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Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Rothenburg ob der Tauber
Plönlein with Kobolzeller Steige and Spitalgasse
Plönlein with Kobolzeller Steige and Spitalgasse
Coat of arms of Rothenburg ob der Tauber
Coat of arms
Rothenburg ob der Tauber   is located in Germany
Rothenburg ob der Tauber
Rothenburg ob der Tauber
Coordinates: 49°23′N 10°11′E / 49.383°N 10.183°E / 49.383; 10.183Coordinates: 49°23′N 10°11′E / 49.383°N 10.183°E / 49.383; 10.183
Country Germany
State Bavaria
Admin. region Middle Franconia
District Ansbach
Government
 • Mayor Walter Hartl (Für Rothenburg)
Area
 • Total 41.68 km2 (16.09 sq mi)
Population (2015-12-31)
 • Total 11,041
 • Density 260/km2 (690/sq mi)
Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes 91541
Dialling codes 09861
Vehicle registration AN, DKB, FEU, ROT
Website www.rothenburg.de
Imperial City of Rothenburg
Reichsstadt Rothenburg
Free Imperial City of the Holy Roman Empire
1274–1803
Capital Rothenburg
Government Republic
Historical era Middle Ages
 •  City founded 1170
 •  Granted Reichsfreiheit by Rudolph I 1274
 •  Sieged by Tilly in the Thirty Years' War October 1631
 •  Mediatised to Bavaria 1803
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Duchy of Swabia
Electorate of Bavaria

Rothenburg ob der Tauber (German pronunciation: [ˈʁoːtənbʊɐ̯k ɔp deːɐ̯ ˈtaʊbɐ]) is a town in the district of Ansbach of Mittelfranken (Middle Franconia), the Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany. It is well known for its well-preserved medieval old town, a destination for tourists from around the world. It is part of the popular Romantic Road through southern Germany.

Rothenburg was a Free Imperial City from the late Middle Ages to 1803.

The name "Rothenburg ob der Tauber" means, in German, "Red fortress above the Tauber". This is so because the town is located on a plateau overlooking the Tauber River. As to the name "Rothenburg", some say it comes from the German words rot (red) and burg (burgh, medieval fortified settlement), referring to the red colour of the roofs of the houses which overlook the river. The name may also refer to the process of retting ("rotten" in German) flax for linen production.

In 950, the weir system in today’s castle garden was constructed by the Count of Comburg-Rothenburg.

In 1070, the counts of Comburg-Rothenburg, who also owned the village of Gebsattel, built Rothenburg castle on the mountain top high above the River Tauber.

The counts of the Comburg-Rothenburg dynasty died out in 1116. The last count, Count Heinrich, Emperor Heinrich V appointed instead his nephew Konrad von Hohenstaufen as successor to the Comburg-Rothenburg properties.

In 1142, Konrad von Hohenstaufen, who became Konrad III (1138–52), the self-styled King of the Romans, traded a part of the monastery of Neumünster in Würzburg above the village Detwang and built the Stauffer-Castle Rothenburg on this cheaper land. He held court there and appointed officials called 'reeves' to act as caretakers.


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