Stephen and Elaine Biddulph: Rothenburg ob der Tauber

31 AUGUST - 6 SEPTEMBER 2015

Rothenburg Tower

After a busy week with mission presidents and missionaries, Elaine and I took off early Saturday morning and drove to Rothenburg ob der Tauber to see that picturesque medieval city. Most visitors to Germany make a trip to Rothenburg. We've been here 8 months and hadn't gone, although we had driven past it a couple of times. Rothenburg sits on a hill overlooking the Tauber River which flows north and empties into the Main River at Würzburg. The city dates back to about 960 A.D. About 1142 Konrad III built a castle on the high flat which apparently was later destroyed by an earthquake. That area is now a palace garden. Rothenburg developed into a

Rothenburg City Wall

commercial center by its agriculture. In its heyday (1400s) it had about 6000 citizens. During WWII (1945) it was seriously damaged by allied bombing, but has been rebuilt. Today, it is one of the few completely walled cities left in existence in Germany and has a rich medieval history.
Our drive took us east from Frankfurt to Würzburg (just over 1 hour). There we took a detour from the normal route along the Autobahn #7 that goes south to Munich. We turned off and followed the Tauber River through small villages and farmland. The trees are just beginning to turn yellow amidst the dark green pines. The farmland still has stands of corn, but much of it has produced its abundance and is now being plowed and harrowed smooth for the coming winter sleep. It was a very peaceful and beautiful drive.
Rothenburg is filled with old buildings, many of which within the city center are hotels and Gästehofs and restaurants to cater to the hordes of tourists. The entire city proper is encircled with the old stone wall. The wall has a

Main Street Rothenburg

walkway that goes around the top with a covered roof and slots every 10 or 20 feet through which defenders shot arrows. Great stone towers and gates are positioned at various locations and the streets, except the two major areas where the market is located, are very narrow and paved with ancient cobblestones. Many of the buildings are very old with uneven and tilted walls made of beam and lath work. A central market place provides a large, open area where in ancient times farmers came to sell their produce. Old, ornate city wells still flow with water.

Medieval Parade

Early September is the time for Medieval celebration in Rothenburg. The citizens put on their medieval customs and the market square is filled with displays of old-fashioned cooking and arts and crafts and food. A parade of people dressed in all kinds of Medieval

customs, including royalty, knights, and commoners with drums, fife, horses, and birds of prey came marching up one of the streets from an entry gate to the public market square. They then walk back down and march up again. A Käthe Wohlfahrts Christmas store is located there. We walked through it and were simply blown away by the unbelievable assortment of Christmas decorations found there. Everything imaginable that you could even begin to conjure up in your mind was on display, and at very expensive prices: clocks, tree ornaments, mobile woodcarvings, stuffed animals, figurines, nutcrackers, glass, the list goes on forever. It was beautifully decorated. We arrived back home around three in the afternoon in time for a call from a mission president's wife regarding one of the sisters I've been working with. She isn't sleeping well, and the president's wife wanted my opinion about

Castle Gate and Tower

certain actions to help her. I received a request this week to help with another sister who has had sexual abuse history in her past. The days go by so quickly because we are so busy with calls. Weeks just seem to fly by.