Rothenburg ob der Tauber is a picturesque medieval walled town on a hilltop over the Tauber River. Rothenburg is somewhat of a tourist trap, there are signs and menus not only in German and English but also Japanese. There is plenty worth seeing here but it definitely isn't 'undiscovered.' The following pictures were taken during the first weekend of April.
![]() The area we went to is right on the border between Baden-Wurttemberg and Bavaria. The river Tauber is the border between the two states and runs through the valley and the village in the picture. The left hand side of the picture is Baden-Wurttemberg, the right is Bavaria. |
![]() This is Rothenburg. The town is on a steep hill and completely encircled by walls. The town looks and feels very medieval, it was an independant city-state for 400 years and was an important stop along the way for pilgrams to Rome and Santiago de Compostela. |
![]() A watchtower on the city wall above one of the gates. |
![]() The houses in Rotheburg have been built up onto the city wall. |
![]() This is one of the main entrances into the town. All of the streets were narrow and lined with traditional Fachwerk style buildings. |
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![]() A fountain in the city square near the town hall. |
![]() This is the Marktplatz, where the Rathaus and market are located. Each day at 11am, Noon and 1pm the city clock rings and two windows open where two figures drink from large 4 liter jugs of wine. There was an old town mayor who supposedly staved off invasion from a rival town by besting their mayor in a drinking competition. |
![]() A close-up for the Rathaus entrance |
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![]() This fountain takes up the entire width of the street, the base of it is about 2 meters tall. |
![]() Inside the oldest Church in Rothenburg (pictured above, in the background), it was originally built in 1602 |
![]() A plaque on the side of a hotel, it was to let Jewish travelers know they were welcome to stay the night there |
![]() Me, in the walls above Rothenburg. The city's walls and towers are free to explore. |













