Deggendorf (; ) is a town in Bavaria, Germany, capital of the Deggendorf district.

It is located on the left bank approximately in the middle between the Danube cities of Regensburg and Passau. The Danube forms the town's natural border towards the south. Towards the west, north and east the town is surrounded by the foothills of the central Bavarian Forest.

Near the southwestern rim of the town, the railway bridge crosses the Danube at river-kilometer 2286. Directly south of the town Autobahn A3 and A92 form an important crossing.

A few miles downstream, east of the district Deggenau, lies the confluence of the River Isar with the Danube.

Historical background

Early history

The earliest traces of settlement in the area were found near the Danube and date back approximately 8,000 years. Both Bronze Age and Celtic era archeological finds indicate continuous habitation through the millennia.

The first written mention of Deggendorf occurred in 868, and Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor established his supremacy over the area in 1002. Deggendorf is first mentioned as a town in 1212. Heinrich (d. 1290) of the Landshut branch of the ruling family of Bavaria made it the seat of a custom-house; and in 1331 it became the residence of Heinrich III of Natternberg (d. 1333), whose name derived from a castle in the neighbourhood. The ruins of Natternberg castle are still well preserved and a popular destination for hikers.

Massacre of 1336

In the early 1330s, Deggendorf was an expanding market town with commerce and trade. At the beginning of that decade, however, it was caught in the middle of a conflict between the Bavarian dukes. A fire damaged large parts of the town. It is presumed that this was one of the reasons for the massive indebtedness with the local Jewish community. that culminated in a massacre.

The first reference to this murder of the local Jews is found in an official document by Duke Heinrich XIV originating from 1336. In this document, the duke pardoned the citizens of Deggendorf and spared them any kind of punishment for killing the Jews. He even granted them the right to keep every item they looted from their victims.

The fully formed legend of the host desecration by the Jews of Deggendorf and about the miracles happening after their "punishment" appears in a composite manuscript in the library of the monastery St Emmeram in Regensburg not before the 15th century. "Das Gedicht von den Deggendorfer Hostien" (The poem of the hosts of Deggendorf) has strictly no credibility at all. Its sudden appearance centuries after the actual events took place makes just one piece of evidence for this. Its content is schematic and clichéd. Stereotypically, Easter Day is given as the date and the accusation of well poisoning is added even though it had never been mentioned before in this context. Details that could be interpreted as specific to Deggendorf are left out. The only name given is that of Hartmann von Degenberg who could not be identified as an actual historical person. By the beginning of the 15th century the fully formed legend had already spread far enough to encourage more and more people to pilgrimage to Deggendorf.

Displaced persons camp

Deggendorf was the site of a displaced persons camp for Jewish refugees after World War II. It housed approximately 2,000 refugees, who created a cultural center that included two newspapers, the Deggendorf Center Review and Cum Ojfboj, a theater group, synagogue, mikvah, kosher kitchen, and more. The camp even issued its own currency known as the Deggendorf Dollar. Many of the camp's residents were survivors of the concentration camp at Theresienstadt. The displaced persons camp closed on 15 June 1949.

Lord Mayors

  • 2000-2012 Anna Eder (born 1950) (CSU)
  • since 2012 Christian Moser (born 1977) (CSU)

Twin towns – sister cities

Deggendorf is twinned with:

  • Neusiedl am See, Austria
  • Písek, Czech Republic

Notable people

  • Georg Rörer (1492–1557), Lutheran theologian
  • August Högn (1878–1961), teacher, local historian and composer
  • Kathrin Passig (born 1970), journalist and writer
  • Django Asül (born 1972), comedian
  • Katrin Ebner-Steiner (born 1978), politician
  • Robin Yalçın (born 1994), footballer
  • Gudrun Stock (born 1995), cyclist

References

  • City of Deggendorf home page
  • Deggendorf in christlichen und jüdischen Nachschlagewerken Stadt Deggendorf (Research at haGalil dated 4 June 2012)
  • Urkunde Kaiser Heinrichs II., Regensburg, 20 November 1002 with first record of the place name of Deggindorf
  • Deggendorf: Amtliche Statistik des Bayerisches Landesamt für Statistik