Castle Garden in Rothenburg ob der Tauber – A park for taking a break

Where is the castle (or “Burg”) in Rothenburg ob der Tauber? You often hear this question and just as often get disappointed faces in return. Because there hasn’t been a castle in Rothenburg ob der Tauber for a long time – the former Stauferburg was destroyed. However, the disappointment soon vanishes, because in the castle’s location is Rothenburg’s green oasis, the Castle Garden. What’s so special about the Castle Garden? And where in the Castle Garden do you get the best views? We explain why it’s worthwhile to spend some time in Rothenburg’s Castle Garden.

Approaching Castle Garden via the Burgtor, you will have beautiful views of the Tauber Valley at the observation platforms to the left and right. Towards the north, visitors see the Detwang district, in whose church is a wooden altar by Tilman Riemenschneider. Rothenburg was first mentioned in the records here in 960. A short hiking trail leads from the Castle Garden to Detwang. You should schedule 20 minutes for this one way – and you’ll also pass the Unter den Linden beer garden, situated directly on the Tauber. You can also see the Toppler Castle peek out through the trees in the north. In the southern direction, you look from the Castle Garden across An der Eich vineyard into the Tauber Valley with the Kobolzeller Church and Double Bridge, as well as at the Spital quarter across from this, with the striking windows of its youth hostel (the former Rossmühle).

On your left as you walk into the Castle Garden, you’ll see the only preserved building of the former Stauferburg, which is now a memorial site. An info panel in front of the Blasius chapel explains the structure and function of the former castle grounds. Past the castle, you’ll get to a private residence that was once the office of the city nursery in Rothenburg. In the middle of the English park grounds, you’ll see a small baroque styled garden with allegories of the four seasons. The Castle Garden features a historic collection of trees and extensive lawns, which invite visitors to linger.

A column and pogrom stone in the Castle Garden recall the past. The Staufer column on the north side of the Castle Garden reminds of the era when the emperor’s castle was used for control over the imperial city Rothenburg ob der Tauber in the Holy Roman Empire. Many sources report that the castle was destroyed by an earthquake – which is probably a legend. Stones were valuable materials and the city was eager to expand. It’s thus far more probable that the Rothenburg residents dismantled the castle themselves. Next to the chapel is a copy of the medieval pogrom stone, whose original is exhibited in the RothenburgMuseum. This memorializes the murder of the Jewish residents in Rothenburg, who died in the Middle Ages during the Rindtfleisch pogrom in 1298. This also makes the memorial stone in the Castle Garden part of a tour through Jewish Rothenburg.

Right behind the former gardener’s house is a plot with statues, which draws many photographers in Rothenburg ob der Tauber. Next to the burbling fountain, you find statues of the four seasons in the flowering, fragrant flower bed. The walls and towers of the Spital quarter fill the background as a setting for the perfect snapshot. The German postal service appreciated this as well and dedicated a double stamp to this view in 2019, as part of the series “Germany’s most beautiful panoramas”.

Opening times Castle Garden Rothenburg:

Rothenburg’s Castle Garden is open all day on every day
(one execption: you cannot access Castle Garden during the fireworks on Saturday of Imperial City Days)