Rothenburg, Harburg & Andechs, Germany

Toward the end of our stay in Feuchtwangen, we traveled to one of the most-visited towns in Germany: Rothenburg ob der Tauber. I braced for an overwhelming number of tourists compared to our more off-the-beaten-path destinations.

To my surprise, there didn’t seem to be many non-Germans in Rothenburg. The streets were relatively empty as we explored.

Just three towns in Germany have intact city walls and Rothenburg completed our medieval trio after earlier visits to Nördlingen and Dinkelsbühl.

A conspicuous Bundeswehr (German armed forces) recruiting vehicle drew my eye in the Marktplatz. After conscription for male German citizens was suspended in 2011, the number of active military personnel declined.

After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, chancellor Olaf Scholz announced plans to increase the power of the German military. The plan was already in motion as evidenced by the mobile recruiting truck. Naturally, it was a Mercedes.

We wandered the cobblestone streets of the old town and inspected the castle garden. An earthquake in 1356 destroyed the castle complex originally located there and the stones of the ruins were used to build the city walls. The townspeople built gardens in its place.

A small chapel in the castle gardens housed a memorial to Germany’s fallen from two World Wars. Stone plaques on the walls detailed the human costs of war while a forlorn stone figure nearby clutched a sword to his chest.

A clever detail of medieval wall painting was located high above. In the relative darkness, your eye drew up to a recessed window. An angel with outstretched wings was painted on the ceiling of the alcove, glowing in the natural light. Its message was still being delivered centuries later.

Along the Tauber river below town, a stone sculpture of a well-worn king bid us farewell on our road out of Rothenburg.

The next day, as we drove south from Feuchtwangen, an impressive castle loomed over the highway and the town of Harburg. We pulled off the exit to explore.

Harburg Castle was first mentioned in 1150. Through its long history, amazingly, it was never seriously damaged by war. We climbed up a steep stone path and passed under an imposing spiked gate. Inside, we enjoyed an expansive view of the town and river Wörnitz from the castle wall.

After driving through the outskirts of Munich, we stopped at the Andechs monastery. The earliest documented reference to beer being brewed at Andechs dated to 1455. Today, the monks brew Helles, Spezial Hell, Bergbock Hell, Export Dunkel, Hefeweizen, Dunkelweizen and Doppelbock Dunkel.

Klosterbrauerei Andechs served a hearty lunch of various pork plates, potato salad and pretzels along with the delicious monk-brewed beer. We grabbed a tray and collected our food before selecting mugs of beer tapped from wooden barrels.

Plenty of locals had the same idea and both the indoor beer hall and outdoor terrace were full. We were careful not to sit at the designated Stammtisch, a table traditionally reserved for regulars. Amongst the Bavarians enjoying their food and beer, you felt a sense of historic community.

Later in the day we continued south into the Alpine foothills. Our next stay, in the town of Lenggries, was on the top floor of a traditional Bavarian Bauernhaus. The view was impressive from our balcony of the Isar river valley surrounded by mountains.

From here, we’ll explore Alpine Germany in the next few days.

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