Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Day 4

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Day 4 into our trip, we visited Rothenburg ob der Tauber - it is one of the (if not THE most) preserved medieval towns in all of Europe. It was on a very popular trade route in the 13 and 14th centuries, and it became rich. The town was fortified by a wall and guard towers, which are still present (mostly). After the Black Plague and the Thirty Years War, many of the residents died and the village was ransacked. The town was basically vacant or asleep for 250 years, and that is why it is so well-preserved. In the 1800’s it was rediscovered during the Age of Romance, and tourists began flocking here to see the medieval town. Then, in WWII, the city was bombed since German troops planned to use the town as a base. Some buildings were destroyed and several residents were killed before U.S. forces made a deal with the town to spare it, if they agreed to not use it as a base for further resistance. So the town was spared to be appreciated today. Some of the houses and buildings are from the 1200’s and 1400’s!

After we walked around and learned about some of the town history, we visited the Crime & Punishment Museum - three floors of objects and methods of punishment and torture used during the middle ages. Stretching planks, shame masks, chairs with spikes, thumb screws, etc., etc. Some of the items were really shocking, but there was also a lot of history of the laws and customs of the time.

Then we visited…the Christmas Museum!!!! Of course this was one of my favorites. The museum documented the beginnings of Christmas celebrations and objects like the Christmas tree, ornaments, advent calendars, Santa Claus, etc. The use of Christmas trees and ornaments began in Germany, and during the season many of Germany’s towns still have huge Christmas markets and festivals. Downstairs from the museum was a GIANT Christmas store with ornaments and trees galore. Of course I had to buy a few, but I did try to restrain myself.

That evening we went on The Night Watchman’s Tour. One of the local residents does this tour every night from the perspective of the old night watchmen, who were responsible for closing up the town at night and protecting it from outside enemies. The whole town closed up like a fortress at dark. He sprinkles in a few jokes, and it’s pretty entertaining. There were probably 100 people there for the tour!!!

That was all for the day… Tomorrow is a FULL day of travel, because we are heading for Switzerland!! Riiiiicoollllllaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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