The Historische Wurstkuchl is a tiny sausage kitchen squeezed against the old city wall at the southern end of Regensburg's Stone Bridge, on the bank of the Danube. A cookshop has stood on this spot for more than 850 years, which is why the Wurstkuchl is often described as one of the oldest public eateries in the world. The menu is short: small grilled sausages on sauerkraut, with the house's own sweet mustard.
The Wurstkuchl at a glance
- Where: Thundorferstrasse, right beside the Stone Bridge and the Salzstadel, on the Danube bank of the old town.
- Built: a building here served the builders of the Stone Bridge (1135–1146); the present house dates from 1651.
- What it is today: a working restaurant, run by the same family since the early 19th century, with a few seats inside and benches outside.
- Time needed: 30–45 minutes for a plate of sausages, or a few minutes to look at the house and its flood marks.
From bridge builders' canteen to sausage kitchen
While the Stone Bridge was being built between 1135 and about 1146, a small building next to the site is said to have served as the builders' office and canteen. After the bridge was finished it became a cookshop known as the 'Garküche auf dem Kranchen', the cookshop by the cranes, feeding dockers and sailors from the river port and the masons working on the cathedral. A cook named Konrad 'of the Stone Bridge' appears in two documents from 1378. In 1616 the old kitchen was demolished to make way for the Salzstadel, the great salt warehouse next door, but a new cookshop soon rose on the same spot, using the city wall as its back wall; it appears on a view of the city from 1626.
The house you see was built in 1651. For centuries the speciality was boiled meat. The city sold the kitchen to a cook named Wolfgang Schricker, probably in 1806, and during the 19th century it specialised in grilled sausages; his family still runs it today. In 1986, during restoration of the Salzstadel, archaeologists found the kitchen's old rubbish pit, full of bones from cattle, pigs, goats, sheep, hares and poultry.
What to look for
- The flood marks: lines and dates on the walls show how high the Danube has risen over the centuries; since 2010 the house can be sealed with mobile flood barriers.
- The city wall: the back of the Wurstkuchl is the old Regensburg town wall, and the building leans right against it.
- The charcoal grill: through the door you can watch the small sausages being grilled over charcoal.
- The plate: sausages served on the house sauerkraut with sweet mustard made on the premises, traditionally with a Kipferl roll from the Regensburg bakery Schwarzer.
- The setting: the Stone Bridge, the Bridge Tower and the Salzstadel all within a few steps of your table.
How old is 'oldest'?
The Wurstkuchl is often called the world's oldest sausage kitchen, and its own history traces back to the 12th century. What is certain is that cooks have prepared meat on this spot for well over 850 years, in a succession of buildings: the bridge builders' canteen, the medieval cookshop, the 17th-century replacement and the present house of 1651. Bratwurst only became the speciality in the 19th century, so the claim is about the place and its trade, not about one recipe served unchanged for nine centuries.
Tips for your visit
- Come before noon or in mid-afternoon: at lunchtime in summer the outdoor benches fill up quickly.
- Inside there is room for only a few dozen people, so on cold or rainy days expect to share a table.
- Walk onto the Stone Bridge afterwards for the classic view back at the Wurstkuchl, the Salzstadel and the cathedral spires.
Nearby
- Stone Bridge: the 12th-century bridge over the Danube, one of the great engineering works of medieval Germany.
- Salzstadel: the huge salt warehouse right next door, now home to the World Heritage visitor centre.
- Regensburg Cathedral: the Gothic cathedral of St Peter, a few minutes' walk into the old town.
See Regensburg with World City Trail
Our Regensburg scavenger hunt turns the old town into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops and takes around three hours, with about 46 minutes of walking. It includes the Kepler Monument and the Basilica of St Emmeram. You can play in English, German, French, Italian or Dutch.
If you prefer a different format, there is also a self-guided walking tour and an outdoor escape game in Regensburg.
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Facts checked in October 2026.