Rothenburg on the Tauber is just one of the many medieval German towns on one of the most visited theme roads in Germany – The Romantic road. But its position and preserved historic centre makes it something special, so you have to visit it if you are in that part of Bavaria. The romantic road is 350 kilometers long and it connects places between the cities of Fussen to the south and Wurzburg to the north.
It's hard to believe that a town with 6 000 people is visited by over 2 000 000 tourists each year! But when you pass the gates of the city wall, you understand why so many artists fell in love with it centuries ago, and so many tourists still do. The town with its romantic and idyllic medieval image was a perfect setting for many movies, even animated, and also videogames.
The name of the city would translate into the Red Fortress on the river Tauber. The name probably came from the red roofs of the houses tightly rising over the walls of the fortress above the river Tauber. On the sides of the stone streets the authentically renovated houses with wooden beams stand next to each other, as well as mighty churches and the breath taking town hall. Next to the town hall is a 61 meters tall tower from which you will have the most fascinating views of the historic city. Every Saturday the main square in front of the town hall hosts a market which offers local farm products of the local origin. Sometimes they even offer sheep. There are many museums placed in the old houses, including the crime museum and a collection of medieval torture devices. The real tourist trap, however, are the numerous shops with attractive windows and authentic souvenirs, which are so well thought off it’s as hard to decide among them as it is to decide in which of the many restaurants you are going to order your favorite dish.
Rothenburg has a historic link even with Slovenia. It’s the town in which Primož Trubar held services for some years and there are nicely designed prospects about him in the tourist bureau in the town, printed in Slovene!
A youth hostel in a mill
In old town houses there are many hotels and among them there is also a hostel. It’s placed in what used to be a mill, where the grindstones were turned by horses. It took 16 horses to simultaneously turn the four heavy grindstones, still on display in the cellar. The mill was built in 1516 as a backup system for times when there was not enough water to power the watermills.
The hostel Rothenburg ob der Tauber is among the biggest in Germany, but due to the perfect organization you don’t get that feeling. Except maybe in the dinning room, but even there the self service system makes sure everybody gets to eat in the shortest possible time. There are 184 beds under the steep roof, but they are not to large, meant for groups no larger than six people. The four rooms downstairs are equipped also for the motion impaired guest on wheelchairs. The hostel is a popular stop for families, for the fairy town acts as a magnet for old and young and the hostel is the budget friendliest accommodation on hand. And placed at a perfect location in the very heart of the historic center. The liveliest part of the town is just a few minute’s walk away. You can visit it any time of day, for the doors of the hostel are opened with magnetic cards so you can return any time of day or night.
It’s a nice hostel friendly to all visitors, for there are no age limitation. Young staff is a great source of information and they are very helpful if you wish to prepare a trip or want to have a guided tour around town. You can also rent bicycles, which are a perfect mode of transport for the picturesque river valley. There is also a quiet corner in the hostel for intimate chats, a game of chess or a nice relaxing afternoon with a drink. Naturally there is a free internet connection and even computers for all who don’t have their laptops with them. The rooms and halls have lockers so you needn’t carry your backpacks everywhere you go. You can not park directly at the hostel, but a free parking is near by, just outside the stone wall.
Also for the teenagers…
»Like in Grims’ fairytales,« day my parents when they see the town. I myself think Harry Potter! It’s only latter I find out the last two films really were filmed here. Everything reminds me of him, when we start discovering the town (after check in at the hostel), climbing the wooden stairs to the medieval walls and admiring the shop windows with all year round Christmas decoration. At my request we stop at a pastry shop. It’s so tempting, but my parents are strict. Still we bought a few sweets and naturally the famous snowballs (schneeball), which we go back for the next day. It’s basically some stuffing shaped as a large ball and is a local specialty, which is deep fried and dumped in chocolate, cinnamon, powdered sugar and probably some other things. They are irresistible!
The hostel was also full of Harry’s spirit. A huge stone building with wavy roof windows was fairytale like in the night. So was the arched cellar room. The breakfast next morning was also magical, in the large dinning hall with several other families that were also sitted at the long tables.
The day started just like yesterday – with aimless wandering around the old town, which was everything except boring. And after that a too long a drive followed to the Freizeitland Geiselwind amusement park –
www.freizeitlandgeiselwind.de (On the highway between Wurzburg and Nierenberg).
It’s not one of the larger parks in Europe, but it has enough attractions to offer a fun day of rides. And if you get tired of them, you can watch the pool divers, trampoline jumpers or circus entertainers (in the company of a dog, a rat and a mouse) perform their tricks. A good part of the park is a zoo with many birds including the colorful flaming birds.
