The History of Rothenburg
As a "Free Imperial City," or a
state within a state, Rothenburg ob der Tauber enjoyed a status that
allowed its citizens to enjoy a finer standard of life than people who
lived in surrounding towns.
A common feature of Rothenburg and nearly
every other city of its age are the doors and pulley systems mounted high
up near the peak of the roof. On top of the houses, on the front side, is
a beam reaching into the street. Inside of that beam is a metal wheel and
under it a small wooden door or doors. The pulley was mainly used for
bringing up large amounts of food, stored in the roof of the house where
it was dry and away from the dirty and wet streets and the rats.
Each citizen was required by law to store
grain to last a whole year for his family, to survive the time of a siege
by forces hostile to Rothenburg. While fresh meat itself was available for
all, poor people couldn't afford to store meat because it had to be salted
in order to preserve it. Salt was very valuable and expensive, and because
of this it was used as a second currency. It was called the "white
gold." The word "salary" still shows how close salt and
money was connected.
Rothenburg ob der Tauber was anything but
"romantic" in the old days. Filth from thousands of geese,
ducks, chickens, goats, horses and pigs filled the streets. People emptied
their chamber pots directly into the street, calling out only a brief
warning of "watch out" before they threw the night's
accumulation into the street below. In the summertime it stank so bad in
the city that the rich people left and lived out on the countryside,
leaving those who were less fortunate behind to deal with an even larger
problem. Worse than the stench and the swarms of flies were the thousands
of rats who were attracted by the unsanitary conditions. The rats carried
a flea that in turn carried a disease that came to be known as the
"Black Plague," which eventually killed more than a third of
Europe's population.
The Thirty Years War and the Fall of
Rothenburg
The city stood as an impenetrable fortress
for centuries. From the time of the first Imperial Castle in 1142 to the
siege of 1631, the city prospered and became what visitors today see as a
crown jewel on the landscape. This changed during the Thirty Years War,
which started in 1618 as a dispute between the Catholics and the
Protestants.
At the end of October in 1631, General
Tilly of the Imperial Catholic Army was searching for a winter quarter for
his men. Rothenburg was the next, largest town and Tilly sent a mounted
messenger to the city to tell the inhabitants to prepare for their
arrival. This was horrifying news to the citizens of Rothenburg, because
there were about 5,500 people living inside the walls and Tilly's army
numbered 40,000. These were not the demanding royal guests of the past,
but mercenaries who were paid for a certain time to kill and plunder.
Worst of all they were Catholics, while Rothenburg was Lutheran
Protestant. A majority of the town's senators decided to defend the city.
The gates were shut, the drawbridges pulled up and the weapons were
distributed. The citizens were counting on time being on their side. When
a town was under siege the enemy needed a lot of time to break through the
thick walls. Rothenburg was prepared to withstand months of siege, because
of the law of all citizens having to keep a certain amount of food in
their attic. The town waited.
Tilly's forces arrived and the General was
furious to find only closed gates and loaded weapons bearing down on his
tired, hungry troops. The battle began, hastened to a disastrous finish
for Rothenburg's citizen army. A lucky shot from the attacking army hit
their main storehouse of gunpowder, which was located in a tower on the
exterior wall. The tower was blown to bits taking all the gunpowder with
it. With a huge gaping hole in the wall and with no means to fight the
citizens surrendered.
Tilly's troops took the city and without
mercy took their revenge on the townspeople for the 300 soldiers they had
lost in the battle. They left three months later; leaving behind an empty
town that had been stripped of its riches, the citizens hungry and
defeated.
In 1634 the Black Plague came to town and
took what Tilly's men hadn't, 40% of the survivors lost their lives. For
another 14 years both Protestants and Catholics ransacked it until the war
ended in 1648. The city was a shell of its former self. It had never been
burned or destroyed, but its people were exhausted. Rothenburg had none of
its former power, no future and no money. The town fell asleep for 250
years and this is the reason why the city is so well preserved. You can
visit what is virtually an outdoor museum of life in the time before the
17th century because of the poverty and despair that followed the Thirty
Years War
Rothenburg Wakes Up
It was the 1880s and Europe was entering
the Age of Romance. German Painters discovered this sleeping town and
through their work, the rest of the world discovered this perfectly
preserved example of life in a time long since passed. The rest of Europe
had modernized while Rothenburg slept.
With gathering speed Rothenburg was
brought back to life by the work of these artists and those who followed.
Tourists came to see this wonder of the early ages and by the beginning of
the 1900s the tourism trade had become a real factor in the rebirth of
Rothenburg. At this time, new laws were put into place prohibiting the
citizens from making any changes to their houses or other structures,
which guaranteed the sanctity of the inner city.
Then in March of 1945, a disaster of a
proportion equal to the invasion of General Tilly's army occurred. On
Easter, a German general and his troops left battered Nurnberg for
Rothenburg. Together with some Nazi soldiers who were already stationed
here, the general gave the order that the town should be defended to the
last man. Two days later, on March 31st, 16 planes dropped their bombs on
Rothenburg. The bombing of the town killed 39 people and destroyed 306
houses, six public buildings, nine of the town's ancient towers and more
than 2,000 feet of the historic wall. War had returned with a vengeance to
this fortified city.
But unlike 300 years ago, the city was
saved by another warrior. Deputy Secretary of State General John McCloy,
who was familiar with the historic importance and beauty of Rothenburg,
sent word through the local commander, General Jacob L. Devers, that the
city would be spared further bombing if the citizens could guarantee that
it would not be used as a base for further resistance. With the war all
but over, the citizens agreed and the town was spared. The German troops
surrendered on the 17th of April and a few hours later, the city was again
occupied by foreign troops--this time troops bearing the American flag.
General John McCloy was awarded the "Honorable Protectorate of
Rothenburg" in November, 1948
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Germany: Rothenburg ob der Tauber - History