Germany: Rothenburg ob der Tauber
Germany: Rothenburg ob der Tauber
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Burg Gate - one of the entrances into the walled city |
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Six years ago by chance, Chris and I stumbled
upon Rothenburg on our first trip to Europe. We ended up staying a couple
of nights in a hotel outside the walls of the city. Everyday we would
explore different areas of the city and walk various parts of the wall.
During this Christmas trip to Germany, we decided to return to Rothenburg to see their Christmas Market. This time, we made reservations at a hotel inside the city walls. It was a hote/restaurant we had visited before for dinner. The food was great and we decided if we returned some day, we would like to stay at the hotel. We made the right choice as the hotel was so lovely and the food was just as good as we remembered it. Our Rothenburg tradition will be to stay at this hotel and have dinner there on each future visit.
Christmas time is a beautiful time to be in Rothenburg. The city itself is lovely, but with all the Christmas decorations, it's all the more beautiful. The Christmas market was small, but very nice. We sipped Gluhwein and ate Frankfurters in the town square. Rothenburg is easy to get to as it's only about an hour train ride from Nurnberg or Wurzburg. Rothenburg is by far one of our favorite towns in Germany and probably Europe. We hope to return to Rothenburg again in the future. If you are planning a trip to Germany, be sure to include Rothenburg on your trip. Rothenburg is located on Germany's Romantic Road. The road streatches from South at Fussen where the Neuschwanstein Castle is located close to the Austrian border, up to Wurzburg. It is well worth the drive a long this highway with stops at several of the Romantic Road locations. |
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| Burg Gate: The gate features two round guard houses (16 century), a mask through which Rothenburg defenders would pour hot tar on enemies, and the eye-of-the-needle door within a door. The garden is very large and very beautiful as well as romantic, day and night. The outer path along the garden wall offers outstanding views of the pastoral valley surrounding Rothenburg as well as of the town itself. The end of garden is a good place to watch the sunset. | |||
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| Around the Town: Various photos form around the town. | |||
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| Roder Gate: The road leading away from the railroad station takes you directly to Roder Gate, one of the main entrances into the walled city. These photos are of the gate and taken from the tower and wall above the gate. | |||
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| Christmas Shop: The shop is open all year round for Christmas shopping. It also contains a beautiful Christmas museum. | |||
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| City Walls: It is possible to walk the entire inside wall of Rothenberg. We walked various sections and these are some photos of the various areas. | |||
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Eye of the Needle: It's written in the
Bible, "It is easier for a camel to walk through an eye of the needle
than for a rich man to get into heaven." In Rothenburg they have the
real eye of the needle, made for the residents of the city who had missed
the closing of the town gates at night.
One hour before the gates were closed at twilight, the bells of the town were rung to call the citizens back home. After that hour, the gatekeepers shut the gates until the next morning for security reasons. If a citizen arrived at the gate after curfew he had only one chance to get inside where it was safe and that was through the eye of the needle. With the gatekeepers standing on the other side, the citizen would have to answer a complex series of questions to guarantee his identity and right to be inside. If they trusted his answers he was allowed to crawl through the eye of the needle, head first, one arm and one leg at a time. If he wasn't who he said he was the guards were ready with their weapons. That person then had to pay a heavy fine, if not, everyone would be late coming home. If the guards made a mistake and admitted an enemy it would likely mean their lives. This is the true meaning and purpose of the eye of the needle. |
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| Frankfurter: Eating a German Frankfurter at the Christmas market. | |||
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| Franziscan Church: The oldest church in Rothenburg, built 1285. | |||
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| Hell: This is the Hell restaurant. We ate here on our first trip and had a wonderful. We recommend going to Hell for your next meal in Rothenberg. | |||
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Hotel Altfraenkischen Weinstube:
Photos of our hotel lobby, restaurant and room. We had dinner at
this hotel on our first trip to the city an it was one of the best meals
we had had on our trip. For this trip, I made reservations at the
hotel for a room for 1 night and for dinner. The rooms are lovely
and the meal was just as good as our first one 6 years ago.
What to order:
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| Market Plaza: The Rothenburg Market Place is bounded by the Town Hall (Rathaus), the Clock Tower (nowdays the Tourist Office), St Georges Fountain from 1608 and shops, cafes and restaurants. | |||
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| Rathaus: The Town Hall. | |||
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| Ratstrinkstube: The tower clock built in 1683 shows the day of the month, hour and minute. Added in 1910, the mechanical drinking scene portrays mayor Nusch's legendary drinking (1631) of over three liters of wine without stopping to save the town. | |||
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| Medieval Criminal Museum: The Rothenburg medieval Crime Museum features the best collection in Europe of antique objects and documents pertaining to crime and punishment from the twelfth to the nineteenth centuries. It presents, often graphically four floors and 2000 square meters of medieval laws, verdicts, punishment and torture devices used to keep the little people in line. | |||
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Night Watchman: In
the years before the dawn of the 20th century, the night watchman was one
of many citizens of Rothenburg responsible for the safety of the
inhabitants of this walled, fortified city. Even though the citizens who
slept soundly at night in their beds trusted him to keep the streets
inside the high stone walls safe, his status was less than honorable. His
pay was low and his job was a dishonorable one. Only the gravedigger and
the executioner were lower. His job was dangerous, because he had to guard
the city at night like a policeman.
The good citizens went to bed early. The people that he met on the streets were the drunks and the thieves. To protect himself and to show his authority he carried an intimidating weapon called a hellebarde. The night watchman made his rounds from nine in the evening until three in the morning, relying on the town hall clock to tell him when to sing his "Hour Song," which reminded the people who slumbered safe in their houses that he was still alive and taking care of them. The night watchman's horn, carried on a chain around his neck, warned the citizens of fire--the worst possible disaster that could strike a city in the days before fire hydrants. Keeping watch over the streets of the inner city, lighting the lanterns and announcing the hours in the still of the night were the duties of Rothenburg's night watchman. There were six of these men patrolling the city up to the year 1920. |
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| Outside the Town: Some photos looking alone one of the outside walls of the city. The other shows the valley below. | |||
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| Siebers Tower and Plonlein: Siebers Tower built in 1385 served as an entrance to Rothenburg for about 150 years, until the building of the Spital Bastion in the sixteenth century. Walking in through the archway, you arrive at the picturesque Plönlein Triangular Place. Fishermen once stored their fish in the cages next to the fountain. | |||
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| Spital Bastion: The Spital Bastion fortification built in 1586 features a unique figure eight design with two courtyards. The courtyards, various gates, walkways and adjacent moat are well worth exploring. The inscription over the main gate translates to; Peace to those who enter, farewell to those who leave. | |||
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| St. Jacobs Church: Built During The height Of Rothenburg's Gothic Period, The Jacobs Church Took Over 170 Years To Complete (1311-1484). The Church's Greatest Artistic Treasure Is The Holy Blood Alter Carved By Tilmann Riemenschneider Between 1499 and 1505. The Alter Gets Its Name From The Rock Crystal Capsule Mounted In The Gold Cross Set In The Alter. Since The Middle Ages, The Capsule Is Said To Contain Three Drops Of Christ's Blood. | |||
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