At the confluence of the Altmühl and the Danube about 20km southwest of Regensburg is Kelhiem , a little medieval town unusual for its time in having been laid out as a planned grid. In the centre, the most distinctive building is the Herzogkasten on Lederergasse, a fifteenth-century ducal tithe barn which now houses the Archäologisches Museum (April-Oct Tues-Sun 10am-4pm; DM5/?2.50), a collection of local finds ranging from prehistoric times to the early Bavarian era. Of particular note is a well-preserved group of vessels from around 1000 BC. Outside can be seen an original fragment of the ten-kilometre-long wall of the Celtic settlement of Oppidum Alkimoennis, together with a conjectural reconstruction of its original height. Crowning the isolated Michelsberg above is the Befreiungshalle (Liberation Hall; daily: April-Sept 9am-5pm; Oct-March 10am-noon & 1-4pm; DM3/?1.50), one of two grandiose constructions on either side of Regensburg funded by King Ludwig I and built by Leo von Klenze. Designed in the manner of an early Christian rotunda, it commemorates the Bavarian dead in the wars against Napoleon. Its eighteen sides symbolize the fact that the key victories over the French - at Leipzig in 1813 and Waterloo in 1815 - both took place on the 18th of the month, and the massive figures atop the exterior buttresses represent eighteen different German peoples who took part in the battles. Around the perimeter of the interior stand 34 Victories, one for each of the German states that existed at the time. You can also climb up to the balconies, which command wonderful views over Kelheim and the Danube and Altmühl valleys. Kelheim does not lie on a rail line, but buses connect with arrivals at Bahnhof Saal on the Donautalbahn between Regensburg and Ingolstadt; the most convenient stop is Wöhrdplatz, which lies between the town centre and the Danube jetty. The tourist office (Mon-Fri 9.30am-12.30pm & 2-5pm, Sat 2-5pm; tel 0 94 41/70 12 34, fax 70 12 07, www.altmuehltal.de ) is in the Rathaus, Ludwigsplatz 14. Schneider, one of Bavaria's best-known breweries , decamped to Kelheim from Munich after World War II. It makes several classic wheat beers, including Schneiderweisse Original and Aventinus-Starkbier , which can be sampled in the rambling Weisses Bräuhaus , Emil-Ottl-Str. 3. Among the town's several hotels , two are attached to the other local breweries: Gasthof Frischeisen , which is midway between Bahnhof Saal and the town centre at Regensburger Str. 69 (tel 0 94 41/5 04 90; DM60-79/?30-39); and Gasthof Aukoferbräu , at the northwestern fringe of the centre at Alleestr. 27 (tel 0 94 41/20 20; DM100-124/?50-62). Other central options include Ehrnthaller , Donaustr. 22 (tel 0 94 41/33 33; DM80-99/?40-49), Gasthof Weisses Lamm , Ludwigstr. 12 (tel 0 94 41/2 00 90; DM100-124/?50-62), and Gasthof Stockhammer , Am Oberen Zweck 2 (tel 0 94 41/7 00 40; DM100-124/?50-62). All have recommendable restaurants , with the Stockhammer's Ratskeller the pick of the bunch.