Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Rothenburg ob der Tauber is the best-preserved medieval walled town in Germany, a Franconian hilltop city above the Tauber valley whose complete circuit of medieval walls, towers, and half-timbered gabled houses has remained virtually unchanged since the Thirty Years’ War.

History

Founded in the 12th century as a Hohenstaufen imperial stronghold, Rothenburg flourished as a free imperial city in the 14th and 15th centuries before economic decline set in after the Thirty Years’ War (1618–1648). Paradoxically, this decline preserved the town: unable to afford modernisation, Rothenburg kept its medieval townscape intact. The story of Mayor Nusch drinking a 3.25-litre tankard of wine in one draught to save the town from destruction — the Meistertrunk legend — is reenacted annually at Whitsun. The town survived World War II largely intact despite some Allied bombardment in April 1945.

What to See

The 3.4-kilometre wall circuit can be walked entirely on the rampart walkway, passing 42 towers. The Plönlein junction — where Siebersturm and Kobolzeller Tor towers frame a crooked half-timbered house — is Germany’s most reproduced townscape image. The Christmas Market (Reiterlesmarkt) on the market square, running since the Middle Ages, is considered the most traditional in Germany. The Night Watchman guided tour departs nightly at 8pm.

Getting There

Rothenburg ob der Tauber is in Bavaria, Germany, 80 km west of Nuremberg. Regional trains from Nuremberg take 1.5 hours (change at Steinach). From Frankfurt, trains take about 2.5 hours. The old town is a short walk from the Rothenburg station.

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