Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
lawedtopreventfires.Today,allofthetown'sroofsaremadeofthese.Thelittlefenceskeep
the snow from falling, and catch tiles that blow off during storms. The free public WC is on
your left, the recommended Friese shop is on your right, and straight ahead is St. Jakob's
Church.
Outsidethechurch,you'llsee14th-centurystatues(mostlyoriginal)showingJesuspray-
ing at Gethsemane, a common feature of Gothic churches. The artist is anonymous, because
in the Gothic age (pre-Albrecht Dürer), artists were just nameless craftspeople working only
for the glory of God. Five yards to the left (on the wall), notice the nub of a sandstone
statue—arareoriginal,lookingprettybadafter500yearsofweatherand,morerecently,pol-
lution. Most original statues are now in the city museum. The better-preserved statues you
see on the church are copies.
• If it's your wedding day, take the first entrance. Otherwise, use the second (downhill) door
to enter...
Rothenburg'smainchurchishometoTilmanRiemenschneider'sbreathtaking,wood-carved
Altar of the Holy Blood
.
Cost and Hours:
€2, worthwhile 45-minute audioguide-€2, daily April-Oct 9:00-17:15,
Dec 10:00-16:45, Nov and Christmas-March 10:00-12:00 & 14:00-16:00, on Sun wait to
enter until services end at 10:45, free helpful English info sheet, concerts and tour schedule
posted on the door; guided tours in English for no extra charge Sat at 15:00 April-Oct.
Visiting the Church:
Built in the 14th century, this church has been Lutheran since
1544. The
interior
was “purified” by Romantics in the 19th century—cleaned of everything
Baroque or not original and refitted in the Neo-Gothic style. (For example, the baptismal
font and the pulpit above the second pew
look
Gothic, but are actually Neo-Gothic.) The
stained-glasswindowsbehindthealtar,whicharemostcolorfulinthemorninglight,areori-
ginals from the 1330s.
At the back of the church, take the stairs that lead up behind the pipe organ. In the
loft, you'll find the artistic highlight of Rothenburg and perhaps the most wonderful wood
carving in all of Germany: the glorious 500-year-old, 35-foot-high
Altar of the Holy Blood.
Tilman Riemenschneider, the Michelangelo of German woodcarvers, carved this from 1499
to 1504 to hold a precious rock-crystal capsule (set in a cross) that contains a scrap of table-
cloth miraculously stained in the shape of a cross by a drop of communion wine. The altar
is a realistic commotion, showing that Riemenschneider—while a High Gothic artist—was
ahead of his time. Below, in the scene of the Last Supper, Jesus gives Judas a piece of bread,
marking him as the traitor, while John lays his head on Christ's lap. Everything is portrayed
exactly as described in the Bible. On the left: Jesus enters a walled city. (Historians dispute
