Würzburg

Würzburg, the Romantic Road's official gateway, straddles the River Main and is surrounded by forests and vineyards. This charming city is a centre of art, architecture and delicate wines. It is also home to a university and two impressive royal constructions : the Residence, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the Marienberg Fortress, the residence of the prince bishops until 1719.

... Würzburg

Left untouched for most of World War II, Würzburg suffered the tragic distinction of being the last city destroyed by Britain's Royal Air Force. On March 16, 1945 nearly 90% of Würzburg was destroyed in a bombing that lasted only 20 minutes. Würzburg was pulverized in a massive air raid and resulting fire storm. Almost every structure that was destroyed has been reconstructed.

... Würzburg

The Haus zum Falken, a town house with a fine Rococo facade, was the former home of a wealthy citizen. Today the Haus zum Falken serves as a tourist information office and library.

... Würzburg

One of the most elegant and glorious palaces in Germany is the Residenz. This is the Baroque palace the prince-bishops lived in after coming down from the hilltop fortress. The Residence, built from 1720 to 1744, is one of Germany's most ornate palaces and served as the home of Würzburg's prince-bishops. Its highlights are numerous, but among the most significant are the frescoes, including the largest ceiling-painting in the world, by the Venetian Tiepolo.

... Würzburg

In the western wing of the Residenz lies the Hofkirche, an elegant red-golden church. The altar is decorated with paintings of Tiepolo, and there's enough decoration to satisfy the most demanding taste for ornamentation. This sumptuous chapel was for the exclusive use of the Prince Bishop. All the gold is real gold leaf. The painting high above the altar shows three monks in gold robes losing their heads as they were martyred. The two side paintings are by the great fresco artist Tiepolo.

... Röttingen

A few miles along the Romantic Road is the town of Röttingen with its lovely Market Place. The baroque town hall dates back to 1750 and is surrounded by half-timbered houses.

... Romantic Road

In 1950, The Romantic Road was first introduced overseas, and to this day remains the most famous of Germany's scenic routings, winding its way from Würzburg to Füssen. It is a picturesque path, passing sweet little villages and colourful gardens.

Rothenburg o/d Tauber

Rothenburg ob der Tauber is one of the best-preserved and most picturesque medieval towns in Germany. The town is entirely walled, the walls dating from the 14th and 15th century. It contains numerous Gothic and Renaissance-style buildings. Rothenburg was a free imperial city from the late 13th century until 1803, when it passed to Bavaria.

... Rothenburg o/d Tauber

Like Brugges where a silted-up harbor caused the town to stagnate, just as the wrecking ball of the Industrial Revolution began swinging everywhere else, Rothenburg owes its architectural preservation to economic failure. For centuries nothing was built, nothing changed. Only in the 19th century it was rediscovered. Its product, then and today, is its past.

... Rothenburg o/d Tauber

While you are walking, you will want to see the picturesque Plönlein, located at the end of the Schmiedgasse on the south end of the town. Meaning "little place," it is a small, triangular wonder of colorful medieval houses and towers. It offers one of the finest views of the medieval town. The scene is dominated by the Sieber Tower that was built in 1385 and served as an entrance to the town for about 150 years.

... Rothenburg o/d Tauber

The Galgengasse is one of Rothenburg's most picturesque and historic streets. This promenade makes for a pleasant stroll. Its best features are the brilliant red roofs and the lovely cast-iron signs. Rothenburg is highly recommended as a shopping mecca.

... Rothenburg o/d Tauber

The town hall is an imposing building, consisting of two parts. The front part, in Renaissance style, was built between 1572 and 1578. The arches facing the market place were added in 1681. The Gothic part with its Imperial Hall dates from the period 1250 and 1400. The two buildings are separated by a courtyard. The tower is 60 m high.

... Rothenburg o/d Tauber

The old Gerlach Forge (Gerlachschmiede) is a building with an extremely charming half-timbered gable.

... Rothenburg o/d Tauber

In the middle ages the access to Rothenburg included seven heavily fortified gates. One hour before the gates were closed at twilight, the bells of the town were rung to call the citizens back home. After that hour, the gatekeepers shut the gates until the next morning for security reasons. In spite of such massive defenses the city was conquered several times.

... Rothenburg o/d Tauber

In the Saint Jakob's church art lovers can admire the Holy Blood altar by Tilman Riemenschneider. Master wood-carver Tilmann Riemenschneider (1460-1531) crafted the altar between 1499 and 1505.

This relief is a detail of one wing from the Holy Blood altarpiece. It is interesting to note that quite unusually the figure in the centre is Judas and not Christ.

Schillingsfürst

Schillingsfürst is a small city in Franconia with a unique view over the headwaters of the river Tauber. The city is overlooked by the baroque castle of the prince of Hohenlohe. It is built in 3 parts and can be seen from miles away. In the castle daily demonstrations with eagles, vultures and falcons are given.

... May Tree

Raising the May Tree must be looked upon as what one would call a major tradition. Each and every village in Bavaria has its own May Tree. The tree, and the dance around it, is a major symbol of spring's reawakening of fruitfulness. May was known as the "Wonnemond," the month of lovers where a young man's fancy would turn to love. In May the largest number of weddings take place. Over time the Maibaum (May Tree) lost its original meaning, that of celebrating a wedding.

Dinkelsbühl

The small town of Dinkelsbühl is located on the banks of the river Wörnitz in in the west of Central Franconia. Dinkelsbühl's perfectly preserved town walls and magnificent patrician houses, which include the Hezelhof and the Deutsches Haus , are a reminder of Dinkelsbühl's glorious era in the 15th and 16th century.

Harburg

One of the oldest and strongest castles in Southern Germany, Harburg was an important military stronghold during the reign of the Staufer-Kings. Built in 1150, the Harburg Castle was never taken in battle.

... Harburg

This 900 year-old classic is still owned by the family that acquired it in 1295, the castle, with its high, massively thick walls, watchtowers, sniper's windows, dungeon, keep, and toothy drop-gate, attests to the bloody contests for land and position symbolized by all those noble at the time. Not without reason are the rooms filled with swords and crossbows.

Schongau

Schongau is another stop on the Romantic Road. The old town has a nearly complete town wall from the Middle Ages including five towers. But seeing that nice town, located on a hill, on the bavarian site with the river Lech, you will find, that all five towers are only on the western part of the townwall. This side was in the earlier times the dangerous one. Enemies were coming only from there, the eastern country was Bavaria and thus sure.

Rottenbuch

The officially recognised health resort of Rottenbuch is located in the wild and romantic Ammer Valley. In the town centre are the venerable, 900 year-old buildings of the former Augustinian Chorherrenstift monastery with the famous Maria Geburt convent church.

... Rottenbuch

This church, originally a roman basilica dating back to the 11th century, redecorated by the stuccoer-decorator Joseph Schmuzer and his son Franz Xaver Schmuzer, boasts a particularly fabulous stucco pulpit by Franz Xaver Schmädl. It is undoubtedly the most beautiful pulpit of Bavaria.

Wies Church

The Wies Church, an amazing realisation of Bavarian Rococo art, stands amid the forests, peatbogs and meadows that characterise the slopes of the Ammergau Alps, between the Lech and the Ammer.

Wieske and I were lucky enough to attend the performance of Pergolesi's Stabat Mater in this wonderful masterpiece.

... Wies Church

It was in 1746 that Dominikus Zimmermann, a brilliant member of the Wessobrunn school, was given the task, on completing Steinhausen Church, of designing a pilgrimage church, to be called "in der Wies" (in the meadows). This was to be dedicated to Christ Scourged .

Dominikus Zimmermann, aided by his brother, Johann Baptist, a painter at the Bavarian court, completed this work between 1746 and 1754. Taking the plan of Steinhausen, he raised an oval cupola calling for the painted decoration which gives to the nave an overall impression of Rococo style.

... Wies Church

The ornamental refinement bestowed upon the choir loft and the organ loft testifies to the importance of music at the time. The organ, which is dated to 1757, had 42 resonant stops divided among the main organ, the choir organ and the pedal pipes.

... Wies Church

The pulpit, executed with the collaboration of J. and F. Steinhauser, is one of the most striking manifestations of Bavarian fantasy and illustrates the metamorphosis of the weightier religious Baroque style into the lilting, musical forms of the Rococo.

Neuschwanstein

Towering above the surrounding lakes and mountains Castle Neuschwanstein is undoubtedly one of the most impressive buildings in the world. Neuschwanstein was created by King Ludwig II. Despite its medieval looks, the castle is relatively recent. Construction started in 1869 and was never fully completed. The King died in 1886 under mysterious circumstances.

... Neuschwanstein

The Singer's Hall occupies the entire 4th floor of the castle and is a copy of the Minstrels Hall of the Wartburg Castle in Thuringia, designed by Julius Hofmann. The murals in the hall and in the corridor depict scenes from the "Parzival" saga of the middle-ages.

Füssen

Füssen is set in a charming landscape on the Via Claudia Augusta, in Roman times an important trade route between Upper Italy and the Roman provincial capital of Augsburg (Augusta Vindelicum).

In the 8th century the St Gallen monk Magnus chose this strategically good location to build the Benedictine monastery of Saint Mang.