Senior copy editor Carolyn Moschello and her husband, Richard,
explored Germany's Romantic Road. Her report follows:
he austere facade of the
building belied the grandeur inside. A heavy, wooden door opened
into a great room, empty except for a majestic staircase.
The upstairs of the 18th century palace, built for the ruling
prince-bishops of Wurzburg, offered a more realistic glimpse into
their lives, with rooms papered in silk and trimmed in gold, filled
with opulent furniture and impressive paintings.
Wurzburg, about an hour's drive south of Frankfurt, was our
first stop along Germany's Romantic Road, a tourist route that
stretches about 260 miles from Wurzburg in the north to Fussen, in
the Alps of Bavaria.
The road was developed by West Germany in 1950 to boost the
country's tourism industry after World War II; its name is meant to
evoke not romance but the Old World charm found in the palaces and
attractions of the nearly 30 villages and cities lining the
route.
With only a few days to explore, we selected the following
villages to visit:
Weikersheim
About an hour south of Wurzburg, the village of Weikersheim
dates to 800 and was the former seat of the Princes of Hohenlohe; a
Renaissance castle along with a spacious garden is its main
attraction.
Two pointed towers marked the entrance to the grounds behind the
palace, which offered wide pathways for visitors to stroll among
the flowers and stone statues. Peacocks strutting on the grounds
and an endless view of the hills beyond added to the garden's regal
feel.
The town itself was a treat to walk around, with cobblestoned
streets, chalet-style buildings and a bakery that served fresh
bread and croissants.
Rothenburg ob der Tauber
Rothenburg ob der Tauber (translated to "red castle on the
Tauber") is a medieval village straight out of a fairy tale.
There was plenty to see in this walled town, which dates to
1142, and it warranted an overnight stay.
The
wall that surrounds Rothenburg is an attraction in itself. The
views of the village buildings' pointed, red-tiled roofs and the
hills beyond were well worth the climb up several flights of wooden
stairs into the wall's turrets, which also housed a small
information area.
From the wall, the square was a short walk through cobblestoned
streets lined with shops, bakeries and eateries.
Hidden behind the square was St. Jacob's Church. A crystal cross
atop the church's intricately carved altar is believed to hold
drops of Christ's blood.
Another attraction worth a visit was the Medieval Crime Museum,
which traces 1,000 years of crime and punishment.
For shoppers, the Kathe Wohlfahrt Christmas market is located
off the square. The year-round shop was filled with endless rooms
of ornaments, bulbs, and nutcrackers of all shapes and sizes.
The store is open Mondays through Fridays , 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.,
and on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. From mid-May through Dec. 24
and on Sundays, the store is open from 4 a.m. to 6 p.m. Most major
credit cards are accepted, and purchases can be shipped home.
Augsburg
A full day of driving brought us to Augsburg. Founded by the
Romans in 15 B.C., the city is the third largest in Bavaria.
Following a self-guided walking tour, we found ourselves at the
Fuggerei, a housing project established by the wealthy Fugger
family in 1516 for destitute citizens of Augsburg.
Passing through a small tunnel, we were greeted by a quiet
neighborhood of tidy, connected houses. The buildings, some with
religious statues hidden among the vines that drape the facades,
still house the needy of Augsburg.
The inhabitants are required to pay the same rent as the first
tenants -- less than $1 a month -- and to say a daily prayer for
their benefactors.
Schwangau
Near the base of the Romantic Road is Schwangau, home of the
castles of King Ludwig II.
As a child, Ludwig spent his summers at Hohenschwangau, the
royal family's castle. Its terraces look out on the surrounding
valley and Ludwig's fantasy castle of Neuschwanstein.
Neuschwanstein sits atop a steep hill. There is a paved road,
but the climb was a challenge.
A horse-drawn carriage is available to bring visitors to the
castle; it's located near the ticket center at the bottom of the
hill between the two attractions.
Tours are available of both palaces, and it is possible to visit
both in one day. The tours take visitors through the palaces'
drafty, grandiose rooms, where guides give a bit of background on
the castles' royal inhabitants, the most famous of whom was Mad
King Ludwig II.
According to the tour guide, Ludwig, who spent most of his time
tending to his opulent palaces instead of minding to political
matters, was declared mentally unfit by a family-appointed
psychiatrist.
Shortly before Ludwig was to be forced to give up his crown, his
body was discovered in a lake at one of his family's royal
residences, along with the drowned psychiatrist.
For more details on food and museums along the Romantic Road,
see • Romantic Road: German cuisine not the wurst and
Romantic Road: Bavarian museum shows crime never
paid.