As Part III of the trinity of must-see medieval cities in Germany besides Dinkelsbühl and Rothenburg, today's post is about Bad Windsheim, a small town of some 10,000 inhabitants with an outdoor museum you have to see to believe.
The term historic is relative these days, and even more so in the U.S., what with thousands of towns welcoming you to historic Barbersville or historic Maintown, even though the towns themselves date back to the 19th Century and earned the moniker due to the fact that they were lucky enough to have been located on a railroad line or near a battlefield of the Civil War. In Europe, of course, history in the 19th Century, while certainly appreciated, is when modern civilization was really born with the Industrial Revolution. The actual history of Europe itself is endless.
Bad Windsheim, as the name suggests, is a spa town that was born in the 8th Century. Nothing unique about that, of course, except that there is the Freilandmuseum, an open-air museum that depicts life in the region over the past seven centuries. The place, really a village in its own right, has over 100 buildings that show how Franconians lived over the years. There are homes of different tradesmen, such as the cooper (barrel-maker), the ironsmith, or the shepherd, but also the replica of a village square of a bygone age. There's an old bakery...and an old brewery. There is plenty of livestock, but also orchards and vineyards. There are fields that are still being cultivated using, you guessed it, equipment pulled by oxen or horses.
The houses themselves are divided into six groups spread out over a few hundred acres so that you will have a nice, long hike by the time your tour is done. On certain days there are concerts, on others there are farmer's markets. A family ticket cost us 17 Euros, good for the whole day. Unfortunately, Bash was spooked early when he was certain he had spotted a ghost or something paranormal lurking in one of the old houses. All that was needed after that to send a shudder down his little spine was the old creak of a wooden staircase or the look of a statue that looked a little too creepy for his liking. Eventually, Bash relented when he found a house with some old but more recent technology like a record player or an oil lamp. Who needs an MP3 Player if you can have an old transistor radio?
In the end, we spent a good 3-4 hours at the place and could have stayed longer. In hindsight, I think I would have made a weekend of the three towns of Rothenburg, Dinkelsbühl and Bad Windsheim, which is what I would suggest to tourists who are into medieval history. The three towns are within easy driving (or even biking or hiking!) distance of each other. There's your fix right there, Mr. History Junkie.
The term historic is relative these days, and even more so in the U.S., what with thousands of towns welcoming you to historic Barbersville or historic Maintown, even though the towns themselves date back to the 19th Century and earned the moniker due to the fact that they were lucky enough to have been located on a railroad line or near a battlefield of the Civil War. In Europe, of course, history in the 19th Century, while certainly appreciated, is when modern civilization was really born with the Industrial Revolution. The actual history of Europe itself is endless.
Bad Windsheim, as the name suggests, is a spa town that was born in the 8th Century. Nothing unique about that, of course, except that there is the Freilandmuseum, an open-air museum that depicts life in the region over the past seven centuries. The place, really a village in its own right, has over 100 buildings that show how Franconians lived over the years. There are homes of different tradesmen, such as the cooper (barrel-maker), the ironsmith, or the shepherd, but also the replica of a village square of a bygone age. There's an old bakery...and an old brewery. There is plenty of livestock, but also orchards and vineyards. There are fields that are still being cultivated using, you guessed it, equipment pulled by oxen or horses.
The houses themselves are divided into six groups spread out over a few hundred acres so that you will have a nice, long hike by the time your tour is done. On certain days there are concerts, on others there are farmer's markets. A family ticket cost us 17 Euros, good for the whole day. Unfortunately, Bash was spooked early when he was certain he had spotted a ghost or something paranormal lurking in one of the old houses. All that was needed after that to send a shudder down his little spine was the old creak of a wooden staircase or the look of a statue that looked a little too creepy for his liking. Eventually, Bash relented when he found a house with some old but more recent technology like a record player or an oil lamp. Who needs an MP3 Player if you can have an old transistor radio?
In the end, we spent a good 3-4 hours at the place and could have stayed longer. In hindsight, I think I would have made a weekend of the three towns of Rothenburg, Dinkelsbühl and Bad Windsheim, which is what I would suggest to tourists who are into medieval history. The three towns are within easy driving (or even biking or hiking!) distance of each other. There's your fix right there, Mr. History Junkie.
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