RothenburgMuseum

The RothenburgMuseum – a look into the history of Rothenburg

On the figures from the master builder's house in the RothenburgMuseumRTS, Respondec

Couple in the RothenburgMuseumRTS, Respondec

Couple in knight armorRTS, Respondec

As the Medieval Crime Museum, so is the RothenburgMuseum in one former monastery building in the old town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber. The museum promises Insights into history Rothenburg, from the early Middle Ages through the time as an imperial city to the times of the Nazi dictatorship in Germany and the reconstruction of the city after the Second World War. What should you definitely see in the RothenburgMuseum? We think: a lot!

Multifaceted walk through the city's history

The RothenburgMuseum offers a perfect all-round solution for anyone who is fascinated by the development of the city over the centuries. The Impressive monastery kitchen in the former Dominican convent testifies to the city's rich historical heritage. You can experience the warlike aspects of the city's history in the Baumann weapons collection. The representation of Rothenburg by the romantic painter goes hand in hand with the tourist rediscovery of the medieval city in the 19th century.
The monastery kitchen in the RothenburgMuseum – the oldest of its kind

The RothenburgMuseum is located in the buildings of a former Dominican monastery and in one Tour of the cloister There are some original, unique treasures to be found - above all the monastery kitchen from the time the building was built around 1240. It is considered oldest surviving monastery kitchen Germany and is even still used from time to time, e.g. B. if Children's groups Learn something about cooking in the Middle Ages in a museum educational setting.
Judaica and Christian representations

This is also reflected in the RothenburgMuseum Change in the coexistence of religions and denominations in Rothenburg ob der Tauber again. The Jewish community once made up 10 percent of Rothenburg's population, but as a result of the Nazi dictatorship there is no longer an active Jewish community. In the RothenburgMuseum you can find in the Judaica Collection historical gravestones and information about Rabbi Meir ben-Baruch, one of the most important Jewish legal scholars of the Middle Ages. The change from the old church to the Protestant faith can also be seen in the RothenburgMuseum; figures of saints from the once Catholic St. James' Church were removed from the church after the city's denominational change and are now in the RothenburgMuseum.
Weapons from the knightly era and the 30 Years' War

The Baumann Collection contains one of the largest weapons collections in Europe from different eras. In addition to knight's armor, muskets from the 30 Years' War or lances and swords, you can find real parade weapons in this section of the RothenburgMuseum: a hunting rifle, that once the French Queen Marie Antoinette was presented, or Dueling pistols, the Andes Princes of Metternich went. All made to a high standard, but probably never used.
Picture gallery in the RothenburgMuseum: The picturesque Rothenburg

English and American painters discovered Rothenburg ob der Tauber at the end of the 19th century as a sleepy gem that had fallen out of time. Artists like Arthur Wasse were inspired by the medieval city and produced a large series picturesque city views from Rothenburg ob der Tauber. The painters also contributed to the tourist discovery of the city. In the Picture gallery The RothenburgMuseum contains the most famous works of art with views of the Jakobskirche or the Taubertal, but also scenes from everyday agricultural life in Rothenburg's old town.

Opening hours

For current opening times, please refer directly to the museum pages below: www.rothenburgmuseum.de

January - March 22nd: 14.00:17.00 p.m. - XNUMX:XNUMX p.m
March 23 - October: 10.00 a.m. - 18.00 p.m
November - December: 14.00:17.00 p.m. - XNUMX:XNUMX p.m
During the Christmas market: 10.00 a.m. - 16.00 p.m
Closed December 24th and 31st

A look back in Rothenburg ob der Tauber - at the Dominican monastery

The interior of the church? Can go! The walls? The stones can also be easily turned into money. The local master mason Johann Philipp Krämmer acquired the church of the former Dominican monastery in Rothenburg ob der Tauber in 1812, auctioned by the new masters in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Bavaria. After the Napoleonic wars, they had to cash in quickly; the kingdom, like the city of Rothenburg, was bankrupt and quickly needed foreign currency. In Rothenburg ob der Tauber, which fell to the Kingdom of Bavaria, things are sold that are not nailed down. Parts of the city wall (!!!) and towers are offered for sale and purchased by private individuals, as are lakes and vineyards and some of the city's churches. And they can do whatever they want with the new property. Mr. Krämmer exploits his new property, the stones are removed and reused: Little by little, the church of the former Dominican convent disappears - including its contents. New things emerge from its walls - the church is recycled.

Where we find the monastery garden today in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, the nuns once went to mass. On the south side of today's RothenburgMuseum, the church was directly adjacent to the monastery. This ceased to be used as a monastery long before the 19th century episode and was already used as a warehouse for agricultural products in the 18th century. Wine and grain were traded from here. In the middle of the 16th century, the last Dominican nuns disappeared from the monastery

It was founded as an aristocratic monastery in 1258 by Lupold von Nordenberg - by the way, the same Lupold von Nordenberg who you will also meet as the city's imperial chef (the hotel and restaurant on Kirchplatz are freely named after him).

It was such a thing with the nuns in Rothenburg ob der Tauber. The monasteries such as the Johanniter Monastery (today the Crime Museum), the Franciscan Monastery (in today's Herrngasse) or the Beguine Monastery (once in Klingengasse) in the city were, like the city itself, free of the empire and therefore legally subordinate only to the emperor. As a self-sufficient place in the city, those responsible for the citizenry sometimes noticeably danced on their noses; in the event of a dispute, the emperor or his lawyers decided. The monasteries often served as a power base for the donors in a place. In the case of the Dominican Sisters, it was once about the right to sell wine, which the city leaders claimed for the citizens.

Since the noble ladies quite often brought in vineyards as a dowry when they moved into the monastery, the superior of the monastery quite boldly ignored the monopoly. Although the verdict was against the monastery ladies, no one really cared and the wine continued to flow quite blatantly from the monastery.

The convent became interesting for the regional noble families in times of great need: the monastery, which was largely isolated from the rest of the population, served as an ideal refuge during the great plague in the 14th century. At that time, anyone who could afford it entered the monastery as a nun - the Christian faith only played a secondary role.

The decline in morals then became too colorful for the superiors of the Dominicans, who were already more loyal to the Pope - but not every lady caught on to moral sermons and reminders of the principles of the monastic community. Outside the monastery walls, the population didn't notice much of this going on; only the monastery's servants carried rumors and stories outside. Some of these employees lived in the small houses that still stand today on the east side opposite the entrance to the museum. The employees processed the wine and agricultural products and took care of the cleanliness of the monastery grounds.

The citizens of Rothenburg worried about the safety of the city because of the monastery for a long time. In the northwest of the city, the monastery walls functioned as part of the first city fortifications and were therefore a critical point during attacks. Because we remember: Citizens were actually not allowed to enter the monastery - a separate legal area. The solution was probably corridors on the city wall that were shielded from the monastery and could be reached by Rothenburg's defenders from the city area. This can no longer be proven 100 percent, but despite the overexploitation over the years, the evolution of the building's details in the Dominican convent can still be traced surprisingly well: there are details from the farmyards before the monastery was founded, and the monastery kitchen is still one of the highlights today Many construction phases can be traced in the museum and also in the further course. Today's picture galleries not only look like office spaces, they were once actually used that way. While the (over)zealous Philipp Krämmer calmly demolished the church, the city officials used the rooms on the first floor after the mediatization as a rent office - according to today's understanding, a tax office. One can imagine how popular the building was among the citizens of Rothenburg.

We use cookies when they are strictly necessary for the operation of the website. For all other purposes and data transmission to external providers, we need your consent. You can revoke this here at any time. For more information see our Privacy policy.

Video deselect all Videos are embedded via external providers. Third-party cookies may be set when content is displayed. YouTube Vimeo
Map We use map material from OpenStreetMap to display an interactive map.
Translation The translation function is provided via GTranslate.
Statistics We use the web analysis tool Matomo for anonymous statistical evaluation. This information helps us to understand how visitors use our website.
Other deselect all We have integrated additional services from external providers. Third-party cookies may be set when content is displayed.