We woke up late and after breakfast at our hotel, we travelled to Reutlingen, the place where Sam's ancestors came from. He had the neatest leather-bound book including the history of the Aikele family. It was full of facts, pictures, experiences, journal entries, and life history from several generations. We toured the small city and visited the Marienkirche (church) where his great-great grandparents were married. We really enjoyed walking through the small town and then drove on to Rothenburg.
Several generations later, Sam and Marquessa Aikele
Joe was picking out a snack. Those berries were delicious!
There was a dinosaur exhibit in the town square. Jake and Amber had way too much fun with them.
When we arrived in Rothenburg, we walked along the wall around the city and then through the town square to see the Tauber River, Town Hall, and shops. Rothenburg ob der Tauber is well known for its well-preserved medieval old town. Its name means "Red fortress above the Tauber". This is because the town is located on a plateau overlooking the Tauber River. As to the name "Rothenburg", some say it comes from the German words
Rot (Red) and
Burg
(burgh, medieval fortified town), referring to the red color of the
roofs of the houses which overlook the river.
In the 19th century, Rothenburg held a special significance for Nazi ideologists. For
them, it was the epitome of the German 'Home Town', representing all
that was quintessentially German. Throughout the 1930s the Nazi
organization "KDF"
organized regular day trips to Rothenburg from all across the Reich.
This initiative was staunchly supported by Rothenburg's citizenry – many
of whom were sympathetic to National Socialism – both for its economic
benefits and because Rothenburg was hailed as "the most German of German
towns". In October 1938 Rothenburg expelled its Jewish citizens, much
to the approval of Nazis and their supporters across Germany.
In March 1945 in World War II,
German soldiers were stationed in Rothenburg to defend it. On March 31,
bombs were dropped over Rothenburg by 16 planes, killing 39 people and
destroying 306 houses, six public buildings, nine watchtowers, and over
2,000 feet of the wall. The U.S Assistant Secretary of War, John J. McCloy, knew about the historic importance and beauty of Rothenburg, so he ordered US Army General Jacob L. Devers not use artillery in taking Rothenburg. The local military commander Major Thömmes ignored the order of Adolf Hitler
for all towns to fight to the end and gave up the town, thereby saving
it from total destruction by artillery. American troops occupied the town on April 17, 1945, and in November 1948
McCloy was named Honorable Protectorate of Rothenburg. After the war,
the residents of the city quickly repaired the bombing damage. Donations
for the rebuilding were received from all over the world. The rebuilt
walls feature commemorative bricks with donor names.
While buildings within the walled city reflect the city's medieval
history, the Town Hall Square is in many ways part of a normal, modern German
town with some concession to the tourist trade. Many stores and hotels
that are centered on tourists are clustered around the Town Hall Square
and along several major thoroughfares. Also
in the town is a criminal museum, containing various punishment and
torture devices that were used during the Middle Ages.
Loved this cute crooked door with a significant number on top!
Rothenburg has appeared in several films, notably fantasies. It was
the inspiration for the village in the 1940 Walt Disney movie
Pinocchio. It was also the location for the Vulgarian village scenes in the 1968 family movie,
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. And filming was also done in Rothenburg for
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 and
Part 2.
After lunch and some shopping, we visited the criminal museum and had a fun and interesting time there viewing the torture devices and coming up with new ways to discipline our children.
Calling the child catcher!
The boys loved the chastity belts and the different designs on them to make them pretty:
hearts, scallops, dots, flowers, and diamonds. Way too many jokes regarding these.
These masks were worn by women who gossiped, talked too much,
listened to gossip, quarrelled, or were just foolish.
The double neck violin was meant for two quarrelsome women. On the spot they were locked into it until they got along with each other. This might be effective in my house sometimes.
The wheels were used as the cruelest death penalty of former times. It was imposed on murderers only. The murderer was laid flat on the ground and then the executioner threw the wheel on the arms and legs of the convict until all bones were broken. When he was dead, he was woven through the spikes of the wheel and it was placed on a long post as a warning to all passersby.
After finishing our day in Rothenburg, we drove to Stuttgart and checked into the Freihof Hotel before heading to dinner at the Hotel Strobe Restaurant where we had yet another delicious meal. Even though the food was great, we were in for a long night because our hotel had no air conditioning and it was really hot in our rooms. Before turning in, we had our doors and windows open to try to circulate some cooler air since the hallway was several degrees more comfortable than our room. If we weren't worried about strangers watching us all night, we might have been tempted to leave the doors open while we slept. It was that hot!
The iron maiden (center) was for women and girls. It is covered on the inside and outside with sheet iron. Women were publicly displayed wearing the iron maiden for criminal acts and not as an instrument of death, which is contrary to popular belief. 
