Rothenburg ob der Tauber Walls

Rothenburg ob der Tauber Walls

A perfect medieval town

High above the river Tauber in Bavaria stands Rothenburg, a town so perfectly preserved that it looks like an illustration from a book of fairy tales. Timber-framed houses with steep red roofs line cobbled streets; towers and gateways rise on every side; and around the whole town runs a complete ring of medieval walls. Best of all, much of the wall-walk is covered by a wooden roof, so visitors can stroll the ramparts sheltered from the rain, just as the town's watchmen and soldiers once did.

A wealthy free town

In the Middle Ages Rothenburg was a "free imperial city", meaning it governed itself and answered directly to the Holy Roman Emperor rather than to any local lord. It grew prosperous from trade and crafts, and like all wealthy towns it needed strong defences. The townspeople built and rebuilt their walls, towers and gates over the centuries, mainly in the 1200s and 1300s, ringing the town completely.

The walls are pierced by mighty gate-towers, each one guarding a road into the town and each with its own name and character. From the covered walkway, defenders could move quickly around the whole town and shoot down at any attacker.

The legend of the Master Draught

Rothenburg's most famous story comes from the Thirty Years' War, a terrible conflict that ravaged Germany in the 1600s. In 1631 an enemy army captured the town and threatened to destroy it. According to the beloved legend, the commander offered to spare Rothenburg if one of its leaders could drink an enormous tankard holding more than three litres of wine in a single go.

The brave old former mayor, Nusch, took up the challenge — and, the story says, drank the whole tankard, saving the town. This "Master Draught", or Meistertrunk, is still celebrated in Rothenburg every year with a play and a festival, and a clock on the market square acts it out with mechanical figures.

Saved and rebuilt

Because the great fairs and trade routes moved away, Rothenburg never grew into a big modern city, and so its medieval streets and walls survived almost untouched — a happy accident of history.

In the Second World War, part of the town and its walls were damaged by bombing. After the war, people from many countries who loved Rothenburg donated money to rebuild the walls, and their names are recorded on small plaques along the ramparts — a touching sign of how much the world treasures this little town.

Visiting today

Visitors can walk the covered ramparts almost all the way around Rothenburg, climbing the gate-towers and looking down on the red roofs, gardens and squares within. The town below is a delight of medieval houses, old shops and cosy squares, and at Christmas it becomes one of the most magical places in Germany. Complete, charming and lovingly cared for, the walls of Rothenburg ob der Tauber wrap one of the best-preserved medieval towns in all of Europe.