Rothenburg ob der Tauber. Germany
Rothenburg ob der Tauber is a town in the Ansbach (district) of Mittelfranken (Middle Franconia), the Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany, well known for its well-preserved medieval old town. In the Middle Ages, it was an Imperial Free City. A significant fraction of Rothenburg is carfree. The name "Rothenburg ob der Tauber" is actually a shortened version of "Rothenburg oberhalb der Tauber", which in German means "Rothenburg over the Tauber". This is so because the town is located on top of a mount overlooking the Tauber river. As to the name "Rothenburg", some say it comes from the German words "Rot" (Red) and "Burg" (burg, medieval fortified town), referring to the red colour of the roofs of the houses which overlook the river. In the picture of the Town Hall Square, note that the building on the right has a series of six windows on its second story. There is a webcam located in one of these windows, with a 24-hour view of the square. This building is the Ratstrinkstube, and also contains the a clock which re-enacts the historic "meistertrunk" daily. The meistertrunk commemorates the event in 1631 when the walled town was under siege from the Imperial forces of Count Tilly. On a lark, Count Tilly told the city that he would spare them if anyone could drink a tankard containing about six pints of wine in one draught. Mayor Nusch took the challenge successfully, and the city was saved. The clock re-enacts the event hourly from 11 to 3 and 8 to 10 Rothenburg celebrates this rescue each year on Whitsun with a festival performance, grand army march and a field camp. To the left of the picture forming the west side of the Town Hall Square is the Rathaus or town hall. The rear Gothic part of the building dates from 1250, the attached front Renaissance building was started in 1572. This building has served as the seat of government for the city-state during the medieval ages, and the city of Rothenburg since the formation of the federalist governmen
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Photo credit: © Piotr & Irena Kolasa / Alamy / Afripics
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