Germany, Bavaria, Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Rothenburg ob der Tauber is a town in the district of Ansbach of Middle Franconia, the Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany, well known for its well-preserved medieval old town. The name "Rothenburg ob der Tauber" means in German "Red fortress above the Tauber river". This is so because the town is located on a plateau 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. The name may also refer to the process of retting ("rotten" in German) flax for linen production.

In 950 the weir system was constructed by the Count of Comburg-Rothenburg. In 1070 the Counts of Comburg-Rothenburg, who also owned the village Gebsattel, built Rothenburg castle on the mountain top high above the river Tauber. The Counts of the Comburg-Rothenburg dynasty died out in 1116. The last Count, Count Heinrich, willed all his belongings, including Gebsattel and Rothenburg, to the Comburg convent, but Emperor Heinrich V appointed instead his nephew Konrad von Hohenstaufen as successor to the Comburg-Rothenburg properties. In 1142 Konrad von Hohenstaufen, who became Konrad III (1138-1152) the Roman-German King, traded a part of the monastery Neumünster in Würzburg above the village Detwang and built the Stauffer-Castle Rothenburg on this cheaper land. He held court there and appointed reeves as caretaker. In 1170 the city of Rothenburg was founded at the time of the building of Staufer castle. The centre was the market place and the Jakob’s Church. The development of the oldest fortification can be seen: the old cellar / old moat and the milk market. Walls and towers were built in the 13th century. Preserved are the 'White Tower' and the Markus tower with the Röder arch. From 1194 to 1254 the representatives of the Staufer dynasty governed the area around Rothenburg. Around this time the St. John Order and other orders were founded near the Jakob’s Church and the monastery of the Dominican order. In 1274 Rothenburg was accorded privileges by King Rudolf of Habsburg as an imperial city. Three famous fairs were established in the city and in the following centuries the city expanded. Since 1803 the town has been a part of Bavaria. Romanticism artists of the 1880s rediscovered Rothenburg, bringing tourism to the town. Laws were created to prevent major changes to the town.

In this photo one can see Röder arch and Markus tower. The photo was taken during the rain.

On a trip with :iconRandomSearcher: :love:

Canon 40D, Tamron 17-50, ISO 200, F/11, HDR from 0.8, 2, 5 sec