Rothenburg

Treasure of the Middle Ages in Middle Europe

With its splendid location and charming medieval atmosphere, hardly any other town in Europe is able to captivate its visitors in quite the same way as Rofhenburg ob der Tauber. A walk through this small town is an unforgettable encounter with bygone centuries.

The imposing building of the Town Hall, stately towers, massive fortifications, churches and patrician houses are witnesses to a mighty imperial past. An imperial castle dating back to 1142 represents the beginning of the town.

Elevated to a Free Imperial City in 1274, Rothenburg became one of the most important city states in the middle ages. In 1631, during the Thirty Years War, Rofhenburg was taken by Imperial troops. Ex-Mayor Nusch saved the town by drinking three litres of wine in a single gulp, the so called "Master draught". Loosing its importance in the following centuries, Rothenburgs medieval center remained untouched. In the Romantic era, the town was discovered by painters and poets and became a symbol of the middle ages in Germany.

Nowadays Rothenburg - situated in the Western Franconia, passed by the motorway A7 - is one of the most visited towns in Europe and well worth a stop on your trip through middle Europe.