RATHAUS & HISTORIENGEWÖLBE
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Rothenburg's town hall combines Gothic and Renaissance styles and bears witness to the prosperity of the Free Empire town.
Rathaus. The imposing building consists of two parts: the Gothic town hall with its imperial hall and 60-metre high tower on the Herrngasse side and the Renaissance facade on the market square side. The first part was built between 1250 and 1400 and only later, between 1572 and 1578, was the monumental Renaissance façade added. The arcades with the coats of arms were only built in 1681. In December the traditional Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas market) takes place here on the market square. Since 1881, the town's inhabitants have been re-enacting a (supposed) episode from the Thirty Years' War here: the "Meistertrunk" (the friendship drink of the masters). In October 1631, the Protestant town of Rothenburg was taken by the Catholic troops of General Tilly and seemed doomed to destruction and looting, a fate suffered by Magdeburg a few months earlier. Legend has it that Mayor Georg Nusch emptied 3 1/4 litres of water down the drain and that this act of bravery impressed the enemy general and convinced him to spare the town.
Historiengewölbe. This museum, which is not exactly new, presents the history of the city during the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648) under the historic vaults of the town hall. Only history buffs will find their way around, as it is not really chronological. The cellar still houses the old dungeon in which one of the town's mayors, Heinrich Toppler, perished in 1408. How charming!
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