Oberer Wöhrd, River island in Regensburg, Germany

Oberer Wöhrd is a river island in the Danube at Regensburg with meadows, woodlands, and numerous walking paths. The island contains about 30 buildings, including historic fishermen's houses and residential properties that define its character.

Oberer Wöhrd formed only after 1304, when a flood broke through the narrow tongue of land between the Danube and the Naab, creating the island and shifting the Naab's mouth southwest toward Mariaort. Its western tip, the Wehrloch, became the focus of a long dispute between Bavaria and Regensburg over water flow and shipping tolls; in 1753 Bavarian crews spent seven weeks demolishing Regensburg's weirs there. In 1634 imperial-Bavarian troops took the island and reached the Steinerne Brücke by ladders, forcing the Swedish garrison to capitulate. Since 1977 the Regensburg power plant has covered the western tip.

The eastern tip is still called Jahninsel, after the grounds of the Jahn Regensburg sports club that once stood there. Until about 1500 the island could only be reached by boat; the first foot access came from a wooden stair branching off the Stone Bridge between piers 10 and 11.

Until 1500 the island could only be reached by boat; since then a stairway branches west off the Stone Bridge between piers 10 and 11, today a steep steel-concrete ramp. From 1902 the island is also reachable on foot from Regensburg's eastern old town. The western tip is occupied by the Regensburg hydroelectric plant, and the eastern tip beyond the Stone Bridge is called Jahninsel.

Two large beer gardens on the island offer direct views of Regensburg's old town while you enjoy local drinks and traditional German food. These spots are favored by locals and show how important the island is for the city's leisure time.