Donauwörth

Donauwörth is a town in the Swabia region of Bavaria, Germany, and the capital of the Donau-Ries district, situated where the Wornitz River meets the Danube about 46 kilometers north of Augsburg, with a population of roughly 19,990 as of the end of 2024. The town grew under the protection of Mangoldstein castle in the 11th and 12th centuries and gained imperial free status in 1308; it later featured in major European conflicts, including a 1606 religious dispute that helped set the stage for the Thirty Years' War, the 1704 Battle of Schellenberg during the War of the Spanish Succession, and fighting during Napoleon's 1805 Ulm campaign. The town lies on the Romantische Strasse scenic route, and local legend credits its founding to two fishermen meeting at the river confluence.