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Rothenburg 05/05/2005

Trip to Rothenburg (Rothenburg ob der Tauber)

On a beautiful sunny public holiday in May, we spontaneously decided to visit Rothenburg, where we had never been before despite its tremendous tourist popularity. This Bavarian town's full name is Rothenburg ob der Tauber, meaning “Red Castle on the Tauber River”. After more than a thousand years of history, this town makes a fascinating destination, as 2.5 million visitors a year can attest. For detailed information about Rothenburg please check out the town’s official web

page: http://www.rothenburg.de/d/ISY/index.php?get=121

Rothenburg is one of the most well-known location in Germany among the foreign tourists, mainly because of its very well- preserved medieval architecture.
Its roots started in 970 when the first castle was built. The last castle was destroyed in the 14th century, and now the town has a garden in its place. After its heyday ended around 1400, Rothenburg landed in a long slump which helped to save its medieval buildings and fortifications. Rothenburg now thrives on tourism...

Avoiding main streets full of group tourists bustling around, we enjoyed walking along the tiny cobbled alleys through the “backyard” of this romantic town.

Marktplatz Rathaus

The best way to get around Rothenburg is by foot. It can be easily traversed in about 15 min. if you make no stops. The beautiful

Market Square (Marktplatz) is in the centre, surrounded by red-roofed patrician homes which give way to smaller, plebeian homes by the time you reach the walls that surround the city. In the Marktplatz, the main point of interest is the town hall (Rathaus), which has two architectural styles. The older part is medieval Gothic, now joined to a more recent Renaissance replacement when the old section burned down. Climb the 200 foot tower for a panoramic view of the steep roofs of Rothenburg. On the other side of the square is St. Jakob's Church, a Gothic marvel with soaring ceilings filled with light. The church's magnificent stained glasses are absolutely breath-taking.
St. Jakob's Church

The 14th century walls (Stadtmauer) provide a pleasant mile-long walk around the town. There is plenty to photograph from this vantage point. Along the way there are towers, such as Spitaltor on the south end, or Roedertor, which is an impressive tower gate that

you can climb and see parts of the old moat.
Cute bakery sign

Beautifully designed colourful traditional shop signs are hanging  out every- where, creating a unique atmosphere.

Its handy location on Germany's “Romantic Road” makes this historical picturesque town an absolute “must” especially for those who are form USA or east Asia. We recognised an overwhelming number of American, Chinese and Japanese package tour groups. There is no wonder why so many shops, restaurants and hotels have sign boards and menus not only in German but also in English and other languages, very often even in Japanese...

Looking for some gift for somebody back home? How about “Schneeball” (= snow ball), the specialty peculiar to Rothenburg, which can be found in the bakeries and cafe? It is a ball of dry pastry dough wrapped around itself like a ball of yarn, then either dusted with cinnamon sugar, or

dipped in one or more of a variety of icings (often chocolate or lemon). They are usually neatly displayed in the show- windows and extremely  popular among tourists.

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