2/2 Returning from Berlin

Denise and Bernard came back via Rothenburg ob der Tauber and enjoyed this fascinating town.

Rothenburg ob der Tauber is a town in the district of Ansbach of Mittelfranken, the Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany, well known for its well-preserved medieval old town, a destination for tourists from around the world. In the Middle Ages, it was an Imperial Free City.

The name "Rothenburg ob der Tauber" means, in German, "Red fortress above the Tauber". This is because the town is located on a plateau overlooking the Tauber river.

History

In 950 the weir system in today’s castle garden was constructed by the Count of Comburg-Rothenburg.

In 1070, The Counts of Comburg-Rothenburg, who also owned the village “Gebsattel”, built Rothenburg castle on the mountain top high above the river Tauber.

In 1142, Konrad von Hohenstaufen, the Roman-German King, traded a part of the monastery Neumünster in Würzburg above the village Detwang and built the Stauffer-Castle Rothenburg on this cheaper land..

In 1170 the city of Rothenburg was founded at the time of the building of Staufer castle. The centre was the market place and the Jakob’s Church.

From 1194 to 1254, the representatives of the Staufer dynasty governed the area around Rothenburg.

From 1241 to 1242, The Staufer Imperial tax statistics recorded the names of the Jews in Rothenburg.

In 1274 Rothenburg was accorded privileges by King Rudolf of Habsburg as an imperial city. Three famous fairs were established in the city and in the following centuries the city expanded

In October 1631, during the Thirty Years' War, the Catholic Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly, wanted to quarter his 40,000 troops in Protestant Lutheran Rothenburg. Rather than allow entrance, the town defended itself and intended to withstand a siege..

Since 1803 the town has been a part of Bavaria.

Romanticism artists of the 1880s rediscovered Rothenburg, bringing tourism to the town. Laws were created to prevent major changes to the town.

Throughout the 1930s the Nazi organisation Strength through Joy organised regular day trips to Rothenburg from all across the Reich. During the Nazi era, Rothenburg held a special significance for Nazi ideologists as for them, it was the epitome of the German 'Home Town', representing all that was quintessentially German.

In October 1938 Rothenburg expelled its Jewish citizens, much to the approval of Nazis and their supporters across Germany.

In March 1945 in World War II, German soldiers were stationed in Rothenburg to defend it. On March 31, bombs were dropped over Rothenburg by 16 planes, killing 39 people and destroying 306 houses, six public buildings, nine watchtowers, and over 2,000 feet (610 m) of the wall. The U.S Assistant Secretary of War John J. McCloy knew about the historic importance and beauty of Rothenburg, so he ordered US Army General Jacob L. Devers not use artillery in taking Rothenburg. The local military commander Major Thömmes ignored the order of Adolf Hitler for all towns to fight to the end and gave up the town, thereby saving it from total destruction by artillery. American troops occupied the town on April 17, 1945, and

in November 1948 McCloy was named Honorable Protectorate of Rothenburg. After the war, the residents of the city quickly repaired the bombing damage. Donations for the rebuilding were received from all over the world. The rebuilt walls feature commemorative bricks with donor names.

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