We got up early to take a walk before breakfast. The streets were quiet and only a few other people roamed the town. Yesterday’s tourists had either gone back to the cities or were still asleep.
The sunlight peeking over the rooftops was just beginning to kiss the east-facing shops. You could almost sense the anticipation of the flowers that lined the streets. As the shadows disappeared, the pastel colors of the buildings were soon saturated in the morning sun. As in any town, there was a wide variety of shops — hotels, restaurants, bars, gift stores, places to purchase beer mugs, and even a doll and toy museum with a bubble-blowing teddy bear in a second story window. It was a great time to see the town with its towers and gates.
Germany was in the midst of a heat wave. By midday the temperatures were in the low 30s ⁰C (low 90s ⁰F). We decided to spend some time indoors so we walked over to see Rothenburg’s largest church, St. Jakobkirche (Church of St. James). As we neared the building we were disappointed to discover that it was largely encased in scaffolding. Over 700 years old, the Church of St. James was badly in need of repair. Despite the massive reconstruction project, we were glad to see that it was still open twice a day for visitors and on Sunday for services.
Though Rothenburg ob der Tauber is quite small, the size of the church and the elaborate artwork inside clearly show that at one time this was a wealthy town. Originally a Catholic Church, the Church of St. James has been Lutheran since the Reformation. The artwork, however, retains the feeling and spirit of its Roman Catholic origins.
Two parts of the church deserve special mention. The Gothic Main Altar, also known as the Twelve Apostles Altar (which can be seen in the first two images above as well as the one below) dates from 1466. The stained glass windows behind the altar are 17 m (54.5 ft) tall and are the originals from 1330. Beneath the Crucifix are statues of six saints, including St. James (second from left). The small panel at the bottom has Christ in the center flanked by his disciples.
The most famous work of art cannot be seen from the entrance of the church or even from the nave. It sits behind a new organ in the western apse. If you ascend 32 steps you will find The Altar of the Holy Blood by Tilman Riemenschneider. It was installed in 1505 after five years of work and stands 9.7 m (32 ft) high. (Only about 1/3 of it is shown below.) The carving has astonishing detail and shows more action than is shown in typical depictions of the last supper. Judas is in the middle, looking up at Christ and holding a bag of cash. This carving was made so that Judas could be removed, which is a tradition that is carried out every year on the four days before Easter.
It’s easy to see why St. Jakob’s Church is one of the main attractions in Rothenburg of der Tauber.
You can’t visit a walled city without checking out the wall. It was always in the background as we walked around town but, as the temperature waned, we decided to take a closer look. If you search online, you will find many lists of favorite walled cities. Rick Steves considers Rothenburg to be “the best-preserved walled town in Germany — and possibly all of Europe.”
The wall that encircles the entire historic part of town is about 2 miles long and 20 feet high. Much of it includes a narrow roof-covered sentry walk near the top that you can follow for a view over the city. There are quite a few entry points so you’re not forced to walk the entire distance. In fact, there was one across the street from where we were staying.
It was interesting to walk the wall and look out over the rooftops of the city. We only walked about half way around, often going down to walk through the gates and look back at the city from the outside. Unlike Bacharach, where we walked through castle ruins, Rothenburg really gave a feeling of being transported back in time. The wall, of course, was not constructed for tourists, but to protect the citizens from invaders. So, even though we felt like we were back in the middle ages, we couldn’t really comprehend what the people of that time felt or endured.
Just like when I was in Cologne, I wondered about the fate of Rothenburg ob der Tauber during World War II. Cologne is a fairly large city and I could understand why it would be a target during the war, but Rothenburg is a small town. Did the allies bomb it as well? Here’s an edited version of a short excerpt from the Military history of Rothenburg ob der Tauber.
In March 1945, German soldiers were stationed in Rothenburg to defend it. On March 31, bombs were dropped over Rothenburg by 16 planes, killing 37 people and destroying 306 houses, 6 public buildings, 9 watchtowers, and over 2,000 feet (610 m) of the wall. The U.S Assistant Secretary of War, John J. McCloy, knew about the historic importance and beauty of Rothenburg, so he ordered the army to not use artillery in taking Rothenburg. Carrying a white flag, six soldiers of the 12th Infantry Regiment went to negotiate a surrender. They offered to spare the city from total destruction if the Germans would no longer defend it. The German military commander ignored Adolf Hitler’s order to fight to the end and surrendered the town, thus saving it.
Much of the eastern portion of Rothenburg was destroyed or damaged in World War II and was later restored. The older western section, where the medieval town originated, contains most of the town’s historic monuments and did not suffer from the bombing. Thus, most of the buildings in the west and the south of Rothenburg still exist today in their original medieval or prewar state.