Würzburg & Along the Tauber

It’s hard to believe that much of what you see in larger German cities is reconstruction. On March 16, 1945, about 90% of the city of Würzburg was destroyed in 17 minutes by fire bombing from 225 British Lancaster bombers.

The entire medieval city center was consumed in a firestorm. Although the bombing of Dresden is more widely known, relatively, the destruction of Würzburg was on a greater scale. An estimated 5,000 died.

Almost all the historic buildings were carefully reconstructed after the war. Trümmerfrauen (rubble women) did the work because most of the German men were dead or still prisoners of war.

In 1940, Coventry Cathedral in England was destroyed by German bombs. A cross of nails from Coventry was displayed in Würzburg’s Marienkapelle as a sign of reconciliation and remembrance of the terror of World War II.

I decided to leave the modern bustle of Würzburg and visit several small towns along the Tauber River. First up was Bad Mergentheim. “Bad” in German means bath and typically when a place has Bad in its name, it signifies a spa town. Sure enough, there were rich mineral springs nearby.

Compared to Würzburg, it was immediately apparent that Bad Mergentheim looked like Germany did before the war. Fachwerk buildings lined the central square. Streets were cobblestone and narrow, built before cars.

I drove along the Tauber as it meandered through the countryside. The next little town had a mouthful of a name: Tauberbischofsheim.

It had a similar collection of fachwerk buildings, central square and narrow streets. In front of the town was a striking memorial to war dead. At first, I assumed it was for World War II, it appeared relatively modern. But on closer inspection I discovered it was a memorial from the first World War.

Further along the river, I came across an abbey complex. The ancient Kloster Bronnbach, a German Cistercian monastery, was founded in 1151 (!). As an American, you realize how young we are as a nation.

I reached the final town on my Tauber tour where the river emptied into the Main at Wertheim. Another festival was underway with a frenzy of carnival rides for the kids and a massive beer hall for the adults.

It was time for me to start heading back. The sun was setting on another timeless German town.

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Thanks for coming along on the trip. If you have questions or suggestions, tweet @JasonRMatheson. Missed an entry? Click here.