Rothenburg is a beautiful town in the region of Bavaria, Germany. A place where time stood still for thousands of years. This makes it a perfect spot for ecotourism and culture travel.
Moreover, the well preserved medieval town characteristics make Rothenburg a fairytale destination in Central Southern Germany.
Rothenburg Cultural Heritage and Ecotourism
The town pretty much escaped the imperial rule which swept most of Europe in ancient times. In other words, it is customarily for Rothenburg to govern itself. This dates back to the era of the Holy Roman Empire. Consequently, this status of autonomy stretched until recent history.
Being a free town makes any place unique on the world map. Additionally, this is a special status when it comes to admiring the cultural part of ecotourism. As this practice focuses on examining undisturbed natural locations. It equally devotes high levels of importance to culturally rich places.
Rothenburg is one particular example that mixes nature with man-made wonders. The distinguishing features of the town are the red colored roofs. As many houses are made of special red brick stones. This gives the town its distinctive mark.
Equally, these houses overlook the Tauber River which further enhances their beauty. Consequently, the town’s name becomes “Rothenburg ob der Tauber”. This in turn translates to “Red Fortress above the Tauber”.
Rothenburg Historical and Current Importance
The town sits at the intersection of two historical vital routes. The first is from Prague to Paris. This was a vital trading route between the two cities and it passed through the German town. As a result, this flourished the town’s economy at that time and enhanced its architecture.
On the other hand, the second route was from Hamburg to Venice. These were two magnificent empires, that pretty much shaped the history of Europe and the world as a whole. Consequently, Rothenburg prospered during these two empires heydays, through the riches of trade passing through the “Red” town.
Most of Rothenburg houses were built in the 15th century in a unique architectural style. Moreover, the flamboyant engineering comes to light with nobility houses. These rich families had the best of the best. Luckily for us, we can still see much of the preserved houses of almost all society factions.
This preserved legacy of the town through the generations has increased its value. Today, travelers come to explore this side of Bavaria that managed to remain intact throughout the centuries.
The Legend of Rothenburg Mayor and Wine
In the 17th century, much of Europe was at war with each other. The major propellers of these conflicts were the religious movements of Protestants against Catholics and vice versa.
When the Catholics besieged and won Rothenburg, they had to do the traditional acts. These involved killing the town’s prominent figures. However, according to legend, a strange idea came into existence. Instead of following the rules that dictating killing everyone, the Catholic general had a different proposal.
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In reality, he gave an impossible solution (or that was what he thought) to avoid killing. He proposed if someone can drink 3 liters of wine in one go, he would spare the whole town and fortress.
The surprising news came when Rothenburg retired mayor accepted the challenge. Of course, every army men mocked him in disbelief.
The mayor’s name was Nusch, and this name made history for the town. So it was said and so it was done. Indeed Mayor Nusch drank the 3 liters non stop. Then, he fell into deep slumber for 3 consecutive days. When he woke up, he found his beloved town of Rothenburg safe and sound.
Today, he is the town’s hero and a rotating monument depicting the event is present. This monument shows Mayor Nusch drinking the wine cup and saving the town. Tourists visit Rothenburg to salute the historic hero and admire the beauty of the town.
