Day 39: Nürnberg - Rothenburg ob der Tauber

We were not quite finished with Nürnberg, so we spent the morning viewing some sights before we went to Rothenburg ob der Tauber. The main thing that we wanted to see was the Nazi Documentation Center at the former former Nazi Rally grounds. This excellent museum focuses on Hitler's rise to power. After World War II, the city of Nürnberg was left with this partially completed complex. Hitler and his chief architect, Speer, had plans to create a massive facility like no other. It was to include a 400,000 seat stadium, a Zeppelin air field and a smaller city stadium. Due to the financial constraints of the war, the project was never completed. Nürnberg decided to use the remnants for educational purposes. The partially completed city stadium was turned into a museum. As we stepped of the tram, we were struck by the similarity between the Colosseum and Hitler's stadium. The pillars and the arches seemed to beg connection. We were also struck by the size of the facility. As we learned inside, the enormity of the architecture was intentionally designed to make one feel instantly part of something bigger and meaningful, while at the same time, leaving the individual feeling insignificant on his own. Even in its incomplete state, the rally grounds were used for the annual Nazi party conventions. The rallies increased in size and duration over the years.

The museum rooms followed the timeline, beginning at the end of World War I through the Nuremberg Trials. It was interesting to see the intentionality in Hitler's plans, particularly once he became Chancellor. He systematically removed opportunities for dissent within the government. Though we were familiar with his use of propaganda to create a vision of the perfect Germany, this museum really dissected his methods. We watched clips from Hitler's 'Triumph of the Will' propaganda film. Although we condemn Hitler for the burning of books and censoring of art, this film had originally been prohibited from public viewing by the Allies following the war. The museum's decision to show this film, as well as to display Hitler's 'Mein Kampf', is a testament to Germany's commitment to an informed public as part of a free democracy. The museum's title, 'Fascination and Terror,' is perfect as these were the key elements for the expansion of the Nazi party. We could definitely understand the fear people had during the Nazi era, as well as the cult of personality which Hitler created. Although the boys had originally not wanted to go through this museum based on their own discomfort with Nazi history, they were engrossed throughout and we have been having rich conversations about the human capacity for good and evil. Nicky was particularly struck by the concept of separating the German people from the Nazi past.




On a lighter note, we then returned to the Christkindlmarkt in search of an angel for the top of our Christmas tree. The straw angel that we had bought when we were living in Austria had disintegrated several years ago. We were successful and found an angel that we all love!

We arrived in Rothenburg ob der Tauber and left the travel weary boys in the hotel while we explored this amazing medieval city. Rothenburg is the best preserved medieval city in Germany. As our tour guide explained (more on him later), what attracts tourists today is the poverty of yesterday. If Rothenburg had had the means, they would have torn down the old city walls and straightened out the cobblestone streets centuries ago, as the majority of cities did. Fortunately for us and some 2,500,000 tourists each year, Rothenburg fell on hard times and we are still able to glimpse life in the Middle Ages. The winding cobblestone streets all lead from the outer city wall to the central market square, where the Christmas Market was in full swing. If there is a heart of Christmas in Germany, surely Rothenburg and Nürnberg are in competition for the title. In fact, many of the shops that have booths in the other Christmas markets around Germany are actually based in Rothenburg. We scouted out a traditional German Gasthof and returned for dinner with the boys.

Following dinner, we joined the Night Watchman for a walk through town. Along the way, he intertwined the history of Rothenburg with tales of life from the Middle Ages. He peppered his story with humor and many of those one-liners that are so predictable that they are truly funny. He delivered them so slowly and with such understatement that we were laughing before he even got to the punchline. As the shops began to close, we spent a wonderful hour walking through the darkened streets lit by the lantern of the Night Watchman.