Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sights
Jakobskirche
(Klingengasse 1; adult/child €2/0.50; 9am-5pm)
One of the few places of worship in
Bavaria to charge cheeky admission, Rothenburg's Lutheran parish church was begun in
the 14th century and finished in the 15th. The building sports some wonderfully aged
stained-glass windows, but its real pièce de résistance is Tilman Riemenschneider's
carved
Heilig Blut Altar
(Sacred Blood Altar). The gilded cross above the main scene de-
picting the Last Supper incorporates Rothenburg's treasured reliquary: a capsule made of
rock crystal said to contain three drops of Christ's blood.
CHURCH
Mittelalterliches Kriminalmuseum
( 5359;
www.kriminalmuseum.rothenburg.de
; Burggasse 3-5; adult/child €4.20/2.60;
10am-6pm May-Oct, shorter hours Nov-Apr)
Brutal implements of torture and punish-
ment from medieval times are on show at this gruesomely fascinating museum. Exhibits
include chastity belts, masks of disgrace for gossips, a cage for cheating bakers, a neck
brace for quarrelsome women and a beer-barrel pen for drunks, and there are also displays
on local witch trials. Visitors can have their photo taken in the stocks outside.
MUSEUM
Deutsches Weihnachtsmuseum
( 409 365;
www.weihnachtsmuseum.de
;
Herrngasse 1; adult/child/family €4/2/7;
10am-5.30pm daily Easter-Christmas, 11am-4pm Sat & Sun mid-Jan-Easter)
If you're
glad Christmas comes but once every 365 days, then stay well clear of the Käthe Wohl-
fahrt Weihnachtsdorf (
Click here
)
, a Yuletide superstore that also houses the Christmas
Museum. This repository of all things 'Ho! Ho! Ho!' traces the development of various
Christmas customs and decorations, and includes a display of 150 Santa figures, plus lots
of retro baubles and tinsel - particularly surreal in mid-July when the mercury outside is
pushing 30°C. Not as big a hit with kids as you might predict, as they can't get their hands
on anything.
MUSEUM
Town Walls
HISTORIC SITE
