Rothenburg ob der Tauber Travel Guide

Rothenburg ob der Tauber
[ source: Flickr]

Rothenburg Overview

Located on the “Romantic Road” in Middle Franconia, Rothenburg is world-famous for its well-preserved medieval buildings and fortifications. Stroll leisurely through cobblestone streets (much of the town is car-free), and learn the legend of the “Meistertrunk” (Master-drink)—commemorated every day by a clock in the town square—according to which Rothenburg’s mayor saved his city from invasion in 1631 by emptying a giant goblet of wine in one draught!

One main building on the town square is the Ratstrinkstube and contains a clock which re-enacts the historic meistertrunk daily. According to legend, the meistertrunk commemorates the event in 1631 when the walled town was under siege by the Imperial forces of Count Tilly. On a lark, Count Tilly told the city that he would spare them if anyone could drink a tankard containing about one gallon of wine in one draught. Mayor Nusch took the challenge and was successful, and the city was saved. The clock re-enacts the event hourly from 11:00 to 3:00 pm and 8:00 to 10:00pm. Rothenburg celebrates their rescue each year on Whitsun with a festival performance, a grand army march, and a field camp.

On the west side of the town square is the Rathaus or town hall. The rear Gothic part of the building dates from 1250, and the attached front Renaissance building was started in 1572. This building served as the seat of government for the city-state during the medieval ages and for the city of Rothenburg since the formation of the federalist government. The town hall tower is open for ascent to view the city from high above. Underneath the tower is the entrance to a museum celebrating the Thirty Years War and also the Imperial Entrance into the Rathaus.

Rothenburg ob der Tauber is one of the cities on the Romantische Straße (Romantic Road) that has preserved vestiges of its medieval importance into the 21st century. A series of walls and towers defended the city over the ages, and the most recent still stands and surrounds most of the older part of the city. The inner wall (built prior to the 13th century) still remains. Stairwells ascend to the top of the wall at intervals, and the entire wall can be walked. In addition, the Roedertor tower at the east end of the city is open daily to allow a climb up the stairs to the vista from it.

While buildings within the walled city reflect the city's medieval history, this part of the city is in many ways a normal, modern German town with some concession to the tourist trade. In addition to many stores and hotels aimed at tourists, residences and shops also reflect the daily life of modern Germany. Most of the tourist shops cluster around the Town Hall Square and along several major thoroughfares (Herrngasse, Schmiedgasse). Also in the town is a criminal museum, containing various punishment and torture devices as used during the Middle Ages.

Along the Tauber River below the west town walls and the castle gardens lies the original settlement of Detwang, dating from the year 960. Its St. Peter and Paul church was built in 968 and is the only Romanesque church in the region.

Cultural References

Rothenburg has appeared in several films, notably fantasies. It was the inspiration for the village in the 1940 Walt Disney movie Pinocchio. It was also the location for the Vulgarian village scenes in the 1968 family movie, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. It is sometimes mistaken as the town at the end of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971). That town was Nördlingen (Nördlingen vacation rentals | Nördlingen travel guide).

Rothenburg is the primary location for Elizabeth Peters' mystery novel, "Borrower of the Night" (1973) which involves the search for a missing Tilman Riemenschneider sculpture. The town also featured as the location in the Belgian comic book La Frontière de la vie (The Frontier of Life, 1977) and it inspired the look of the town in the Japanese manga and anime series A Little Snow Fairy Sugar (2001). Rothenburg's famous street Koboldzellersteig and Spitalgasse is depicted on the cover of two Blackmore's Night albums, 1999's Under a Violet Moon and their 2006 festive album Winter Carols.

[ source: Wikipedia ]

From Rothenburg you have various possibilities for excursions: Along the Romantic Road down the Tauber valley in direction to Würzburg (Würzburg vacation rentals | Würzburg travel guide) or in south direction to Schillingsfürst (Schillingsfürst vacation rentals | Schillingsfürst travel guide), Feuchtwangen (Feuchtwangen vacation rentals | Feuchtwangen travel guide), Dinkelsbühl (Dinkelsbühl vacation rentals | Dinkelsbühl travel guide), Nördlingen.

Along the Castle Road by Kirchberg and Langenburg (Langenburg vacation rentals | Langenburg travel guide) to Schwäbisch Hall (Schwäbisch Hall vacation rentals | Schwäbisch Hall travel guide) or by Colmberg (Colmberg vacation rentals | Colmberg travel guide) in direction to Ansbach (Ansbach vacation rentals | Ansbach travel guide) and Nürnberg.

From here you can as well discover the Franconian wine-growing area with its idyllic villages.

Here in Rothenburg is the crossing of many very well marked hiking and cycle paths to all directions: Some examples: Tauber valley path, Rothenburg butterfly path, Aisch valley path, Altmühl valley path.

How to get there

• Rothenburg o.d.T. is popular with big bus tour groups, especially in the summer. Therefore, it is advised that you see the town in the morning or the evening when the bus crowds aren't there.
• If you are taking a train in, make sure you are buying a ticket to Rothenburg ob der Tauber; there are several other Rothenburgs in Germany. The train station is east of the town wall, about a 15 minute walk to the center Market Square (Marktplatz) of the Altstadt.

Getting around:

• Walking will get you from one end of town to the other in about 15 minutes.
• Driving is unnecessary and at times impossible; it is best to park the car and walk.

Things to See

• The Market Square (Marktplatz) is the center of urban life in Rothenburg o.d.T. The Square is framed on the west by the Town Hall (Rathaus), on the north by the City Councillors' Tavern (Ratstrinkstube) with its Tourist Information center, on the east by shops and cafes, and on the south by St. George's Fountain.
• The 165 ft. 13th century Town Hall Tower (Rathausturm) at the center of the Altstadt offers the best view of the area; cost € 1 and 241 steps up. The Tower does not have a foundation of its own; it rests on top of the gable of the Gothic building. The front part of the Town Hall, a Renaissance building, was built in the 16th century. The Town Hall (Rathaus) is free.
• The Medieval Crime and Punishment Museum (Kriminalmuseum), just south of Market Square, is full of examples of torture equipment and is not for the faint hearted.
• The Plonlein (Little Square), a few blocks south of the Market Square, offers a charming medieval sight. Standing at the right point, you can see two towers: on the left, more or less straight ahead, is the Siebers Tower (Siebersturm) dating from 1385; and down on the right, from the Tauber valley, is the Kobolzell Gate (Kobolzeller Tor) dating from 1360. These two access roads form a small triangular square, which is Plonlein. The Plonlein is often referred to as one of the most photographed spots in Germany.
• The Town Wall encircle the city, giving the Altstadt the shape of a head, with the nose -- the Castle Garden -- pointing left (west). The existing Town Wall was built in the 14th century, was partially damaged in World War II, and restored through gifts from donors throughout the world (see plaques on the wall). The Wall is about 1.5 miles long, covered, with several towers and entrances at the gates. One of the easiest access to get up to the sentry wall is just south of Siebers Tower (Siebersturm). The Wall is free and offers a good vantage point to see the town.
• St. Jakobskirche (Church of St. Jacob), Klostergasse 15, north of the Market Square, contains a masterpiece by the famous Würzburg (Würzburg vacation rentals | Würzburg travel guide) sculptor Tilman Riemenschneider (ca. 1460-1531).

Things to Do

• Two walking tours are offered. Both tours are in English, cost € 6, and leave from Market Square. The tourist office tours are 90 minutes and run April-Oct and Dec daily at 14:00. The 60-minute Night Watchman's tour runs nightly mid-March-Dec at 20:00.
• The Do it Yourself Town Wall tour. The best stretch of the Wall to walk is from the massive 16th-century Spitaltor (go through the Siebersturm to the southern tip of the Spitalgasse) to the Klingentor, completed around 1400, at the northern tip of the Wall. This takes about a half-hour if you don't stop. Offers excellent views and photographic opportunities.
• Rent a bike at Rad und Tat, Bensenstrasse 17, phone +49 (0) 9861/87984

[ source: Wikitravel ]

Additional Rothenburg Resources:

For many travellers on the famous Romantic Road route through southern Germany, Rothenburg is one of the high points, with its historic town walls and central pedestrian area surrounded by the merchants' houses from the Middle Ages - find out more over here about Rothenburg ob der Tauber and the Romantic Road.

Rothenburg is on the A7 as well as the Bundesstraße 25.