Getting medieval - Rothenburg
Sometimes you need to wonder just what Germany would look like if it hadn't been ravished by World War II. What if the allies hadn't carpet bombed the likes of Dresden and Berlin back to the dark ages? What if countless old buildings hadn't been charred out of existence?
Well then, some would argue, you wouldn't find some of the more modern architectural gems that dot today's cities. Most of the old buildings would have collapsed as surely as the Third Reich itself, right? Would there be a Bauhaus Archiv or the International Congress Center in Berlin? Hafen City in Hamburg? The Mercedes Benz Museum in Stuttgart?
Some cities escaped World War II practically unscathed, like Göttingen, Regensburg, or Celle, among others. Sometimes it helps to be strategically more irrelevant than others. Because then, said cities and towns would probably look a little more like medieval Rothenburg, a small Franconian town located along the Romantsiche Straße. Although Rothenburg was defended by the Germans in World War II and hundreds of houses destroyed, this town seems to have lucked out, as the order was given not to use artillery when taking the city. The Germans have the Americans to thank for that bit of farsightedness. This is the Old Europe people refer to time and again, down to the last wooden splinter of that centuries old Tudor house or the last brick of a city wall protecting nothing but tradition and aestheticism.
Personally, I remember Rothenburg as the final destination for many a bicycle tour. (For avid cyclists, look up bike tours along the Romantsiche Straße. Bike tours don't get better than that.) Of course, Rothenburg was also the destination for field trips, especially the Kriminalmuseum, the museum for criminal history.
This time around, with a family in tow, we would need to choose wisely, like Liebi's penchant for architecture, or the boys' preference for playgrounds. Sure thing. We walked the city wall for miles, pausing for a nice view through of the holes that must have passed for windows centuries ago. There are patrons of the city wall, people with enough money to have their names engraved in the stones, from faraway places like Japan, the USA, or South Africa. Then there will be the towers every few hundred yards or so, whereas no two towers look remotely alike. One of them housed a prison, the other a monarch or two. And with some, you'll never know, since they are as locked as the gold at the Bundesbank in Frankfurt.
Incidentally, we do make it to the Kriminalmuseum, the go-to place for torture instruments of the middle ages. There were dozens of shame masks people were to wear for various offenses that would seem trivial and almost laughable today, such as gossiping, drunkenness, or lying. There are the torture instruments, like limb stretchers or thumb bolts; the iron maiden and the dunking cages; the neck violins and the chastity belts. Finally, we pointed out the school punishment to the kids, which would include canings, jailings, and riding the donkey, if you were particularly lazy.
Another fine and often forgotten site is the burg garden, where you have the most spectacular views of both the town and the surrounding area in the valley. Don't forget your handy and selfie stick here.
Incidentally, we do find our playground along the city wall. It is built very much like the wall itself, with its crooked towers and narrow passageways.
This was only a quick outline of Rothenburg, although it is an absolute must for anybody interested in the more medieval aspects of Old Germany. A very underrated place by international standards.
Well then, some would argue, you wouldn't find some of the more modern architectural gems that dot today's cities. Most of the old buildings would have collapsed as surely as the Third Reich itself, right? Would there be a Bauhaus Archiv or the International Congress Center in Berlin? Hafen City in Hamburg? The Mercedes Benz Museum in Stuttgart?
Some cities escaped World War II practically unscathed, like Göttingen, Regensburg, or Celle, among others. Sometimes it helps to be strategically more irrelevant than others. Because then, said cities and towns would probably look a little more like medieval Rothenburg, a small Franconian town located along the Romantsiche Straße. Although Rothenburg was defended by the Germans in World War II and hundreds of houses destroyed, this town seems to have lucked out, as the order was given not to use artillery when taking the city. The Germans have the Americans to thank for that bit of farsightedness. This is the Old Europe people refer to time and again, down to the last wooden splinter of that centuries old Tudor house or the last brick of a city wall protecting nothing but tradition and aestheticism.
Personally, I remember Rothenburg as the final destination for many a bicycle tour. (For avid cyclists, look up bike tours along the Romantsiche Straße. Bike tours don't get better than that.) Of course, Rothenburg was also the destination for field trips, especially the Kriminalmuseum, the museum for criminal history.
This time around, with a family in tow, we would need to choose wisely, like Liebi's penchant for architecture, or the boys' preference for playgrounds. Sure thing. We walked the city wall for miles, pausing for a nice view through of the holes that must have passed for windows centuries ago. There are patrons of the city wall, people with enough money to have their names engraved in the stones, from faraway places like Japan, the USA, or South Africa. Then there will be the towers every few hundred yards or so, whereas no two towers look remotely alike. One of them housed a prison, the other a monarch or two. And with some, you'll never know, since they are as locked as the gold at the Bundesbank in Frankfurt.
Incidentally, we do make it to the Kriminalmuseum, the go-to place for torture instruments of the middle ages. There were dozens of shame masks people were to wear for various offenses that would seem trivial and almost laughable today, such as gossiping, drunkenness, or lying. There are the torture instruments, like limb stretchers or thumb bolts; the iron maiden and the dunking cages; the neck violins and the chastity belts. Finally, we pointed out the school punishment to the kids, which would include canings, jailings, and riding the donkey, if you were particularly lazy.
Another fine and often forgotten site is the burg garden, where you have the most spectacular views of both the town and the surrounding area in the valley. Don't forget your handy and selfie stick here.
Incidentally, we do find our playground along the city wall. It is built very much like the wall itself, with its crooked towers and narrow passageways.
This was only a quick outline of Rothenburg, although it is an absolute must for anybody interested in the more medieval aspects of Old Germany. A very underrated place by international standards.
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