Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
whether it's Jerusalem, in keeping with the altar's Holy Week theme, or Jericho—notice the
man in the tree, who could be Jericho's shy tax collector Zacchaeus.) Notice the fun atten-
tiontodetail—down tothenailsonthehorseshoe.Ontheright:JesuspraysintheGardenof
Gethsemane. Judas, with his big bag of cash, could be removed from the scene—illustrated
by photos on the wall nearby—as was the tradition for the four days leading up to Easter.
Head back down the stairs to the church's main hall. Go up front to take a close look
at the
main altar
(from 1466, by Friedrich Herlin). Below Christ are statues of six saints.
St. James (Jakob in German) is the one with the shell. He's the saint of pilgrims, and this
church was a stop on the medieval pilgrimage route to Santiago (“St. James” in Spanish) de
Compostela in Spain. Study the painted panels—ever see Peter with spectacles? Go around
thebackofthealtarpieceandlookatthedoors(upperleft)—you'llseeapaintingofRothen-
burg'sMarketSquareinthe15thcentury,lookingmuchlikeitdoestoday,withtheexception
of the full-Gothic Town Hall (as it was before the big fire of 1501). Notice Christ's face on
the veil of Veronica (center of back side). It follows you as you walk from side to side—this
must have given the faithful the religious heebie-jeebies four centuries ago.
The
small altar
to the left is also worth a look. It's a century older than the main altar.
Notice the unusual Trinity: the Father and Son are literally bridged by a dove, which repres-
ents the Holy Spirit. Stepping back, you can see that Jesus is standing on a skull—clearly
“overcoming death.”
Before leaving the front of the church, notice the old
medallions
above the carved choir
stalls. They feature the coats of arms of Rothenburg's leading families and portraits of city
and church leaders.
•Leavethechurchand,fromitsoutsidesteps,walkaroundthecornertotherightandunder
the chapel (built over the road). Go two blocks down Klingengasse and stop at the corner of
the street called Klosterhof. Looking down Klingengasse, you see the...
ThisclifftowerwasRothenburg'swaterreservoir.From1595until1910,acoppertankhigh
in the tower provided clean spring water (pumped up by river power) to the privileged. To
the right of the Klingentor is a good stretch of wall rampart to walk. To the left, the wall is
low and simple, lacking a rampart because it guards only a cliff. Now find the shell decor-
ating a building on the street corner next to you. That's the symbol of St. James (pilgrims
commemoratedtheirvisittoSantiagodeCompostelawithashell),indicatingthatthisbuild-
ing is associated with the church.
• Turn left down Klosterhof, passing the shell and, on your right, the colorful, recommended
Altfränkische Weinstube am Klosterhof pub, to reach the...
