 The Burgtor (Castle Gate) shown in the photo above was built after the Castle at Rothenburg was destroyed in an earthquake in 1356. The two round buildings, which were built before 1600, are the former guard house and the customs house where travelers entering the town from the Tauber valley had to pay a toll. The Rothenburg Castle was built around 1142 in the location of the present Burg garden. One of the original castle buildings was rebuilt around 1400 by mayor Heinrich Toppler; it is now the Chapel of St. Blaise. There is a memorial stone for Toppler in the Burg garden. To reach the Burgtor, walk from the Market Place down Herrengasse and go through the Burgturm (Burg Tower) shown in the photo below. The Puppet Theatre is the first building on the right before you go under the tower. The Herrengasse is the street where the wealthy patrician families formerly lived.  The photo below shows the middle gate of the Burgtor bastion which has a mask with a hole for the mouth. Through this hole, the defenders of Rothenburg could pour hot pitch on the heads of their enemies who were storming the gate during an attack. Note the two openings on either side of the mask which were used for the chains to lower a drawbridge over the moat.   The photo below shows some of the statutes in the Castle garden which now occupies the site of the former Rothenburg Castle.   The photo above was taken from the Burggarten. It shows the Siebers Tower in the center and the Faulturm (Rotten Tower) on the right. The Rotten Tower gets its name from the fact that bodies of criminals were left to rot underneath the tower. This tower is the highest of the many round towers in Rothenburg; it is as deep as it is tall. Jewish Memorial StonePreviousHome
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