Rothenburg ob der Tauber is one of those German tourist towns where there are more Americans and Japanese wandering tourist-shop-lined streets than Germans. But I love it anyway. Austin and I took a "Romantic Road" bus trip as part of our honeymoon, and when the bus stopped for a few hours in Rothenburg, we nearly decided to just ditch the bus and just stay. It's that beautiful.
In my defense, I can say that Rothenburg is a legitimately-historic city. It used to be important, then the Thirty-Years War happened, trade routes shifted away, and Rothenburg became a backwater seventeenth-century village frozen in time. The city walls remained almost completely intact and defensive towers still dominate the narrow cobblestone lanes. Clay roof tiles are one of the only visible concessions to modernity.
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| Half-timbered loveliness. |
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| Climbing the city walls. |
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| The wall walkway circles the whole city. |
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A limewood altar by Tilman Riemenschneider.
This alone is worth the visit. |
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| Contemplating Renaissance woodcarvings. |
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| Still officially winter -- so fountains were still covered. |
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| Sixteen years post-honeymoon! |
Yes, we visited the Kathe Wohlfahrt Christmas emporium(s), and yes, we spent a lot of money. We are tourists, after all. But we love our new nativity puzzle. And Gavin loves the lederhosen we found him at the perfect little trachten shop across from the triangular house at the bottom of the high street.
