Although we had docked just outside Würzburg my excursion this afternoon was to the Medieval Walled City of Rothenburg, about an hour's drive to the southeast. It is part of the popular Romantic Road, explained below, through southern Germany. Today it is one of only three towns in Germany that still have intact city walls in Bavaria.
From Wikipedia:
Romantic Road |
Romantische Straße |
The Romantic Road is a "theme route" that became popular with tourists in the 1950s. It describes the 460 kilometres (290 miles) of roads between Würzburg and Füssen in southern Germany, specifically in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, linking a number of picturesque towns and castles. In medieval times, part of it was a trade route that connected the centre of Germany with the south. Today, this region is thought by many to possess "quintessentially German" scenery and culture, in towns such as Rothenburg ob der Tauber and in castles such as the famous Neuschwanstein (click here and it will take you to a photo of this 'fairy tale' castle.
A little aside: I have been to Neuschwanstein Castle twice. First in 1971 when in my 2nd year at University I won a travel scholarship. Learning German was part of my degree so after some research `I planned a trip down the Alps from Berchtesgaden (A German town in the Bavarian Alps on the Austrian border where Hitler's Eagle's Nest retreat is located) to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, a mountain resort in Bavaria by Post Bus. I travelled for free on these 'yellow' painted bus that delivered the mail to the small villages and towns along this route. I stayed in Youth Hostels for the most part, but I did manage to find an attic room in the main hotel in Reit im Winkl, a small village (locally known as a snow-magnet). The hotel had a Bierstube in the cellar with and Um-Pah Band. I recall having a rather good night!! The 2nd visit was with my two sons on a motoring tour of Germany in 1998.
Well anyway, back to the tour!
The name "Rothenburg ob der Tauber" is German for "Red castle above the Tauber", describing the town's location on a plateau overlooking the Tauber River.
There is evidence to suggest that the location was most likely inhabited by Celts before the first century CE. The history of the town is long & complicated so I will leave you to Google that if you are interested. I have attached a couple of photos to illustrate the character of this Medieval town.
The first photo shows a section of the Medieval town wall and Klingentorturm, a defensive tower. Note the covered walkway at the top of the wall which enabled defenders, to be able to move in comparative safety, to wherever needed to protect their town.
The other photo is of one of the four main gates that were closed every night and opened the next morning,
Just a final few comments about Rothenburg. Wikipedia records that 'Rothenburg held a special significance for Nazi ideologists. For them, it was the epitome of the German 'Home Town', representing all that was quintessentially German. Throughout the 1930s, the Nazi organization KDF (Kraft durch Freude) "Strength through Joy" organized regular day trips to Rothenburg from all across the Reich. In October 1938, Rothenburg expelled its Jewish citizens, much to the approval of Nazis and their supporters across Germany."
"In March 1945 German soldiers were stationed in Rothenburg to defend it. On March 31, bombs were dropped over Rothenburg by 16 planes, killing 37 people and destroying around 275 houses (around 32% of all houses), six public buildings and damaging nine watchtowers and over 2,000 feet (610 m) of the wall. Because incendiary bombs were used most outer walls still stood after the attack and were used to rebuild the newer eastern part of the old town. The U.S. Assistant Secretary of War, John J. McCloy, knew about the historic importance and beauty of Rothenburg, so he ordered U.S. Army General Jacob L. Devers not to use artillery in taking Rothenburg."
"The older western section from which the medieval town originated and contains most of the town's historic monuments, did not suffer from the bombing. Thus, most of the buildings in the west and the south of Rothenburg still exist today in their original medieval state".
I hope this has given you a flavour of Medieval Germany. More to come tomorrow when we visit Bamberg.
