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The Meistertrunk Legend
Protestant Rothenburg sided with
the Swedes during the Thirty Years’
War, but was occupied by Catholic
troops under General Tilly in 1631.
According to a legend, Tilly agreed
to spare the town from destruction
if a councilor could down a 5 pints
(3.25 litre) tank ard of wine in one
draught; former mayor Georg Nusch
did so and Rothenburg was saved.
This tale forms the basis for the
Meistertrunk Festival, a re-enact ment
of the mythi cal story, which takes
place at Whitsun.EAT AND DRINKROTHENBURG OB DER TAUBER
Reichsküchenmeister moderate
This snug, traditional restaurant serves
refined German cooking such as carp
fillet in white wine sauce or Schnitzel
(venison fillet in breadcrumbs).
Kirchplatz 8, 91541; 09861 97 00;
http://www.reichskuechenmeister.com;
closed Mon, Tue
Eisenhut moderate–expensive
The Eisenhut hotel’s dining room
serves Franconian and international
fare in comfortable surroundings. It
uses regional and seasonal produce
to create dishes such as game terrine
with frisée and cranberry vinaigrette
or vol-au-vent filled with veal and
mushroom ragout.
Herrngasse 3–7, 91541; 09861 70 50;
http://www.eisenhut.comSCHILLINGSFÜRST
Schlosscafe Schillingsfurst moderate
A stone-walled restaurant that serves
Franconian specialities, notably desserts
like Schneeballen (snowballs).
Am Wall 10, 91583; 09868 74 06;
http://www.schlosscafe-schillingsfuerst.deAbove left View of the medieval town of
Rothenburg ob der Tauber Above right
Stately Rathaus, Rothenburg ob der Tauber
Below Retable depicting The Stigmatization
of St. Francis, FranziskanerkircheDRIVE 18: The Northern Romantic Road
during World War II, of which barely a
trace now remains. Head back to
Markusturm, through the Markt, to
see the splendid Rathaus 5 rising
above. The town hall consists of two
struc tures: the Renaissance building
in front of the Markt dates from the
late 16th cen tury, while the Gothic
struc ture behind it is much older. To
the right, the gabled Ratstrinkstube,
or City Councillors’ Tavern, is graced
by a 17th-century clock. Mechanical
figures emerge on the hour to depict
the story of the Meistertrunk, the
drinking bet that spared the city
during the Thirty Years’ War. Return
to the Markt, heading downhill along
Schmiedgasse to Plönlein 6 , a
charm ing little fork in the road, and
one of the most photo graphed
spots in Rothenburg. Return to the
Markt, turn ing left into Herrngasse,
which boasts the town’s most
imposing patri cian houses. A vaulted
passage way leads through the
Rathaus to the hist oric vaults, or
Historiengewölbe 7 (open daily),
where Rothenburg’s travails during
the Thirty Years’ War are brought to
life. Continue down Herrngasse to
Franziskanerkirche 8 (Jan & Feb: closed
Mon–Fri), which con tains another
Riemenschneider altar. Turn right into
Trompetergässchen, and then left
into Klosterhof to reach the
Reichsstadtmuseum 9 (open daily).
Housed in a former conv ent, the
imperial city museum’s collec tions
include the Rothenburg Passion paint-
ings from the Franziskanerkirche and
a section on the town’s Jewish history.
ª Head south on Nördlinger Strasse
on to Rothenburger Strasse to Insingen.
Turn left to Diebach for Schillingsfürst.7 Schillingsfürst
Bavaria; 91583
Lording over the country side from the
highest outcrop of the Frankenhöhe
hills, the Baroque palace of Schloss
Schillingsfürst (Apr–Oct: open daily)
is still the seat of the princes of
Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst. While its
history dates back to the 11th cen-
tury, the present building was built
in the 18th century to designs by
Darmstadt court architect Louis Rémy
de la Fosse. Highlights include the
Empfangssalon, or recep tion room,
hung with Gobelin tapes tries.
ª Take the Frankenheimerstrasse.
From Feuchtwanger Strasse, turn right
on to a side road. Turn left to Wornitz.
Follow signs to B25/Feuchtwangen.GUIDED TOURSWine Tours
Wine has been grown in the Tauber
Valley since the 11th century, with
Silvaner and Müller-Thurgau as the
main grape varieties. Local tourist
offices have a list of wineries that can
be visited by making an appointment.
Night Walk
Listen to the story of this medieval
town on a guided walk with the night
watchman of Rothenburg ob der
Tauber. http://www.nightwatchman.de