A Week in Franconia: Old Town Rothenburg ob der Tauber

After exploring the walls, I dived into the Old Town. As the guidebooks have promised, it probably is one of the most well-preserved medieval old towns I have seen within Germany and Europe. Everything is just as it looked like several centuries ago. Modernisation is controlled and limited, making sure that whatever change that happens is aligned with how the town looked like in the past.

I approached from the south, so as I was heading north towards the town square, I passed by Plönlein, which is the historical landmark where the road forks into two, creating this picturesque angle as one part of the road goes up and another down. This scene is captured on the cover of my guidebook, and I was happy that I found where it was.

I continued further and found the town square, which is perhaps the most lively area of the town. It can feel rather touristy, since at the back of your head you realise that the medieval atmosphere is more or less artificial given that we're in the 21st century, but at the same time if you look at it from a perservation perspective, then you would admire the efforts that the city has poured into it. For some surprising reason, Japanese seems to be a third language here, appearing on signage and restaurant menus. I suppose this is a popular destination for Japanese tourists, but given the pandemic, I didn't really encounter anyone. I did find an authentic Japanese restaurant where I had an amazing lunch.

Afterwards, I found this area outside of the walls, yet still within the Old Town. Due to the shape of the town, it provided a beautiful vista to the rest of the city. It is situated on the ruins of a former castle, and now it is an idyllic park.

I spent the rest of the day visiting some museums (more of that later), and generally just exploring the small streets and various areas of the Old Town. It was indeed a highlight of my trip, and perhaps the prettiest place I have been in Franconia. After spending a few hours, I headed back to the bus station and made my way back to Nürnberg.