Bavaria. The south wing of the palace houses a local history museum, while other areas serve as offices for the tax administration. Restoration work, completed in 2022, revitalized the facade of the south wing and preserved historical features while adapting it to modern requirements. Source: https://de.aroundus.com/p/7138487-markgrafenschloss-gunzburg

The Catholic Hospital Church of the Holy Spirit is a hall building with a slightly recessed choir and a spire with a pointed roof, remodeled in the Baroque style around 1720. The spire was renovated in 1861.

The piglet market was held here on Tuesdays until the 1960s (!). This tradition was remembered again during the redesign of the square (1990), and a design competition resulted in the bronze pig dealer ("Saubarthel").