The St. #Wolfgang’s #Church in #Rothenburg ob der Tauber in #Bavaria, #Germany was built from 1475 on by a brotherhood of shepherds and formed part of the #bastion guarding the city. Back then the wool trade was important and fed to the growth of the city. Even today one of the main roads to the #old #town leads through the church’s northern gate.
The city of #Rothenburg ob der Tauber is one of the famous stops along the “#Romantic #Road” in #Bavaria, #Germany and a must-see for its #medieval #architecture. Initially a settlement by Celts from around 275 BC, the city of Rothenburg was founded in 1170 with the building of the Staufer #Castle within. The city quickly grew and became a free imperial city by 1274, with the addition of the Franciscan Monastery and St. James’ Church, becoming one of the largest 20 cities in the Holy Roman Empire.
The beautiful #castle of #Mespelbrunn was built from 1427 on by #knight Peter Echter of Mespelbrunn close to the unexploited forest around #Aschaffenburg in #Bavaria. Back then the forest was often used by bandits as a #hideout from their raids, and over the following generations the presence of the knight’s castle made the area safe again – with the castle ultimately turning into a dreamy location for tourists.
Burg #Rheinstein is another beautiful #castle along the #Rhein #River in #Germany that was constructed in 1316. Known for its strategic location along merchant routes it went into decline during wars of #succession in the late 14th century and was rebuilt by #Prince #Frederick in 1825.
Cochem #Castle is open to visitors these days and is a hotspot for #tourism along the #Mosel River. Inside you can see the painting on the main tower closeup: It was added to the tower in 1870 and shows #Saint #Christopher as the #patron saint of travelers, which makes sense considering most castles were used to collect tolls from passing merchants for safe passage.
Andreas Steffelmaier Photography 