A Georgia Girl in Germany

I love the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, from the first time I visited back in 1996, to when I took Mom and Dad during their first visit to see us in Germany. However, during both of those visits, I hadn’t done the walking tour with the town’s Night Watchman (first time I didn’t know about it; second time it was too cold). So, before winter arrived in force, we headed out to spend the afternoon and evening in this wonderfully enchanting medieval town.

We started by strolling along the town wall, and passing several lookout towers along the way. It was really rather relaxing to simply walk and look at the architecture and the valley below.

Benjamin was cooperative, and actually wanted me to take his photo sitting on the wall overlooking the Tauber valley.

At one point, we managed to walk along the outside of the wall. There were very few others out for Sunday strolls, so it made for a very peaceful walk.

We soon came to the Burgtor Castle Gate, where the boys decided to rest for a moment. The gate is decorated with the coats of arms of the city and of the empire. When the town’s castles were destroyed by an earthquake in 1356, this gate became essential. Behind this outer gate was the middle gate, where the drawbridge chains are still visible. There’s also a “needle-eye” in the inner gate that allowed individuals to enter the city without the sentries having to open the entire door. During the night, when the city gates were closed, people were only allowed to leave and enter with the express approval of the council, so woe to those who tried to return late after having a few too may brews!

Zachary and MacKenzie liked stretching out on this thicker part of the city wall for a breathtaking view of the Tauber valley below. Of course, Benjamin wanted to join them up there, but wasn’t as cautious as I would have liked, so I hovered near him and held his hand when he neared the significant drop-off.

I had never noticed the Topplerschlößchen (Toppler’s Little Castle) in the Tauber valley before. It was built in 1388 in the form of a Romanesque castle surrounded by water for the famous mayor Heinrich Toppler who used the building as a summer residence and as a meeting place for political discussions.

MacKenzie liked this little hedgehog wandering through the Castle Garden. She was very concerned for its well-being since she didn’t see a mom or dad hedgehog nearby...and asked if we could bring it home with us! What a kind heart she has for animals!

I like this view from the opposite side of the Castle Garden, looking at a section of the town that juts out like a finger from the rest of the town.

Benjamin enjoyed walking along this part of the wall through the Castle Garden, ducking under the beams where I’m sure vines and such grow during the spring and summer. The wall narrowed as he continued, and he soon had to get down.

We also decided to visit the town’s Medieval Crime Museum. Before heading in, each of the kids had to pose in the pillory, not that they were misbehaving on our outing...more for the novelty of doing so.



There was a lot to discover inside the museum -- four stories worth, covering a thousand years of European legal history from law enforcement and court proceedings to punishments and legal folklore. MacKenzie posed next to a rather large iron maiden -- a coat of disgrace for less than virtuous women and girls.

We all found the various masks of disgrace rather humorous. Those with faces like animals were for men who behaved like animals. Those with long tongues were for individuals who gossiped. There were even specific masks for “wicked women” and for those who made rude comments or jokes. It seemed everywhere we turned, there were more shame masks -- each uniquely made for unique offenses.

Zachary and MacKenzie intently studied the photo of someone locked in a pillory. This particular photo showed someone sitting with his bare feet locked in the pillory while a boy tickled one foot and a lamb licked the other. Talk about tickle-torture!

This 16th century money chest was pretty neat -- or rather, the locking mechanism was neat. It’s made of wrought iron and weighs almost 200 pounds. With a single key, 10 combinations can be worked at once, although the chest has 14 combinations. As a protection against theft, holes in the bottom were used to fasten it to the ground. Since banks were hardly known in those days, it was up to individuals to protect their money, jewelry and other valuables. The locking mechanism of this chest looks like it could have come right out of a Harry Potter movie showing the locks on the vaults inside Gringotts Bank.

Benjamin ran around quite a bit inside the museum…keeping me busy trying to keep up with him. He had fun with this “fire hole” before trying to dodge out the door into the next room.

On the way out of the museum, MacKenzie decided to pose under the dunking stool that was used to punish bakers whose bread was too light by -- you guessed it -- dunking them in water.

After strolling through the Criminal Museum, we searched out a snack, and found the perfect thing: schneeballen, or snowballs! Snowballs are a Rothenburg specialty, and there are many varieties. Of course, this chocoholic family opted for the chocolate-covered variety.

We also had a little extra time on our hands before nightfall and the night watchman tour, so we hopped in the back of a horse-drawn carriage to tour the city while indulging in our snowballs.

Our driver didn’t speak much English, but would point out a few sights and say a few words about what we were passing. When I’d ask him a question about what he had said, he’d simply repeat himself. I soon realized that he had learned just enough English to point out the highlights.

MacKenzie seemed to have some difficulty with the wind blowing her hair into her face while she was eating her snowball.

After our carriage ride and supper, we met the night watchman in the town hall square. Before the 20th century, the night watchman was responsible for the safety of the citizens of this walled, fortified city. He would make his rounds between 9 p.m. and 3 a.m., much like a night policeman. Even though his job was important and the citizens trusted him to keep the streets safe at night, only the gravedigger and executioner were lower on the social scale. His tools included the hellebarde weapon, which he’s holding in this photo, and a horn carried around his neck. The hellebarde was used to show his authority and to protect himself from drunks and thieves out at night. The horn would warn citizens of fire -- the worst possible disaster that could strike a city in the days before fire hydrants.

We started our tour by walking down the Herrnasse, the widest street in the town and where the town nobility once lived, toward the tower at the Burgtor Castle Gate.

This is a night view from the Castle Garden, looking at the same section of the town jutting out like a finger from the rest of the town.

MacKenzie and Benjamin took a break from our walking tour to sit on a bench and munch on a few fruit snacks in the Castle Garden.

We continued on our trek with the night watchman through the town and eventually came back to the town hall square and Rathaus -- town hall. He was an entertaining and humorous character, and shared a lot of interesting facts of the town that I didn’t learn on my previous visits.

To the left is St. George’s Fountain, otherwise known as Herterichs Well, with the former Meat and Dance Hall and the Jagstheim House behind it. As expected, we spent a few extra minutes admiring the fountain while Benjamin admired the water in the fountain.

This is another view of St. George’s Fountain, with the Gothic town hall and its nearly-200-foot high tower behind it.

We took one last photo before heading for home: of the town hall square and Ratsherrntrinkstube -- City Councilor’s Tavern -- behind the kids. The old town clock on the tavern (now the visitor’s center) dates to 1683. Staying for the night watchman’s tour made for a late night, but the kids were well-behaved and enjoyed the visit.

Labels: Benjamin, Germany, MacKenzie, Travel, Zachary