Rothenburg and the Romantic Road
From Munich or Füssen to Frankfurt, the Romantic Road takes you through Bavaria's medieval heartland, a route strewn with picturesque villages, farmhouses, onion-domed churches, Baroque palaces, and walled cities.
Linger in Rothenburg (ROE-ten-burg), Germany's best-preserved walled town. Countless travelers have searched for the elusive "untouristy Rothenburg." There are many contenders (such as Michelstadt, Miltenberg, Bamberg, Bad Windsheim, and Dinkelsbühl), but none holds a candle to the king of medieval German cuteness. Even with crowds, overpriced souvenirs, Japanese-speaking night watchmen, and, yes, even Schneebälle, Rothenburg is best. Save time and mileage and be satisfied with the winner.
Rothenburg
In the Middle Ages, when Frankfurt and Munich were just wide spots on the road, Rothenburg ob der Tauber was Germany's second-largest free imperial city, with a whopping population of 6,000. Today it's her best-preserved medieval walled town, enjoying tremendous tourist popularity without losing its charm. Get medievaled in Rothenburg.
During Rothenburg's heyday, from 1150 to 1400, it was the crossing point of two major trade routes: Tashkent–Paris and Hamburg–Venice. Today the great trade is tourism; two-thirds of the townspeople are employed to serve you. Too often, Rothenburg brings out the shopper in visitors before they've had a chance to see the historic city. True, this is a great place to do your German shopping, but appreciate the town's great history and sights first. While 2.5 million people visit each year, a mere 500,000 spend the night. Rothenburg is most enjoyable early and late, when the tour groups are gone. Rothenburg is very busy through the summer and in the Christmas Market month of December. Spring and fall are great, but it's pretty bleak from January through March — when most locals are hibernating or on vacation.
Rothenburg in a day is easy, with five essential experiences: the Medieval Crime and Punishment Museum, the Riemenschneider wood carving in St. Jakob's Church, the city walking tour, a walk along the wall, and the entertaining Night Watchman's Tour. With more time, there are several mediocre but entertaining museums, walking and biking in the nearby countryside, and lots of cafés and shops. Make a point to spend at least one night. The town is yours after dark, when the groups vacate and the town's floodlit cobbles wring some romance out of any travel partner.
Tours of Rothenburg
Night Watchman's Tour — This tour is flat-out the most entertaining hour of medieval wonder anywhere in Europe. The Night Watchman (a.k.a. Hans Georg Baumgartner) lights his lamp and takes tourists on his one-hour rounds, telling slice-of-gritty-life tales of medieval Rothenburg (€4, April–Dec nightly at 20:00, in English, meet at Market Square, www.nightwatchman.de). This is the best evening activity in town.
Old Town Historic Walk — The TI on Market Square offers 90-minute guided walking tours in English (€4, April–Oct daily at 14:00 from Market Square). Take this for the serious history of Rothenburg and to make sense of its architecture. Alternatively, you can hire your own private guide — a local historian can really bring the ramparts alive. Gisela Vogl (€50/90 min, €70/2 hr, tel. 09861/4957, werner.vogl@t-online.de) and Anita Weinzierl (tel. 09868/7993) are both good. Martin Kamphans, a potter, also works as a guide (tel. 09861/7941, kamphans@t-online.de)
Rothenburg Town Walk
This one-hour walk weaves together Rothenburg's top sights. Start the walk on Market Square.
Market Square Spin Tour — Stand at the bottom of Market Square (10 feet below the wooden post on the corner) and — ignoring the little white arrow — spin 360 degrees clockwise, starting with the city hall tower. Now do it again slower, following these notes:
Town Hall and Tower: The city's tallest spire is the town hall tower. At 200 feet, it stands atop the old city hall, a white, Gothic, 13th-century building. Notice the tourists enjoying the best view in town from the black top of the tower (€1 and a rigorous but interesting climb, 214 steps, narrow and steep near the top — watch your head, April–Oct daily 9:30–12:30 & 13:00–17:00, Nov–March Sat–Sun 12:00–15:00 only, enter on Market Square through middle arch of new town hall). After a fire burned down part of the original building, a new town hall was built alongside what survived of the old one (fronting the square). This is in Renaissance style from 1570.
Meistertrunk Show: At the top of Market Square stands the proud Councillors' Tavern (clock tower, from 1466). In its day, the city council drank here. Today, it's the TI and the focus of most tourists' attention when the little doors on either side of the clock flip open and the wooden figures (from 1910) do their thing. Be on Market Square at 11:00, 12:00, 13:00, 14:00, 15:00, 20:00, 21:00, or 22:00 for the ritual gathering of the tourists to see the less-than-breathtaking reenactment of the Meistertrunk story. In 1631, the Catholic army took the Protestant town and was about to do its rape, pillage, and plunder thing when, as the story goes, the mayor said, "Hey, if I can drink this entire three-liter tankard of wine in one gulp, will you leave us alone?" The invading commander, sensing he was dealing with an unbalanced person, said, "Sure." Mayor Nusch drank the whole thing, the town was saved, and he slept for three days.
While this is a nice story, it was dreamed up in the late 1800s for a theatrical play designed to promote a romantic image of the town. In actuality, Rothenburg was occupied and ransacked several times in the Thirty Years' War, and it never recovered — which is why it's such a well-preserved time capsule today. Hint: For the best show, don't watch the clock; watch the open-mouthed tourists gasp as the old windows flip open. At the late shows, the square flickers with camera flashes.
Bottom of Market Square: On the bottom end of the square, the cream-colored building has a fine print shop (upstairs — see "Shopping," below). Adjoining that is the Baumeister's House, a touristy restaurant with a fine courtyard (see "Eating," below), featuring a famous Renaissance facade with statues of the seven virtues and the seven vices — the former supporting the latter. The statues are copies; the originals are in the Reichsstadt Museum (listed below). The green house below that is the former house of the 15th-century Mayor Toppler (now the recommended Greifen Guesthouse); next to it is a famous Scottish restaurant (with arches). Keep circling to the big 17th-century St. George's fountain. The long metal gutters slid, routing the water into the villagers' buckets. Rothenburg's many fountains had practical functions beyond providing drinking water. The water was used for fighting fires, and some fountains were stocked with fish during times of siege. Two fine buildings behind the fountain show the old-time lofts with warehouse doors and pulleys on top for hoisting. All over town, lofts were filled with grain and corn. A year's supply was required by the city so they could survive any siege. The building behind the fountain is an art gallery (free, usually daily 11:00–17:00) showing off the work of Rothenburg's top artists. To the right is an old-time pharmacy mixing old and new in typical Rothenburg style.
The broad street running under the town hall tower is Herrngasse. The town originated with its castle (built in 1142 but now long gone; only the castle garden remains). Herrngasse connected the castle to Market Square. The last leg of this circular walking tour will take you from the castle garden up Herrngasse to where you now stand. For now, walk a few steps down Herrngasse to the arch under the town hall tower (between the new and old town halls). On the left wall are the town's measuring rods — a reminder that medieval Germany was made of 300 independent little countries, each with its own weights and measures. Merchants and shoppers knew that these were the local standards: the rod (3.93 meters), the Schuh (or shoe, roughly a foot), and the ell (from elbow to fingertip — 4 inches longer than mine...try it). Notice the protruding cornerstone. These are all over town — originally to protect buildings from reckless horse carts (and vice versa). Under the arch, you'll find the...
Historical Town Hall Vaults — This museum gives a waxy but good look at Rothenburg during the Catholics-vs.-Protestants Thirty Years' War. With fine English descriptions, it offers a look at "the fateful year 1631," a replica of the famous Meistertrunk tankard, and a dungeon complete with three dank cells and some torture lore (€2, May–Oct daily 9:30–17:30, less off-season).
From the museum, walk a couple of blocks to St. Jakob's Church (just northwest of Market Square). Outside the church, you'll see a scene of Jesus praying at Gethsemane, a common feature of Gothic churches. Downhill, notice the nub of a sandstone statue — a rare original, looking pretty bad after 500 years of weather and, more recently, pollution. Original statues are now in the city museum. Better-preserved statues you see on the church are copies. If it's your wedding day, take the first entrance. Otherwise, use the second (downhill) door to enter...
St. Jakob's Church — Built in the 14th century, this church has been Lutheran since 1544. Take a close look at the Twelve Apostles altar in front (from 1546, left permanently in its open festival-day position). Below Christ are statues of six saints. St. James (Jakob in German, pronounced YAH-kohp) is the one with the shell. He's the saint of pilgrims, and this church was a stop on the medieval pilgrimage route to Santiago ("St. James" in Spanish) de Compostela in Spain. Study the painted panels — ever see Peter with spectacles? Around the back of the altarpiece (upper left) is a great painting of Rothenburg's Market Square in the 15th century — looking like it does today. Before leaving the front of the church, notice the old medallions above the carved choir stalls featuring the coats of arms of Rothenburg's leading families and portraits of city and church leaders.
Stairs in the back of the church, behind the pipe organ, lead to the artistic highlight of Rothenburg and perhaps the most wonderful wood carving in all of Germany: the glorious 500-year-old, 35-foot-high Altar of the Holy Blood. Tilman Riemenschneider, the Michelangelo of German woodcarvers, carved this from 1499 to 1504 to hold a precious rock crystal capsule, set in a cross that contains a scrap of tablecloth miraculously stained in the shape of a cross by a drop of communion wine. Below, in the scene of the Last Supper, Jesus gives Judas a piece of bread, marking him as the traitor, while John lays his head on Christ's lap. Everything is portrayed exactly as described in the Bible. On the left: Jesus enters Jerusalem. On the right: Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsemane. Notice how Judas, with his big bag of cash, could be removed from the scene — illustrated by photos on the wall nearby — as was the tradition for the four days leading up to Easter (€1.50, April–Oct Mon–Sat 9:00–17:15, Sun 10:45–17:15, Nov–March daily 10:00–12:00 & 14:00–16:00, free helpful English info sheet).
For an interesting walk to the nearby Reichsstadt Museum (listed below), leave the church and from its outside steps, walk around the corner to the right and under the chapel. Go two blocks down Klingengasse and stop at Klosterhof street. (I've marked your spot with a small circular plaque in the middle of the road.) Looking down Klingengasse, you see the Klingentor ("cliff tower"). This tower was Rothenburg's water cistern. From 1595 until 1910, a copper cistern high in the tower provided clean spring drinking water to the privileged. To the right of Klingentor is a good stretch of wall rampart to walk. To the left, the wall is low and simple, lacking a rampart because it guards only a cliff. Now find the shell decorating a building on the street corner next to you. That's the symbol of St. James (pilgrims commemorated their visit to Santiago de Compostela with a shell), indicating that this building is associated with the church. Walk under the shell, down Klosterhof (passing the colorful Altfränkische Weinstube; see "Eating," below) to the city history museum, housed in the former Dominican convent. Cloistered nuns used the lazy Susan embedded in the wall (to the right of museum door) to give food to the poor without being seen.
Museum of the Imperial City (Reichsstadt Museum) — You'll get a scholarly sweep through Rothenburg's history here. Highlights include The Rothenburg Passion, a 12-panel series of paintings from 1492 showing scenes leading up to Christ's crucifixion (in the Konventsaal); an exhibit of Jewish culture through the ages in Rothenburg (Judaika); a 14th-century convent kitchen (Klosterküche); romantic paintings of the town (Gemäldegalerie); and the fine Baumann collection of weapons and armor. Follow the Rundgang Tour signs (€3, €6 combo-ticket that includes Medieval Crime and Punishment Museum saves a whopping €0.20, April–Oct daily 9:30–17:30, Nov–March daily 13:00–16:00, English info sheet and descriptions, no photos, tel. 09861/939-043, www.reichsstadtmuseum.rothenburg.de).
Leaving the museum for the Castle Garden (listed below), go around to the right and into the convent garden (free, same hours as museum) — a peaceful place to work on your tan...or mix a poison potion. Angle left through the nun's garden (site of the now-gone Dominican church), eventually leaving via an arch at the far end. But enjoy the herb garden first. Monks and nuns, who were responsible for concocting herbal cures in the olden days, often tended herb gardens. Smell (but don't pick) the Pfefferminze, Juniper (gin), Chamomilla (disinfectant), and Origanum. Don't smell the plants in the poison corner (potency indicated by the number of crosses...like spiciness stars in a Chinese restaurant).
Exiting opposite where you entered, you see the back end of an original barn (behind a mansion fronting Herrngasse). Go downhill to the town wall (view through bars). This part of the wall takes advantage of the natural fortification provided by the cliff and is therefore much smaller than the ramparts. Angle left along the wall to Herrngasse, then right under the tower (Burgtor). Notice the tiny "eye of the needle" door cut into the big door. If trying to get into town after curfew, you could bribe the guard to let you through this door (which was small enough to keep out any fully-armed attackers).
Step through the gate and outside the wall. Look around and imagine being locked out in the year 1400. This was a wooden drawbridge (see the chain slits above). Notice the "pitch nose" mask — designed to pour boiling Nutella on anyone attacking. High above is the town coat of arms: a red castle (roten Burg).
Castle Garden — The garden before you was once that red castle (destroyed in the 14th century). Today it's a picnic-friendly park with a viewpoint at the far end (considered the "best place to kiss" by romantic local teenagers). But the views of the lush Tauber River Valley below (a.k.a. Tauber Riviera) are just as good from either side of the tower on this near end of the park. To the right, a path leads down to the village of Detwang (you can see the church spire below) — a town even older than Rothenburg. To the left is a fine view of the fortified Rothenburg. Return to the tower, cross carefully under the pitch nose, and hike back up Herrngasse to your starting point.
Herrngasse — Many towns have a Herrngasse — where the richest patricians and merchants (the Herren) lived. Predictably, it's your best chance to see the town's finest old mansions. Strolling back to Market Square, you'll pass the old-time puppet theater (German only, on left), the Franciscan Church (from 1285, oldest in town, on right) and the Eisenhut Hotel (Rothenburg's fanciest, worth a peek inside, on right). The shop next door at #11 retains the original old courtyard. The Käthe Wohlfahrt Christmas shop (at Herrngasse 1, see "Shopping," below) is your last, and perhaps greatest, temptation before reaching your starting — and ending — point: Market Square.
Museums within a Block of Market Square
Medieval Crime and Punishment Museum — This museum is the best of its kind, full of fascinating old legal bits and Kriminal pieces, instruments of punishment and torture — even a special cage complete with a metal gag for nags. As a bonus, you get exhibits on marriage traditions and witches. Follow the yellow arrows. Exhibits are tenderly described in English (€3.20, €6 combo-ticket includes €3 Imperial City Museum, April-Oct daily 9:30-18:00, Nov and Jan-Feb daily 14:00-16:00, Dec and March daily 10:00–16:00, last entry 45 min before closing, fun cards and posters, tel. 09861/5359, www.kriminalmuseum.rothenburg.de).
Dolls and Toy Museum — Two floors of historic Kinder cuteness is a hit with many. Pick up the free English binder for an extensive description of the exhibits (€4, family ticket-€10, daily March-Dec 9:30–18:00, Jan-Feb 11:00-17:00, just off Market Square, downhill from the fountain at Hofbronneng 13).
German Christmas Museum — Herr Wohlfahrt's passion is collecting and sharing historic Christmas decorations. This excellent museum, upstairs in the giant Käthe Wohlfahrt Christmas shop, features a unique and thoughtfully described collection of Christmas-tree stands, mini-trees sent in boxes to WWI soldiers at the front, early Advent calendars, old-time Christmas cards, 450 clever ways to crack a nut, and a look at tree decorations through the ages — including the Nazi era and when you were a kid (€4, April–Dec daily 10:00–18:00, Jan–March only Sat–Sun 10:00–18:00, hours often change off-season, Herrngasse 1).
More Sights in Rothenburg
Walk the Wall — Just over a mile and a half around, providing great views and a good orientation, this walk can be done by those under six feet tall and without a camera in less than an hour. The hike requires no special sense of balance. Photographers go through lots of film, especially before breakfast or at sunset, when the lighting is best and the crowds are fewest. The best fortifications are in the Spitaltor (south end). Walk from there counterclockwise to the "forehead." Climb the Rödertor en route. The names you see along the way are people who donated money to rebuild the wall after World War II and those who've recently donated €1,000 per meter for the maintenance of Rothenburg's heritage.
*Rödertor — The wall tower nearest the train station is the only one you can climb. It's worth the 135 steps for the view and a fascinating rundown on the bombing of Rothenburg in the last weeks of World War II, when the east part of the city was destroyed (€1, unreliable hours, usually open daily but closed for lunch April-Oct, closed Nov–March, photos of WWII damage with English translations). If you climb this, you can skip the city hall tower.
Sightseeing Lowlights — St. Wolfgang's Church is a fortified Gothic church built into the medieval wall at Klingentor. Its dungeon-like passages and shepherd's dance exhibit are pretty lame (€1.50, April–Sept daily 11:00–13:00 & 14:00–17:00, Oct until 16:00, closed Nov–March). The cute-looking Farming Museum (Bäuerliches Museum) next door is even worse. The 700-year-old Tradesman's House (Rothenburger Handwerkerhaus) shows the everyday life of a Rothenburger in the town's heyday (€2.20, April-Oct daily 9:00–18:00, Nov-Dec Mon-Fri 14:00-16:00, Sat-Sun 10:00-16:00, closed Jan–March, Alter Stadtgraben 26, near Markus Tower, tel. 09861/94280).
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