Rothenburg ob der Tauber - city panorama. Photo: © Rothenburg Tourismus
Love at first sight: The Romantic Road It is easy to lose your heart along Germany’s oldest and most famous touring route with its picturesque towns, Baroque palaces and medieval villages. Wibke Carter travels the Romantic Road for Discover Germany. TEXT: WIBKE CARTER
I cannot believe how hot it is. Who knew that southern Germany, or Franconia to be precise, could feel like an Italian summer? With temperatures of 27 degrees, lush vineyards sprawling the hills and locals enjoying ‘Aperol spritz’ on the Old Main Bridge, I can surely be forgiven for feeling like I am in more southern pastures. I’ve travelled to Würzburg, the northern gateway of the Romantic Road, to begin my 350-kilometrelong trip south to Füssen. The capital of Franconia is a bustling university city which was restored to its former glory after near complete destruction during World War II. High on a hill sits the impressive Marienberg 84 | Issue 76 | July 2019
Fortress, while the Residence Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of Europe’s most renowned Baroque castles. Inside, I marvel at Balthasar Neumann's famous staircase and the ceiling fresco by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, spanning over a remarkable 18 by 30 metres. In the evening, I mingle with the locals on communal benches at the Bürgerspital Weinstuben. All throughout summer, local wine and food are enjoyed and celebrated at outdoor festivals like the Hofgarten Weinfest (28 June to 7 July 2019). Before setting off on my road adventure, I detour to the small town of Iphofen – with 24 wineries, a hub of Franconian wine
production – to meet Andy Weigand. Only in his late 20s, he belongs to a new generation of winemakers.“We question some of the old methods and try to find new, better ways of winemaking,”he says while showing me around his vineyard. This includes hand harvesting, organic pest control, spontaneous fermentation and a focus on fewer but high-quality grapes. Soon, I follow the brown and white signs for the Romantic Road which weaves through traditional villages and small towns like Tauberbischofsheim and Lauda-Königshofen. The sun bathes the landscape in a kaleidoscope of green and yellow; the open fields of poppies, corn flowers and wheat – dotted with white houses, black barns and orange roof tiles – ripple like an ocean in the breeze. It takes just under an hour to reach Rothenburg ob der Tauber, one of