Rothenburg: In 1631, during the Thirty Years War, the Catholic Count Tilly besieged the town of Rothenburg. He was able to take the Lutheran Protestant town and declared that it would...

ebrunner Loc: New Jersey Shore

In 1631, during the Thirty Years War, the Catholic Count Tilly besieged the town of Rothenburg. He was able to take the Lutheran Protestant town and declared that it would be sacked and the councilors would be executed. Then Tilly offered what he considered an unattainable challenge to anyone who was brave enough to accept. If, in one drought, someone could empty a three liter jug of wine, the town and its leaders would be spared. Bürgermeiter (mayor) Nusch accepted the challenge and, against all odds, was able to down the jug of wine thus saving his town and making him the stuff of legend.

Today Rothenburg is one of the most visited cities in Germany because, shortly after the Thirty Years War, Rothenburg was brought to its knees by increasing poverty and the ravages of the Plague. As a result the town became a victim of arrested development and did not change much from its medieval roots. That means that modern tourists can enter the town wall that is still intact and stroll the ramparts that once looked out at the fearsome army of Count Tilly. (today the area is dominated by a tourist bus parking lot). It remains one of the most beloved destinations in Germany.

In St. Jakob's church there is an altar carved from wood by Tillman Riemenschneider in 1505. It is considered one of this master woodcarver's best works. I don't usually post other people's artwork; but in this case, for documentation, I think it is merited.

no. 1 center panel Heiligblut Alter Riemenschneider

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no.2 detail fachwerk construction

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no. 3 Market Rothenburg

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no. 4 Detail Rathaus

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no.5 Fountain and tower Rothenburg

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no. 6 on the ramparts

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no. 7 Rothenburg street ornamentation

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no. 8 market square

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Iconic scene in Rothenburg

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no. 10 my favorite house in Rothenburg taken from ramparts

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no. 11 Rothenburg from city gardens

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no. 12 St. Jakob's church where the Riemenschneider Altar is housed.

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no. 13 Iconic house in B&W

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no. 13 Gate and Tower B&W

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Schwabo Loc: Florida

Thank great set. I was there many times, always something new to see. Just to add to your story. After finishing the 3 liter of wine he collapsed and was declared dead.

ebrunner Loc: New Jersey Shore

Schwabo wrote:

Thank great set. I was there many times, always something new to see. Just to add to your story. After finishing the 3 liter of wine he collapsed and was declared dead.

Some versions of the story include this and some do not. Since it is probably all legend anyway, I like to omit the sad, albeit, dramatic demise of the brave Bürgermeister Nush. Thanks for taking a look.

FrodoBaggins Loc: Texas

Another beautifully captured village... Thanks for the tour and the great history!

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

Beautiful series, Erich! I'm really enjoying your take on the European traveler's experience :)

nosretep Loc: S. W. Montana

Thanks for taking me back to this lovely city; you brought back several
very pleasant memories from my visit there. :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

nosretep Loc: S. W. Montana

P.S. Loved the two arches on both sides of the yellow house; other can be seen in your black and white image. I am dismayed that I didn't have a wide angle lens to get both in one image.

jederick Loc: Northern Utah

Erich you sure know how to dramatically document a vacation/trip both written and photographically! I've loved every step of your way...and, I would be delighted to see your slide show. No, I would not be bored. :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

Schwabo Loc: Florida

Yep I can agree with that.

ebrunner wrote:

Some versions of the story include this and some do not. Since it is probably all legend anyway, I like to omit the sad, albeit, dramatic demise of the brave Bürgermeister Nush. Thanks for taking a look.

Doddy Loc: Barnard Castle-England

Super shots Erich of some beautiful buildings.

ebrunner Loc: New Jersey Shore

FrodoBaggins wrote:

Another beautifully captured village... Thanks for the tour and the great history!

You're welcome. It is a great story and needed to be repeated. Lovely city; but lots of tourists.

ebrunner Loc: New Jersey Shore

Linda From Maine wrote:

Beautiful series, Erich! I'm really enjoying your take on the European traveler's experience :)

I've been to Rothenburg several times with my students. This time I wanted to try to get a slightly different perspective. If it looks like the bottoms of some buildings are chopped off, that is because I tried to keep the people out of the shots as much as I could.

ebrunner Loc: New Jersey Shore

nosretep wrote:

Thanks for taking me back to this lovely city; you brought back several
very pleasant memories from my visit there. :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

Glad to awaken those old memories. Thank you for taking a look.

ebrunner Loc: New Jersey Shore

nosretep wrote:

P.S. Loved the two arches on both sides of the yellow house; other can be seen in your black and white image. I am dismayed that I didn't have a wide angle lens to get both in one image.

I was using a 30-70mm zoom at the time on a 1.5x crop sensor. That meant that the widest equivalent I was getting was a 50mm lens. Would have been great to have a 20mm which would be a 35 mm equivalent. My wide angle zoom is an 11-16 which was just a tad too wide for that shot.

ebrunner Loc: New Jersey Shore

jederick wrote:

Erich you sure know how to dramatically document a vacation/trip both written and photographically! I've loved every step of your way...and, I would be delighted to see your slide show. No, I would not be bored. :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

Thank you for the compliment. I really appreciate it.