Marktplatz Rothenburg

The market square of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, enclosed by the Rathaus with its Renaissance arcade and the gabled houses of the old town. One of the most photographed squares in Germany, it serves in summer as an open-air auditorium. The square has been the centre of the town since the twelfth century. The western half of the town hall is Gothic and its tower is reached by 220 steps; the eastern half burned in 1501 and was rebuilt in Renaissance form during the sixteenth century, the arcade being added in 1681. On the Ratstrinkstube opposite, a mechanical clock plays every hour between ten in the morning and ten at night, its figures re-enacting the Meistertrunk legend of mayor Nusch. In summer the square becomes an outdoor performance space, including concerts by the Ambassadors of Music, and a gathering point for Der Meistertrunk and the Reichsstadt-Festtage. In winter it forms part of the setting for the Reiterlesmarkt Christmas market.