Walled city of Rothenburg |
Rothenburg is considered the best preserved Medieval town in Germany. Though it is now a small town whose principle business is tourism, in the Middle Ages it was one of the region’s largest and most important towns. That changed with the Thirty Years War (1618-1648), which devastated most of Central Europe. The war left Rothenburg physically intact but destroyed its power and wealth.
Some of the old houses |
The town was a leader among the Protestant powers of southern Germany. It was attacked and taken three times by the Catholics (1631, 1634 &1635). Rothenburg never regained its importance. It became just a minor local market town. From then on, all development stopped; call it "preservation by poverty." No new houses were built; the roads were not widened; the town walls were not knocked down to allow the town to expand. The town was frozen in time until, centuries later, the historical preservation movement required it to stay that way.
And how did Rothenburg avoid devastation in the Thirty Years War when so many other cities were destroyed? In 1631 when Count Tilly, general of the invading Catholic forces, laid siege to the town, he vowed to raze it to the ground. In an effort to appease him, the town council sent a waiter with a huge tankard filled with the local wine. (The tankard is on display in the town museum.) It held seven pints. Tilly didn't drink it but, on a lark, proclaimed that he'd spare the town if one of the councilors could chug-a lug the whole thing. The Burgermeister accepted the challenge and saved the town. This event is celebrated as the meistertrunk. The clock on the wall of the Councilor’s Tavern (Ratstrinkstube) next to the Town Hall re-enacts the historic event when it strikes the hour.
Our bus got to Rothenburg at 11:00 and a local guide led us on a walking tour. We entered through the Pulver tower and walked to the Markt Platz, the site of the Town Hall, really two connected buildings (brown 1578; white 1250-1400). Adjacent to the Town Hall was the Ratstrinkstube (a bar) with its clock.
Rathaus (left) & Ratstrinkstube | 
View south toward the Plönlein | 
Rathaus, timbered buildings & fountain |
We walked back into Markt Platz just as the clock struck noon. The re-enactment of the Meistertrunk was difficult to see since each of the two key figures (Tilly and the Burgermeister) was inside a fairly dark window. We hurried on to the Ratsstube Restaurant, right on the square, where our group met for lunch at 13:00. It was a classic German meal: veal scallops with spaezle, plus apple strudel for dessert Then we were free for about two hours.
Jane & I headed right back to the Christmas store and spent an hour there. Then we walked to the Plönlein (probably the most photographed site in Rothenburg), where the street forks just before the Siebers Tower. We continued south to the Spital Tower, where we took the stairs up to the top of the wall.
Spital Gate & Tower | 
Jane at the Plönlein | 
Down from the wall |
We walked back past the Röder Gate and finally came down in a residential area. From there we made our way through the Röder Arch to Markt Platz, continuing on through Castle Gate to the gardens. This is where the castle that marked the beginning of Rothenburg once stood, commanding the Tauber River below.
Jane found a rear store | 
Roeder Arch & Markus Tower | 
Castle Gate & gardens |
Horse-drawn wagons for us tourists |
We found our way back to the parking area outside the Pulver Tower where we had started our tour. Here the group re-assembled and boarded the horse-drawn wagons that got us back to our bus. The bus left at 16:15 and by 17:30 had us to Schweinfurt where the ship was waiting.
Jane was worn out, but I found a map and walked the few blocks to Rathaus Platz, Schweinfurt’s main square, for a quick look around. After dinner we watched a magician perform in the lounge. The ship sailed at during the night.
