In the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, south central Germany

 "Wherever you go, go with all your heart." – Confucius

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(on the Romantic Road in Bavaria, in south-central Germany) The town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber ("Red castle above the Tauber") is found on a plateau above the deep valley of the Tauber River, on the scenic “romantic route” between Würzburg and the Bavarian Alps. First mentioned as Rotinbure in the 9th century, Rothenburg developed around a Hohenstaufen fortress and was a free imperial city from 1274 until 1803. It attained its zenith under burgermeister (mayor) Heinrich Toppler (from 1373 - 1408), but declined after the Thirty Years’ War, during which it was besieged and captured (in 1631) by Catholic League forces under Johann Tserclaes, Graf (count) von Tilly. At that time the city was (allegedly) spared when a citizen accepted a dare from the enemy to drink more than three quarts of wine in one gulp (the tankard is featured in the collection of the Imperial City Museum). The event is commemorated every Whitsuntide (the seventh Sunday after Easter) by the performance of a play, Der Meistertrunk (“The Master Gulp”). The city is encircled by many-towered walls and is one of the best-preserved medieval cities in Germany. Landmarks include the Gothic and Renaissance City Hall with a Baroque arcade and the church of St. Jacob.

+ A true medieval gem, Rothenburg ob der Tauber is quite a popular tourist stop along the Romantic Road. With its web of cobbled lanes, old houses and towered walls, the town is considered the archetypal fairy-tale microcosm of Germany. Urban conservation orders here are perhaps the strictest in Germany -- and at times it feels like a medieval theme park -- yet, in the evenings, when the lamplight casts its spell long after the last tour buses have left, the place seems even more attractive -- without all the daytime "distractions."
+ In the year 1274, Rothenburg was accorded privileges by King Rudolf of Habsburg as a Free Imperial City. Three famous fairs were established in the city and in the following centuries, the city expanded. In the late 1870s, the citizens of the city and the Knights of the Hinterland built the Franziskaner (Franciscan) Monastery and the Holy Ghost Hospital, which were incorporated into the city walls. The German Order began the building of St. James' Church, which the citizens have used since 1336. The Heilig Blut (Holy Blood) pilgrimage attracted many pilgrims to Rothenburg -- which. at the time, was one of the 20 largest cities of the Holy Roman Empire.