Our last day in Germany we took a tour along the Bavarian Romantic Road. We stopped at the Harburg Castle and Rothenburg ob der Tauber.
Our first stop was Harburg for a quick tour of the castle. Our bus was only there an hour so it was a quick trip. Here is what Wikipedia says about Harburg castle:
The castle was first mentioned in 1150 and has never been seriously damaged by war. Unlike many other German castles which were built in the last 200 years or rebuilt afterWorld War II, Harburg Castle retains the feel of the Middle Ages.
This was truly a Medieval castle used for defense and fortifications and not for splendor and beauty. I enjoyed hearing the history of the castle and how little things were added on here and there over the centuries. We were only allowed to take pictures outside.
Walking up to the castle gate.
These walkways were very common as we walked along the wall of the castle. Originally there wasn't a roof but when it became important to "keep your powder dry" and the use of fire was implemented the need for a roof was vital.
There were three "window" designs used in the castle wall. One for pouring hot oil on the
enemies...
one for a larger cannon like gun...
and one for a "regular" musket type gun.
The keep. Inside there was a cellar used to store food-- and sometimes prisoners--during a retreat. There was even a medieval bathroom tucked away in the corner.
The portcullis was added in the 1500s.
This is the well of Harburg Castle and was over 300 feet deep. It was the life blood of the castle during times of siege. Our guide said it was probably always in use during times of war to provide enough water for everyone seeking refugee...man and beast.
A closer view of the portcullis.
Our main stop of the day was Rothenburg ob der Tauber. It was a city that overlooked the Tauber river. The name means "Red fortress above the Tauber". This town is rich in history. In the 1500s it was taken over and a lot of the people were killed. Then in 1636 the Black Death came and killed most of the remaining people. Without people and power to maintain the city it became deserted thus preserving it's medieval feel and look.
Apparently it became a Nazi ideal of what a German town should be like and it was defended during the ward. Initially it was bombed, but when the Americans realized the historical significance they offered a ceasefire if the Germans would stop defending the city. The orders from Hitler to defend the German cities at all cost was ignored to preserve this beautiful town.
This town was the model for towns in the movies: Pinocchio, Chitty, Chitty Bang, Bang, and Harry Potter. Part of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 was filmed in Rothenburg for those who are familiar with the movie. It is definitely what one thinks of when they think of an old German or even Dutch town.
I posed with this knight just because I knew Kimball would like it.
This is at the town center and it has a small glockenspiel. It supposedly tells the legend of the Thirty Year's war and how the mayor of the city preserved the city from take over by the Catholic church be drinking 6 pints of beer in an hour while the army general looked on. In actuality, the town surrendered and that was the beginning of it's downfall which led to its preservation.
Aren't these buildings so quaint and cute?
This is the Town Hall. Half of it was destroyed and when it was rebuilt the exterior didn't quite match with the original color on the front of the building. This is a side view though.
St. Jakob's Church. In English it is translated to St. James's church. I never would have thought that the names Jakob and James would be language counterparts.
St. James's church built in 1311 and was consecrated in 1485. Various parts of the interior were added as late as 1520.
The stone and wood sculptures were just amazing and so detailed.
Front of the chapel. The elaborate wood carvings tell the stories of Christ's birth and life.
It's hard to see in the picture, but at the center of the picture is a cross and legend has it that the cross has a drop of Christ's blood in it. People come from all over as a pilgrimage stopping place to get a glimpse of the cross.
This is the Christmas Store. There were actually multiple stores in the town. There is also a Christmas Museum. During Christmas time thousands of people come visit the town to do Christmas shopping and see the decor. I can only imagine how beautiful it would be at Christmastime.
Inside the Christmas store.
I loved the wooden Christmas Pyramids. The were so beautiful. As with the cuckoo clocks they range in price and aren't cheap.
Burggarten. "Castle Garden"
Rothenburg is famous for their "snowballs". A pastry about the size of a baseball. Originally they were just dusted with powdered sugar, but now they are covered in nuts, chocolate, caramel, you name it. We sampled one and it was quite crumbly. Not my favorite treat but I can at least say I have eaten a famous schneeballen--a snowball.
One last view as we left the town. I loved this town. After Neuschwanstein castle it was probably my favorite place.
On our way back to Munich our tour bus took the long way home so we could drive through the largest Hops growing fields in Bavaria. For those who don't know, hops is used in the production of beer and we all know how important beer is to Germany. We went an hour out of our way only to see empty hops fields and wires (hops apparently grow on wires) because the plants hadn't grown enough to be visible from the autobahn.
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