Rothenburg ob der Tauber is Christmas market is one of my favorites situated in an 800-year-old medieval town in Bavaria, Germany.

1. Rothenburg ob der Tauber: One of My Favorite German
Christmas Markets
monkeysandmountains.com /rothenburg-ob-der-tauber-german-christmas-market
Rothenburg ob der Tauber is one of the best-preserved medieval towns I’ve ever been to! It’s an
800-year-old town on the Romantic Road situated approximately half way between Munich and
Frankf urt.
The

2. The
defence
towers and
city wall that
encloses
much of the
city makes it
feel like you
are stepping
back in
time.
Rothenburg
ob der
Tauber is the
epitome of
medieval
romance.
I loved
Rothenburg
ob der
Tauber when
I was there in
April a
couple of
years ago.
And was
excited to return to
visit its famous
Christmas market,
the Reiterlesmarkt
(Rider’s Market).
The Rothenburg ob
der Tauber has a
long tradition dating
back more than 500
years. Its name
comes from a
messenger riding a
horse.
Th e m a i n s q u a r e
S n o w co m i n g d o wn o ve r th e ch u r ch

3. In medieval times it was believed that otherworldly messengers would appear and float through the skies carrying with
them the souls of the dead. Not a very Christmasy thought! Fortunately times have changed and today the mystical
messenger is now considered to be a friendly messenger and is welcomed. The messenger makes his appearance
on the first day that the market opens (at the end of November). I missed this by a week, but locals tell me it’s worth
seeing.
Also not to be missed is a visit to Käthe Wohlfahrt, which is self- described as “the most exceptional Christmas specialty
store in the world.” It just may be with its 30,000+ assortment of Christmas decorations on offer! I was certainly
impressed with all the monkeys on display:

4. Upon entering I heard one American teenager declare “This is the coolest store I’ve ever been in.” Even if you’re not
there to buy, it’s worth a look with its Christmas village illuminated with over 130,000 LED lights:
Later on, I overheard an elderly English lady declaring it to be “Christmas heaven”. It’s definitely enchanting! There’s
also a Christmas museum upstairs, which takes visitors through the history of Christmas. Käthe Wohlfahrt and the
Christmas Museum are both open year round, but really get into full swing come December.
What really makes the Rothenburg ob der Tauber Christmas market alive is its atmosphere. I feel like I’m slipping back
in time a few centuries as I sip my white mulled wine (different from the usual red mulled wine that you find at other
Christmas markets) so be sure to try it.
The only difference is that as I head back to Hotel Rappen Just outside the Würz burger Tor (one of the city gates), I
fortunately don’t see any criminals left to hang as their punishment for their crimes, as I may have seen in medieval
times.
I turn up the heat and crawl under my coz y covers, shivering at the very thought of how cold it would have been back in
the middle ages when there was no heating.
Perhaps there is no time to visit Rothenburg ob der Tauber like the present – when I can have the
best of both worlds!
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For more information see the Rothenburg ob der Tauber Tourismus or Bavaria Tourismus Marketing.
About Laurel
Laurel Robbins is a free- spirited adventurer, award- winning travel blogger at Monkeys and Mountains
Adventure Travel Blog. Many hats, one travel obsessed Canadian in Germany.