Things to do in Rothenburg

THE 10 BEST Things to Do in Rothenburg

Things to Do in Rothenburg


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Top Attractions in Rothenburg

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  • Vadim
    Murmansk, Russia26,794 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Most European cities cannot boast of preserved medieval walls and towers. Since as cities grew, the fortress walls turned out to be inside the city, and the progress of artillery made them useless from a military point of view, they were massively demolished. The land in the center was expensive, and either buildings could be built on the site of the walls, or new streets could be laid, like, for example, the Ring in Vienna. Rothenburg still has walls. In the tourist sense, he was lucky, but not at all. After the Thirty Years' War, which destroyed half of the country, trade and craft in Rothenburg stalled and have not been revived to this day. The walls and towers of the city remained intact. Since the end of the XIX century, when tourism arose, it has become a value. It is better to view the walls and towers from the Town Hall Tower in the center. Not all towers are visible, but most. All 42 towers can be bypassed if you have time for it. A four-kilometer trail connects the towers and goes around the perimeter of the Old Town. The walk will take at least 2 hours. You can climb the wall on the Rederturm Tower. And, in my opinion, only on it. there you will start with the gates of the city. Next to the eponymous Redertor. Further north are the Gallows Gate (relative to the center in the east), Klingentor (north), Burgtor Castle Gate, Kobolzeller Gate (west) and Spitaltor (south). Without them, the idea of the fortification of Rothenburg will be incomplete.
    Written 28 November 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Bailey K
    Webster, NY60 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Very informative, but you are in for a lot of reading. There are definitely some parts that we weren’t sure how they tied into the rest of the museum. We enjoyed it overall and thought it was worth the 8€ a person entry.
    Written 20 September 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Vadim
    Murmansk, Russia26,794 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    The name of the church refers to the apostle St. Jacob, or in Spanish, Santiago. In the Middle Ages, the church was considered a transit point on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela (via Speyer and France), the second most important in the Christian world after the pilgrimage to Jerusalem. This Gothic church was built for a long time from 1311 to 1484. The reason for the delayed construction time is usually financial. As often happens in this case, the two towers of the church turned out to be of different heights: the south tower is 55 m, the north tower is 2 meters higher. It still turned out well in the history of architecture, there are many cases when there was enough money for only one tower. Gothic style and Protestant affiliation presupposes modesty of the interior. The main altar of the church is the altar of the Twelve Messengers, dating from 1466. However, the altar of the Holy Blood is of great artistic value and of greater importance to Christians. The Würzburg sculptor Tilman Riemenschneider carved the altar between 1500 and 1505 for the relic of the Holy Blood. Christians believe that the relic of the Holy Blood is a drop spilled from the chalice during communion, which as a result of transformation became the blood of Christ. There is another work by Riemenschneider in the church, this is the altar of Louis of Toulouse. And the altar of the Coronation of Mary is attributed to the Riemenschneider school.
    Written 30 November 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Marty Bielicki
    Stuart, FL14,526 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Once a castle, this peninsula of land juts out from Rothenburg making splendid views across the valley. View of Rothenburg and of the Medieval wall can also be seen. Castle Garden in also called “Burggarten.” Come with a picnic if you can as the shade trees are a plenty. At our June visit, we did not see many flowers. Sculptures are everywhere though enhancing the history of the gardens.

    From the Castle Gardens, one can take trails down into the valley. Once of the trails leads to Toppler Castle. Built in the 14th century, this small house on a tower is maybe the smallest castle in the world. Hours for this castle vary. We would recommend having your hotel call to set up a tour if you are so inclined. The walk down in doable and exhilarating through the forest.

    Outside of the gardens along a wall is a small kiosk rented by a spry woman for the last 9 years. She sells the cheapest beer in Rothenburg!

    We also recommend walking around Rothenberg’s Medieval Walls. The walk around is over a mile long. We enjoyed viewing the alter wood carvings at the Church of St. James. Close by is a Reichskuchenme, a good place for lunch. Seeing all the Christmas ornaments in June at Kathe Wohlfahrt’s brought Christmas to us mid-summer. The Night Watchmen walk is well worth it and not cheesy either. And, if you have not booked your hotel, we highly recommend Hotel Burg. It is the place where “James Bond” stayed.

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    Written 12 November 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • laczkozsu
    Debrecen, Hungary1,678 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    This medieval tower is on the most beautiful square of Rothenburg. It’s a part of the Townwalls and one of the southern town gates. This place was my favourite one in the town with its fairy-tale houses. I saw this picture on a fridgemagnet and then we found it. We took lots of pictures.
    Written 7 August 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • DarylJ552
    Carlsbad, CA3,262 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    The Rothenburg Museum is located in The Rothenburg Old Town. The musum building was originally a convent constructed in the late 1200's. There are 3 floors of exhibits including swords, guns, paintings, dishes and furniture. One of the rooms houses the kitchen of the nunnery which dates back to 1298 AD. We spent 2 hours there.
    Written 17 August 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Wayne G
    Calgary, Canada868 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    We came across this when we were nosing around, and it was extremely neat since it gave us the impression that we had travelled back in time. The fort-like atmosphere, along with the cannons, brought the experience to life.
    Written 3 March 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Vadim
    Murmansk, Russia26,794 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    These gates are often the first thing a tourist will see when entering Rothenburg, moving from the railway station. For us, on the contrary, they became farewell, because we entered the city through Galgentor. The name of the tower can be translated as "The Tower of the Grubber", however, as philologists say, it is a false friend of the translator. The name of the gate, as well as the neighboring Würzburg gate, indicates the direction of movement. In this case, to the small village of Roder, once located near Rothenburg in this direction. Rodertor is perhaps the most bizarre gate of the town. Two houses with gabled roofs have been used as customs offices and customs posts since the 13th century. Behind the gate, as everywhere in Rotenburg, there is its own tower -the Rederturm. It was the tallest in the city and it was on it that the guard sat, collecting signals from other watchtowers and sending a signal to the Town Hall that everything was calm. Or vice versa. Unlike the others, you can climb it, but we didn't have much time and we ran to the train station.
    Written 27 November 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Vadim
    Murmansk, Russia26,794 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    The "Jagstheimer House" on Marktplatz is so called because Mayor Jagstheimer built it in 1448. About half a century later, the most famous guest of this house from Bavaria was the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I. In 1571, with the death of the last heir, the Jagstheimer family lost control of the house. During the Thirty Years' War, there lived Burgomaster Nush, the one who, according to legend, won the famous bet from the commander Tilly. The fact of his residence here is more real than this bet. Maria's pharmacy has been operating in the building since 1812 to this day. Around this time, the house was rebuilt in the Baroque style. In 1987, pharmacist Friedrich Stegmann acquired the pharmacy. At the moment, this is the fifth family of owners.
    Written 29 November 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Edwin F
    Calgary, Canada1,777 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    While in Rotherburg we visited all of the old city gates including Markusturm and Buttelhaus. Worth visiting for the photo opportunities.
    Written 8 May 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Caribbean S
    Richmond, Virginia, USA140 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    4 stars because it’s a tight museum - not much room to move around. Thankfully, it wasn’t super busy when we went. English and German descriptions for the displays. You can even go into one of the jail cells in the basement - cool photo op! If you’re a family make sure you get the Familienpass to save money on the entrance ticket.
    Written 8 August 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • laczkozsu
    Debrecen, Hungary1,678 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    This houses is on the corner of the Market square. The Fleischhaus (Meathouse) is behind the St. Georg Fountain, it was a butcher-shop until 18th century that's why it got its name. Tanzhaus (Dance-house) because there is a banquet hall on the 2nd floor.
    Written 8 August 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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