Tour de Tauber

Rothenburg ob der Tauber
Rothenburg ob der Tauber stands on a hill above the River Tauber, hence its unusual name "Rothenburg above the Tauber", and is perhaps Germany's most-loved Medieval city (and hence all the tourists). Saved from destruction in World War II, it boasts magnificent city walls, towers and gatehouses, an abundance of wells (very important as fire protection in the Middle Ages), several churches, and much more besides. More information on Rothenburg at Wikipedia.

Seen from a distance

Seen from the River Tauber

View of Spital area

The Klingen Gate seen from
outside the city walls

The Klingen Gate seen from
inside the city walls

Fortified church that
forms part of the city walls

Doorway of fortified church

The Castle Gate

The Roeder Arch

Fountain

The White Tower

Sieber's Tower

View from city walls

"Ploenlein", the Little Square
Sieber's Tower on the left,
Kobolzeller Gate on the right

View up to Kobolzeller Gate

A sweet local delicacy
in shop window

Oriel window

Stone carvings over
shop entrance

Oriel window. The scallop shell
motif is a reference to the
start of a St. James'
Pligrims Route

House with tree

Executioner's mask
as seen in the Crime Museum

Creglingen

Chemist's shop

Half-timbered building

Lindlein Tower

Romschloessele -
View from our room in guest-house

River Tauber


Röttingen

The local bank

Sign for the local butcher!

Which is also a guest-house

Tower

Tower

Tower

The Sundial Town:
It has 25 sundials!

But no sun as I took this photo!

Or this one!

At last - now I know the time

Spot on - this one even shows
daylight saving time as well

Time is the path to eternity,
says Chronos, the
Greek god of time

Tauberrettersheim

Beautiful stone bridge

Figure on the bridge
(Johannes Nepomuk -
the patron saint of bridges)

River Tauber


Weikersheim

Tower at entrance to
Weikersheim town centre

Other side of same tower

Fountain in town square

Church in Weikersheim

Entrance to Weikersheim castle

Town hall in Markelsheim
about 3 km from
Weikersheim

Bad Mergentheim

Our accommodation
for the night

Right opposite this
modest edifice:
The "Ordensschloss"

The town hall
(lovely bit of gable)


Lauda

Modern decoration

Madonna

Town Library

Tauberbischofsheim

Tower

Crooked bakery

Bank building

River Tauber at
Dittigheim, ca. 2 km before
Tauberbischofsheim

Post-box

River Tauber at
Dittigheim

Wayside shrines
Wayside shrines are to be found in large numbers in Franconia - it's very much a Catholic-dominated part of the country. They often mark out pilgrimage routes, commemorate tragedies, or are used as a means of praying for things to turn out well - and especially for a good crop in the vineyards. Also common are images of the Madonna, which often adorn the front of houses. The region was likewise home to Tilman Riemenschneider, perhaps the most famous of Medieval woodcarvers and who created some incredible altars for the churches in Rothenburg, Detwang and Creglingen.

Near Creglingen

Detail

In Dittigheim

Detail

Near Gamburg

Detail

Near Lauda, marks an
accident in which 3 boys
drowned in 1700

Detail

In Röttingen

Detail

Near Detwang

In Dittigheim

Madonna shrine
in Dittigheim

In Röttingen

Section of altar
in Detwang Church


Külsheim

Fountain


Bronnbach

Poppies in field

Bronnbach Monastery