Regensburg’s Greatest Mystery (That I’m Aware Of)

On By StevenIn Life In Germany

After I’d been in Regensburg for a month or two, I started to notice certain signs.  I don’t know what precisely they represent or who put them up, and nobody I’ve asked (including the desk clerk at the local tourism office) seems to know.  They look like this.

They’re on historical buildings, storefronts, restaurants, and gates to open green areas. I’ve seen them on hotels, churches, museums, and in one case, on a wall adjacent to a courtyard.

I figured out pretty quickly that the shape in the large square is the outline of the building or park the sign is attached to.   The other shapes are obviously other buildings or parks.  Sometimes, only the right half of the sign appears, but usually they appear like this.

There are different color groupings.  Blue and yellow.  Red and yellow.  Pink and blue. Pink and a sort of sea-foam green.    I think each color grouping is a collection, a set containing one type of landmark, but I don’t know that for certain.

I’ve taken pictures of more than two dozen of them.  I’ve tried dozens of Google searches to find out precisely what they mean, but so far I haven’t found the right combination of search terms to solve the mystery.

I thought for a time that perhaps they were from the UNESCO World Heritage Centre since Regensburg is a World Heritage city, but there’s no mention of them on the UNESCO Website.

In my more frustrated moments, I like to think that they’re actually a dialing address for a Stargate, but I haven’t seen a DHD since I got to Germany.

I probably won’t figure out the mystery of the signs until it’s time to move back to the US.

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5 thoughts on “Regensburg’s Greatest Mystery (That I’m Aware Of)”

  1. mike60

    I guess this is the result of to much money in a german city councel! Sometimes one comes up with the idea that signs are needed which everyone understands without words. Then instead of “exit” which even a german will understand intuitionally, there is a box with an arrow leading down, and everyone understands: throw your trash into the can!
    Just a joke, I am sure the tourist information can help. I suppose colours mean: old, older, oldest

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  2. Schnaks

    Hi, i used to work at the tourist information office a loooong time ago, when these signs were still “fresh”. It’s…. wait for it …. *drum roll* …. ART!
    At least it’s supposed to be art, and NOT a way to blight all these buildings 😦
    The signs indeed show the outline of the building, as well as the outlines of the other buildings of the same category which have these signs as well. The categories were (as far as i remember): churches, parks, museums, town houses, etc.
    The colors really don’t mean a thing, they’re the “art” part of the whole thing.
    There even was a guide book to these signs, but i guess the last one was sold about 10 years ago.
    And yes, they were quite expensive too…

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