One and a half hours up the autobahn from Heidelberg and we have reached Rothenburg ob de Tauber. This town is a well polished gem from the Middle Ages, sometimes even described in reviews as a little Disneyland like…Rosie is hoping it is a little grittier…all will be revealed.
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Inside the town walls it is basically a pedestrian only area unless you live there or are staying at a hotel. You enter through the thick walled gate and the rattle of the cobbles under your tires is good, it alerts tourists taking photos and looking skyward that you are coming…or in this case not, as we are immediately surrounded by a busload of Asian tourists as we were trying to turn a narrow corner. The Operator is slowly persistent at forward momentum, Rosie was opting for the horn herself….get off the road!
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We find the Hotel Eisenhut no problems and park outside to unload our bags, our car is then whisked away to some secret location for parking. Its only 11oclock and our room is ready which is nice, so we go straight up.
The Hotel is spread over a couple of buildings on the Herrngasse, the main street of Rothenberg. These buildings were once the mansions owned and built by the most influential families in town. One family has owned this Hotel since 1759….then in 2006 the great great great grandson….sold it.
You can see how its heydey was in the 1920s, it is the epitome of old style charm and sophistication, today it is abit tired and rundown. Still the rooms are huge compared to European standards and we have a nice balcony that looks over the hotels terrace and the Tauber valley, Rosie does like to have her doors and windows open.
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We hit the road armed with our street map and start exploring. The town on this site was first called Rothenburg ob de Tauber in 1142, the name itself means ‘above the Tauber River’, because of its strategic spot on the road it was the second largest city in Germany back in the day, housing 6000 people.
Preservation orders are the strictest here than anywhere else in Germany, even when 40% of the city was destroyed in 1945, financial support from all over the world helped them to rebuild it exactly.
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There is nothing new on all sides of you, it is all old, dusty and flaking. Window boxes spilling full of brightly coloured flowers and colourful painted walls greet you everywhere. The buildings are wonky, solid, and have small shuttered windows, while all the roofs have red mossy tiles
We start in the middle of town, the Marketplace, which is framed by the The Town Hall, The Historical Vaults and The Councillors Tavern…yes, exclusively for the use of councillors a couple of hundred years ago. There is an astronomical clock on the Tower and a carillon which tells the story of the The Master Draught…the best story ever!
This story commemorates an event in 1631 involving a former mayor, an invading general and a giant goblet of wine. Legend has it that the victorious general challenged the old mayor to down seven pints of wine in one go. Failure ment execution for the citizens of the town…as you do…but, the mayor succeeded and the town folks were spared! Hurray!
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We spied a nice terrace for lunch and sat down under a shady tree to one of the best meals we have had in Germany to date.
The Operator had breaded schnitzel stuffed with mustard and fried onion with a side of lovely fried potatoes and roasted cherry tomatoes. Rosie had Pork Tenderloins with a lovely bacon and mushroom sauce sitting on a bed of Spaeztle noodles. Was yum!
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In our lunch square sat the big, squat grey building of the church of St Jacobs. Rosie is a little bit churched out…but this one is the Pilgrams special. Inside this church is a relic so Holy it is Holiest of Holies and surpasses any bone relics seen to date…the DNA of Jesus Christ.
On the specially carved Alter Of the Holy Blood, way up high in the air is Rothenburgs sacred reliquary, a capsule made of rock crystal said to contain three drops of Christs blood. Wow, we paid 2 euro each to see that. Its hidden at the back of the church up some stairs in its own annex…everyone else was oohing and aahing at the front of the church where all the decoration was…The Operator had it sorted with his sneaky relic guide.
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We wandered down wiggly streets to one of the town wall entry points. Not only are there portals to enter the city through, but, there are stairs that you climb to the top of the wall 7 metres above the ground.
There is an unbroken ring of wall you can then walk around which is 2.5 kilometres long,This internal defence corridor is made of the same stone as the wall, there are arrow slits every three feet or so which goes to show how important the defence of the city was. The high outlook from the wall over the town is amazing, peering down into back yards, up narrow alleys and over the red tiled rooftops is amazing.
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There are huge water troughs and wells everywhere in the town, on every corner nearly. Not only were they collection points for household spring water, but they also held trout, during times when the city was under siege the trout was used as a fresh meat supplement to go with their stored grains. Pretty clever.
We came across the Cloister Gardens hidden behind high walls, it still houses the original medicinal herb garden from the middle ages…..somewhere….
The original Rothenburg castle is gone but the outer wall of it remains, see the mask with the mouth above the gate…Through this hole the castles defenders poured hot tar onto attackers….cool…
This gate lead to a lovely tranquil Castle Garden, a wee oasis I am sure when Rothenburg is all hustle and bustle. A lovely small stroll around the garden edge gives you sweeping views of the Misty Tauber valley, a hint of the river and a look back at the old town and its walls.
We then walked down the Schmeidgasse to the Plonlein (Little Square) which give you the famous picture op that the whole world sees of Rothenburg. Not sure if Rosie has done it justice or not, her smart phone is holding out well though! This little street is lined with souvenir shops, yet was curiously devoid of people at 1600….making it a very pleasant stroll home.
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We stopped for an ice coffee and a strudel as the sky suddenly became dark and thunder started rolling in from the valley. It didnt deter The Operator who went for a run down by the river and just returned back as the rain broke and the thunder and lightening started proper, what a show it was! This photo was taken off our balcony just before The Operator returned.
The rain has settled and there is still the ominous clap of thunder…Rosie and the Operator cant be bothered going out tonight, we might just cosy up for an early night and watch some BBC or CNN….the only English channels on German TV…..we another day tomorrow exploring Rothenburg.
