Rothenburg Ob Der Tauber
Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert
Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist
There are 3 totally intact walled cities in Germany. The 3 towns are Rothenburg, Nördlingen, and Dinkelsbühl. The most famous of these 3 is Rothenburg.
Rothenburg, Germany (the correct name is Rothenburg ob der Tauber), ob der Tauber means above the Tauber River, is one of the most visited towns in Germany. Rothenburg again loosely translated means red fortress. By 1400, it was the second largest city in Germany and its walls protected this important trading center.
It also is a pilgrimage site on the route to Santiago de Compostela in Spain due to the relic of the blood of Jesus in the St. James Church.
This walled city has all its ramparts intact (some were reconstructed after WW II); has massive gates; and many folks walk the walls or part of the walls as we did during our visit in 1989.
To add to this fairy-tale like city, there are 42 towers inside or on the city walls.
Its medieval past is everywhere—the impressive town hall, half-timbered buildings, a criminal museum, a carved wooden altarpiece masterpiece in St. Jacobs Church--all are surrounded by massive fortifications.
It is very touristy but still fun.
So, let’s explore together and learn about Rothenburg ob der Tauber.
A Famous Picture—the Plönlein Square
Many of you have seen this photo—it is the most famous picture of Rothenburg. Translated from German, Plönlein is actually the small square at a fountain”, not the lone timbered frame yellow, crocked tiled house and has 2 towers in the square area. On the left is the Siebersturm Tor and on the right is Kobolzeller Tor which opens to the Tauber Valley.
Market Square and the Town Hall
The town hall has a glockenspiel that chimes every hour between the hours of 10:00 AM to 10 PM. It tells the story of the brave mayor who drank close to a gallon of wine in one gulp to save his city from the Swiss invaders during the Thirty Years War (Count Tilly and his Catholic troops who laid siege to the mostly Protestant Rothenburg).
You can climb the town hall tower from April to October, if you want to navigate its 220 steps to get to the viewing platform.
Market Square has a large fountain built in 1608.
During the Christmas Market season, it has a good market that is over 500 years old.
The Medieval Crime and Justice Museum
While this has some gruesome displays,the attempt here is to just tell the story of how justice and criminals were punished in medieval times.
Outside the museum is the cage of the baker’s baptism—a dunking device to punish bakers who cheated their customers.
This is not just a torture museum—it is a serious museum covering 1000 years of German legal history. It covers torture devices which were primarily used to obtain confessions (true or not true), execution implements and a lot of displays of devices for public humiliation (used for minor crimes) such as shame masks (these were very symbolic and related to their behavior, such as acting like a swine, or big nose (getting into other people’s business) or even devil masks, iron shoes and neck violins where two individuals where placed in these devices until they settled their disputes.
Colorful Buildings, Fountains, and Wrought Iron Shop Signs
The Gates of Rothenburg
There are 5 main gates in the wall fortifications. Here are the 5 gates used to limit the access to this walled city and some interesting facts about each gate.
Rödertor (Röder Gate)
Röder Gate is sometimes known as the red gate. There are 2 twin huts, one on each side of the gate, which served as a toll booth and customs house and a gatekeeper’s hut. Both have spiked helmets on their roofs.
Galgentor (Gallows Gate)
The gallows gate was built in 1388, on the highest point of the city. It is also the most attacked point of the walled city. It got its name from the gallows that were just outside the gate in a place called Little Head Meadow, where the condemned took their last walk prior to their execution.
Klingentor (Klingen Gate)
This gate is the northern entrance to Rothenburg. It is unique among the gates, as it shares a wall with the church of St. Wolfgang Church and defenders could climb the tower from inside the church.
Burgtor (Castle Gate)
This gate was built around 1460 and is the western gate entrance. It is the highest gate tower of the town fortifications. Just outside this gate, is the Castle Gardens. While the castle has long been destroyed, the old grounds are quite lovely, and it is a 20-minute hike down to the Tauber River. There are even some statutes near the old gardener’s residence.
Spitaltor (Spital Gate)
The Spital gate is the last part of the city’s fortifications, as it was completed in 1537. It is known for the inscription over the gate’s arch, written in Latin “Pax intrantibus—salus exeunibus”. The translation is “Peace to those who enter and health to those who leave”.
St. James Church
This is the largest church in Rothenburg. It is a Lutheran church but instead of the usual plain interiors in many Lutheran churches, has some very interesting art works inside the structure.
The most famous is the Holy Blood wood carved Alter by Tilman Riemenschneider.
Our Final Thoughts
This is a great experience and place to visit. We stayed there in 1989 and enjoyed our time there. We hope you enjoyed this report.
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ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management. Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry. Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA. Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations. She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors. An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.
HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 50 years. He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA). This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years. He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees. His other Certifications:
AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist
Viking River Cruise Specialist
Scenic River Cruise Specialist
Emerald Waterways Specialist
Avalon Waterways Specialist
Brit Agent
