Castle Garden, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany

The Castle Garden in Rothenburg is the site where the royal family of Hohenstaufen established its imperial castle in 1142. King Conrad III reigned over his kingdom from here, but was the only ruler who actually used Rothenburg Castle. As his sons died relatively early, the castle quickly lost its importance, but not before it had formed the seed for the germination of the town.

Starting from the castle, the settlement spread over the hill, until it had become one of the ten largest towns in the Holy Roman Empire by the year 1400, with a population of over 6,000. An earthquake destroyed the castle complex in 1356 and the stones of the ruins – a valuable commodity at the time – were used to build the city walls. Only the Chapel of St. Blaise was renovated after the quake. However this building was not originally a chapel, but rather the 'Upper Ducal House', probably the conference building where the king received his guests. The building was dedicated as a chapel after the renovation and now serves as a memorial to the fallen of the two World Wars. The Chapel of St. Blaise is also the site of the memorial to the pogrom of 1298, the original of which is in the Imperial Town Museum.

After entering the Castle Gardens, the visitor will be drawn to the wonderful view of the southern part of the town and the Tauber Valley to the left, as well as the Double Bridge and the Kobolzeller Church.

Another interesting feature of the Castle Gardens are the geometric flower beds from the 17th/18th century with eight sandstone figures representing the four seasons and the four elements.

If you look into the valley having passed through the gardens, you will see a bright blue tower, known as the Topplerschlösschen, the House of Mayor Toppler. Built in 1388, it was built by the powerful Mayor Toppler for his own pleasure. Previously surrounded by water, the castle is where he met with dignitaries such as King Wenzel. There is also a memorial to Toppler in the Castle Gardens. Since September 2010, the park is also adorned with a column in memory of the royal house of the Hohenstaufen dynasty.

References:

Rothenburg Tourism

User Reviews

Jayde Müller (3 years ago)
I was not super impressed with this castle area. The only thing I enjoyed was the view over one wall (the view was very distant) and the garden area they have there. I was super disappointed by the ‘panoramic view’ which was just a forest.. the tower and entry way buildings are gorgeous but if you don’t have the time, don’t waste it walking in the park- it’s nothing special.

Dr. Mahboubeh Maleki (3 years ago)
I liked it because it has nice view and a good place for relaxing

Valentin Nica (4 years ago)
Very nice garden. I visited in autumn and is worth visiting. At the end of it there is a nice place overviewing the green hills. It is a good place to escape the crowded city and just have a peace of mind for a moment. I was also impresed by the statues representing the elements and the seasons.

Edward Klein (4 years ago)
Walking through the western gates of the walled city of Rothenburg, you find yourself wandering into the Burggarten. like the rest of the city, this park area sits high above the river and puts you outside the wall for some lovely views of the countryside as well as the southern portion of the city. Back in the day (way way back) this part had its own structures that have mostly been lost to time. in their place are large trees that provide a lot of shady spaces and benches to walk about and sit and relax. Definitely worth checking out as part of your stop in Rothenburg.

Josip Rosandić (4 years ago)
I recommend visiting in spring or in summer for the best experience. Either way, you are treated with awesome panorama views, plenty of benches to sit on and lots of hiking trails in and around it. Very relaxing experience and worth your time .

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright larrywkoester

Historic Site of the week

Monte d'Accoddi

Monte d"Accoddi is a Neolithic archaeological site in northern Sardinia, located in the territory of Sassari. The site consists of a massive raised stone platform thought to have been an altar. It was constructed by the Ozieri culture or earlier, with the oldest parts dated to around 4,000–3,650 BC.

The site was discovered in 1954 in a field owned by the Segni family. No chambers or entrances to the mound have been found, leading to the presumption it was an altar, a temple or a step pyramid. It may have also served an observational function, as its square plan is coordinated with the cardinal points of the compass.

The initial Ozieri structure was abandoned or destroyed around 3000 BC, with traces of fire found in the archeological evidence. Around 2800 BC the remains of the original structure were completely covered with a layered mixture of earth and stone, and large blocks of limestone were then applied to establish a second platform, truncated by a step pyramid (36 m × 29 m, about 10 m in height), accessible by means of a second ramp, 42 m long, built over the older one. This second temple resembles contemporary Mesopotamian ziggurats, and is attributed to the Abealzu-Filigosa culture.

Archeological excavations from the chalcolithic Abealzu-Filigosa layers indicate the Monte d"Accoddi was used for animal sacrifice, with the remains of sheep, cattle, and swine recovered in near equal proportions. It is among the earliest known sacrificial sites in Western Europe.

The site appears to have been abandoned again around 1800 BC, at the onset of the Nuragic age.

The monument was partially reconstructed during the 1980s. It is open to the public and accessible by the old route of SS131 highway, near the hamlet of Ottava. It is 14,9 km from Sassari and 45 km from Alghero. There is no public transportation to the site. The opening times vary throughout the year.

Do you know an ancient castle or magnificent church near you?

Why not share it with other people interested in history? You can add your own historic sites and attractions to SpottingHistory.com.

It's absolutely free, easy, and doesn't even need registration!

Upload data

Castle Garden

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Hidden Gems of Finnish Archipelago

House of the Dragon Filming Locations

Historic Landmarks of Sicily

Historic Site of the week

Monte d'Accoddi

Looks like you are a history fan!