Rothenburg with
its medieval walls was established in 1070 amid numerous trade routes. The 30 years’
war left the town with no money, so they never modernized their buildings,
leaving the interior of the city from the Middle Ages. A wall surrounds the
town with many of the original fire towers. We walked along a portion of the
wall, stopping at the Fortress Church, which is part of the wall.Then on to St. Jacob’s Church, in English, St
James. We reached the central square where the clock, commemorates how the
mayor saved the town from Captain Tilly. He made a wager that he could drink an
entire gallon of wine in one continuous swallow. The highlight of the tour was
Kathe Wohlfahrt's Christmas Museum and store. She got her start when a US
soldier wanted a Christmas decoration to bring back for his girlfriend. She
picked up 12 wholesale and found that she quickly sold all 12.
Holy Blood Altarpiece
After lunch, we returned to St. James to see the Holy Blood
Altarpiece and a monumental altarpiece by Friedrich Herlin. Then on to the
Castle gardens and down through the gate on the other side to find the oldest
house in town.
Castle Gardens
In the afternoon, we returned to our ship, docked in Wurzburg, the start of
Germany’s wine country. The tradition is to have a glass of wine on the Old
Main Bridge. We walked into town to see the townhall with its pictures from
March 1945 where 90% of the town was destroyed in 17 minutes by British
bombers. We continued on to Mary’s chapel with it’s interesting depiction of
the Annunciation (a baby climbing down from God to Mary’s ear) and the Wurzburg
Cathedral.
Bamberg
was founded in 902 by Henry II, Duke of Bavaria, as a gift to his wife, Cunegonde, to
remind her of Rome with its seven hills. Henry eventually became a Holy Roman
Emperor. She had been a nun before he married her (and it is believed that she
remained a virgin).and later was accused of being a witch. (This region put to
death more witches than the Spanish Inquisition.) She demonstrated her
innocence by walking over flaming irons without injury. Today, she and Henry
are considered saints and their tomb is in the Cathedral. Nearby are the old
and new Bishop’s Residences and the Rose Garden.
Cunegonde and Henry II
The most recognizable building is the Town Hall built on an
island by the merchants in the middle of the river since the bishop wouldn’t
sell any land in the town to build it. It is a mix of medieval timber and
baroque style painting.
Bamberg Town Hall on the river
Today, the town is known for its smoky tasting beer. The
original brewer had dried his malt too long on the fire, but he decided to use
it anyway. Now that is the tradition in the town.
Nuremberg was the location for the Nazi party rallies from
1934 to 1938.
Why Nuremberg?
·This was where the Emperor held his first diet (meeting
of the nobles) after his coronation since 1356.
·The Bavarian Nazi party had held rallies here
since the 1920s and its leader stepped down in favor of Hitler.
·This was where the German railroad had its start
and had connections to the rest of Germany.
·This region has historically been right wing
(90% of the vote in last election).
Hitler at Zeppelin Field
Zeppelin Field and Congress Hall were part of the Nazi Party rally
grounds, designed to dominate the attendees. Used just one week a year, the
rallies would attract 500,000 participants. Each year, the rally would have a
different theme and different ceremonies each day. The 1939 rally was called a
Rally for Peace but was canceled when Poland was invaded and World War II
began. Today, the colonnades have been removed, and the concrete is crumbling.
The field is used for parking lot for the nearby soccer stadium.
Nuremberg Defendants
We then visited Court Room 600, home of the Nuremberg Trials, where
the International Military Tribunal tried 22 individuals for their part in
World War II. The US, France, England, and Russia each provided a judge and his
alternate. Three out of four had to agree to convict. After 11 months, 11 were
sentenced to death, 7 to life imprisonment, and 3 acquitted. Why Nuremberg for
the trial? It had a large courthouse of 580 rooms that survived the war with a
prison next door, and was in the American sector of Germany (there was concern
that the Russians would just execute them without a fair trial.
Nuremberg Castle from Sinwell Tower
After a lunch of sausages in town, many of us climbed the
hill to visit Nuremberg
Castle, the location used for the Holy Roman Emperor’s first diet (meeting
with other royalty and bishops) after their crowning since 1356. We toured the Double
Chapel, the Imperial Hall and other rooms filled with imperial items and armor.
Then we visited the Sinwell Tower and the deep well. The deep well was
particularly interesting. It was protected in a locked room to prevent
poisoning in one of the courtyards. The guide poured water into the well, it
took 3-4 seconds to splash in the bottom of the well. 44 meters below us. He
lowered 4 candles into the well which we saw below us. Afterward returned to
the Market Square with the Church of Our Lady
and the Beautiful
Fountain.
Church of our Lady and Beautiful Fountain
Germany Politics: the Shift to the Right
This last election, the AFD, Alternative for Deutschland, was
second in the voting. The party was formed in 2013. The traditional parties CDU
and CSU formed a coalition to govern. The AFD is against the EU, immigration, non-Christians,
and democracy. It is also pro-Russian with the goal of restoring the oil and
gas imports from Russia. They attracted most of the East Germany vote as well
as the rural and young voters. Their issues are immigration, the high energy
prices, the increasing defense budget and Ukraine.
We can see Liberation Hall from
our dock. The athletes hiked up there to see the memorial to the defeat of
Napoleon.The drinkers toured the Kuchlbauer Brewery
founded in 1300. There are 598 breweries in Bavaria. The current ownership is
in their ninth generation. They specialize in wheat beers using a top
fermentation process. We were able to enjoy their beer. But the brewery is not
only known for its beer, but also for its artistic tower and buildings designed
by Friedensreich Hundertwasser.
Hundertwasser Tower
That afternoon, we entered the Rhine-Mein-Danube canal. Most
of the time, it was hard to tell we were in a canal. We celebrated going
through the tallest lock (81 feet) of our voyage in the evening.
King Ludwig completed the first canal in 1846 with 102
locks, up to 50 feet wide and 5 feet deep, for vessels much smaller than today’s
riverboats. Railroads were more competitive in 1835 when the canal were
finished. It took 11 days to cross with horse versus 2 days using the modern
canal. It was deserted in 1950 after the damage from World War II made it too
expensive to repair compared to the boat traffic volume.
The current canal was completed in 1992. 105 miles long from
Bamburg to Kelheim over the 1332-foot-high European continental divide (separating water that flows to
the North Sea or the Black Sea). It took over 70 years of planning and 32 years
of construction. The canal handles vessels that are 190 meters long and 11.45 meters wide.
We started our day with a lecture on the German Education system by a teacher who also taught in the US. Since each of Germany's 16 states are different, this is specific to Bavaria. She captured our attention with the following differences with the US system:
· Home schooling is illegal
· To graduate from high school (gymnasium) you must know 2 other languages
· 92% of 3 year olds are in preschool
· Only ½ as many students have a post-secondary degree
· Religious education is mandatory
· All education is free of charge, including to foreign students
Their elementary education is four years and then based on grades and maturity, one of four systems of education is chosen. A gymnasium education is eight years and prepares you for university. The Realschule is for administrative and white color jobs. The Mittleschule is for trade jobs, six years of schooling, followed by alternating trade school and internships. There is little adult education. The 4th type of schooling is one school that is a combination of the three, this was the system in East Germany. There is another school system for the handicapped with a much lower student/teacher ratio. The school year is 190 days with longer holiday breaks and only 6 weeks in summer. School is 8 till 1, with 2 to 3 hours of homework daily. Each year there is a one week school trip, paid for by the school. Subjects are taught in 45 or 90 minute periods. Class size is typically 24 students. Each subject will have 1 or 2 exams per semester. Schools don't sponsor music, drama, or sports teams there are clubs for these, not associated with the school. No school buses, students arrive by public transportation or a free taxi ride if transportation is unavailable.
Regensburg,
the Castle on the river, was founded in 179 AD. After the Roman Empire fell, a Bavarian
tribe took over the city and it became the capital of Bavaria. The high point
was between the 6th and 12th centuries when trade to the
East and West along the river made this the largest city in the region. In 1135
they began construction of the Old Stone Bridge,
which would become the only bridge across the Danube for almost 200 years. The legend
has it that the builder of the bridge had a bet with the builder of the
Cathedral for who would complete construction first. The bet included doing
bodily harm to the loser. The Cathedral had God on his side, so the bridge
builder made a pact with the devil that the devil could have the souls of the
first three who crossed. The bridge was built in eleven years. The duke,
bishop, and mayor wanted to be the first to cross. But the builder told them we
should test the bridge by having two cats and a dog cross first, saving their
souls. We saw the remnants of the Roman gate into the castle.
St. Peters under reconstruction
St.
Peter’s Cathedral was started in 1275, but the steeples weren’t completed
until 1872 (a clear loser in that bet). Unfortunately, they were completed in
cheap concrete and are undergoing their second renovation.
Nearby was the golden tower, nine stories high, taller than
any of the 20 other towers built by merchants. The town hall has rods that are the official
measurements for length in the region to keep the merchants honest. After our tour of the city, we stopped at a nearby tavern for a beer.
Let's have a beer
That evening we were entertained by the Regensburg Girls Choir.
Their singing sounded angelic and brought me to tears.
Passau is
built on a strategic confluence of three rivers: the Danube, Ils and Inn. As
such it was a key port for the lucrative salt trade. We started at the city
hall, which typically was built by the trade guilds and has a clock tower to
counter the power of the Church with its steeple. We could see the flood levels
marked on the hall. We walked the streets until we reached St.
Stevens Cathedral with its 17,000-pipe organ. Unfortunately, that organ is
under refurbishment, but we still enjoyed the organ concert.
St. Stephens
In the afternoon, we hiked up to the Veste Oberhaus fortress
to get a great view of the rivers and the city of Passau. The fortress built in
1219 had a major renovation in year 1499 (at the time a 4 was written as the
lower half of an 8).
In the morning, we sailed through the Wachau Valley of the Danube.
This valley has been a wine region for 1200 years. Our first castle was
Dornstein Castle where Richard the Lion hearted was imprisoned during the third
crusade. We cruised by several towns, churches, and castles for the next hour.
Vineyards above the town of Spitz
Melk
Abbey has been here for 935 years as a Benedictine order. The Benedictine Rule
was to pray, work, and study. It was a favorite retreat of Empress Maria Theresa
who visited three times. Today it houses
a school for 10- to 18-year-olds. It also has 60 guest rooms. The museum tells
the story of the abbey with artifacts over the centuries. The main hall looks
like it is made with stone columns, but they are just stucco. The ceiling which
is flat appears to the eye as a vaulted ceiling.
Ann and Char at Melk Abbey
The library is the most
impressive room with over 9000 books written in Greek, Latin, and Aramaic. The
church was very impressive. We continued into the gardens and then walked into
town.
