Rothenburg ob der Tauber is an old, medieval city found in Bavaria on the Tauber River. It started out as a small walled city, and grew past this wall as the years went by. After the Thirty Year’s War, the town became lost due to a couple of factors. After being unheard of for decades, the city began to develop again, and was again discovered by tourists. After the town was found again by tourists it was not long until the Nazi Party noticed the small medieval town. The Nazi Party thought the town highlighted what it meant to be a German and what German towns should be like. This started a chain of German workers, Nazi party members and Hitler Youth groups to vacation in Rothenburg. The city faced challenges from the war though, but were able to recover and rebuild into what it is today. Thousands of tourists come from all over the world each year to visit this incredible town that preserves its medieval touch even though it has grown.
Rothenburg dates back to 1170 A.D., this is the year that the city was first founded. Before this even occurred though, the Earls of Comburg-Rothenburg, built the Rothenburg Castle right above the River Tauber, where the city now sits. After these Earls died, the castle and land that surrounded it was passed onto a nephew. The nephew chose to build another castle close by called the Stauffer-Castle Rothenburg. The castles that were built surrounded the city when it was first established. The leaders of the city had a fortification, or wall, built around the city in 1170 as well to protect the population from being attacked. The Romantic Road came through Rothenburg in 1250, to keep the central part of the country connected to the southern part. This road was also an easy way for tradesmen to travel from town to town. In 1373, the city voted to have the Church of Jakobs built, which today is one of the most visited churches in the city. The church though was not finished until 1485, 112 years later. During the time of the church being built Rothenburg flourished due to their mayor’s diplomatic skills and warring tactics.
The start of the 1500’s happened with quite a bang, as some citizens of Rothenburg participated in the Peasants War, which was an uprising in Germany because of the Reformation. The uprising ended, and in 1544, the Reformation was introduced in Rothenburg by the newly elected mayor, Johann Hornburg. Next came the Thirty Year’s War, the war took place between 1618 and 1648, and affected Rothenburg ob der Tauber’s citizens and the city itself. The people who lived there took men participating in the war into their homes and fed them in-between battles. Not only was this a normal occurrence but battles were fought around the perimeter of the city during these thirty years. The people that engaged in the fighting would visit Rothenburg to ransack houses purposefully and spread diseases accidentally throughout the city. The diseases that spread killed off most of the people who lived in Rothenburg, and the city was left a mess. The city thus became insignificant for the next two centuries. In 1802, the city was livable again, but lost its independence and became a part of Bavaria, which meant it was owned by the state. After 70 years, Rothenburg was finally able to gain access to train systems, and the expansion of roads that were built around the country. Those large advancements allowed the city to begin rebuilding. Shortly after this tourists found the city again, and started to visit regularly. This helped the population of the city increase, and its popularity grow.
In 1930, 49 years after the city became a popular tourist destination, and 9 years before the second World War started, the Nazi Party took notice to the beautiful, medieval town of Rothenburg. The party claimed, “the city was the embodiment of tradition, economic vitality, cultural pride and other ostensibly “Germanic” traits.” (Hagen 2004) The Nazi party liked the idea of Germans embracing their German culture, and appreciating where they came from. They wanted people to be proud of being a German and they believed cities like Rothenburg were good examples of how Germans all over the country should be living their lives. The Kraft durch Freude or Kdf, which was the Nazi Party’s branch that was in charge of encouraging German workers, gained control of Rothenburg, and started to offer vacations there, as well as other German cities. They offered these vacations to lower income Germans at low rates, in hopes of them working harder, which in turn would increase their productivity at work. In 1935, the KdF named Rothenburg as one of their main tourist destinations, this is when vacations to Rothenburg became increasingly regular. The KdF’s overall purpose was to “foster love of the homeland, a stronger sense of national community and increased pride in German culture and tradition.” Besides the KdF arranging planned vacations for German workers to Rothenburg other organizations associated with the Nazis visited the city. Hitler Youth groups were also common to see around inside and outside of the city walls. This tourism high hit a low though on March 31, 1945 when American bombers bombed the city, leaving about 40% of the city in ruins. The city was not the only thing left in ruins, families were too, many suffered from the loss of businesses, personal belongings, and family members. The population faced ultimate devastation. Luckily though, the city leader reached out to other cities asking for donations to rebuild. The response was huge, and with the help of the donations the town received Rothenburg was able to rebuild.
Today, the city has expanded past the city walls, separating the city into old and new. The old city continues to pull in thousands of tourists a year, and is known for many sites, one in particular, its well-preserved city wall. Most of the population in the old city depends on the tourists that visit, because they own restaurants or shops. If you are ever given the chance to visit Rothenburg ob der Tauber there are a few places I recommend visiting. First, walk around the wall, maybe not the whole thing, but at least part of it, it is amazing to be walking on so much history. Next, go to the main square, here you will find the Ratstrinkstube, also known as the Councilor’s Tavern. This acts like a giant cuckoo clock, and the entire square fills with people every hour to watch it go off. The hidden history of Rothenburg’s main square is also intriguing, its unknown past is that half of it was ruined, but then rebuilt to look exactly how it was before, and looks just like the rest of the square, even though it is newer. Not so far down from there is the Plonlein, the most photographed site in Rothenburg, it has two towers, and the road splits so you can either go up or down. It is simply beautiful.
The small, yet famous city of Rothenburg ob der Tauber is in the southern part of Germany in Bavaria, on the Tauber river. The city was officially established in 1170, when the forever famous city wall was constructed. Fast forward to the Thirty Year’s War, and most of the population was killed off by disease, and the city lost its significance. It took centuries for it to become noticed again. Even still, it took 70 years for the city to get back on its feet, but not soon after that the tourists floated back in. The Nazi Party soon noticed all that the small German town captured and used it as a vacation getaway for German workers, Nazi Party Members, and Hitler Youth groups. The second World War left devastation in the city though, from a bombing attack by the American in 1945 to losing loved ones in battles. The population of the city did not let this set them back though, and reconstruction came soon after the end of the war. Rothenburg ob der Tauber today is still as beautiful as ever, and a hot tourist destination. The city walls have preserved the true mediaeval feel even though the city has outgrown the city walls. The city of Rothenburg is a place that every person should experience.