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Rothenburg upon Tauber City (Germany)

Stadt Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Landkreis Ansbach, Bayern

Last modified: 2020-07-11 by klaus-michael schneider
Keywords: rothenburg odt | castle(red) | stripes(11) |
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[Rothenburg 11-Stripes Banner] [Rothenburg Bicoloured Banner] [Rothenburg Plain Banner]      


images by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 18 Apr 2014 See also:

City of Rothenburg upon Tauber

Brief History

Rothenburg today is a small city having a great touristical importance, because the Medieval city is almost completely kept. It is also famous for its hand made Christmas decorations. Rothenburg had its roots in Detwang, one of its nowadays 39 settlement cores, where an East Franconian nobleman, named Reiniger, established a parish in 970. The Counts of Colmburg-Rothenburg later erected among others the so called "count's castle" on top of a local hill, the core of a settlement, located "upon river Tauber". The counts died out in 116 and donated the castle to the monastery of Colmburg. But German King Heinrich V didn't reconfirm the donation and gave it to his nephew, later King Konrad III as a fiefdom. Konrad erected an imperial castle in 1137. His son Friedrich gained the title of a Duke of Rothenburg in 1157.
King Rudolf of Habsburg granted the title of a Free Imperial City to Rothenburg on 15 May 1247. During the 30-Years-War the city was besieged and captured by 60,000 imperial soldiers, commanded by General Count of Tilly on 30 October 1631. The mayor, caused by Tilly, downed 3,25 litres of wine without a break and thus saved the city from destruction. The last soldiers left the city in 1650, two years after the war had ended. Since then the importance of the city rapidly declined and it became some kind of a sleeping beauty. Since 1803 the city became part of Bayern and had to cede the western parts of its territories to Württemberg.
Source: Stadler 1968, p.54
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 18 Apr 2014

Rothenburg 11-Stripes Banner

It is an 11-stripes flag divided by vertical, alternating red and white stripes. The coat of arms is shifted to the top. It is the flag occasionally hoisted in the middle of the town hall front. (see left image above)
Source: Stefan Schwoon's database
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 18 Apr 2014

Rothenburg Bicoloured Banner

It is a red - white vertical bicolour. The coat of arms is shifted to the top. (see central image above)
Source: Stefan Schwoon's database
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 18 Apr 2014

Rothenburg Plain Banner

It is a red - white vertical bicolour. It seems to be the every day flag of the town hall, hoisted in front of a side wing. (see right image above)
Source: Stefan Schwoon's database
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 18 Apr 2014

Rothenburg 11-Stripes Flag

[Rothenburg 11-Stripes Flag] 3:5 image by Klaus-Michael Schneider,

It is an 11-stripes flag divided by horizontal, alternating red and white stripes. The coat of arms is in the centre of the flag.
Source: Stefan Schwoon's database
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 18 Apr 2014

Rothenburg Bicoloured Flag

[Rothenburg Bicoloured Flag] 3:5 image by Klaus-Michael Schneider,

It is a red over white horizontal bicolour. The coat of arms is in the centre of the flag.
Source: Stefan Schwoon's database
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 18 Apr 2014

Rothenburg Coat of Arms

In a silver (= white) shield is a red, couped castle, consisting of an embattled wall, crowned by a small lodge, which is flanked two embattled tower, all with windows silver (= white). The wall is arched in base and divided by a silver (= white) fess.
Please note that the image of shield and castle differs. Sometimes the lodge is replaced by just one pinnacle, sometimes the towers have one window each, sometimes two, sometimes the wall or the complete castle is masoned black. The edge of the shield sometimes is red, sometimes black.
Meaning:
Red and white is one set of colours of the flags of free imperial cities. Furthermore here the red castle (German: rote Burg) is canting. It is first mentioned in 1240 by Konrad of Mure. It appeared since the 14th century on top of the city gates and since the 15th century in any roll of arms. It also appeared on seals from 1274 (on occasion of title of a free imperial city; prints since 1303), which had been derived from the seals of the local reeves (Burgvögte), which existed since 1227. The lodge sometimes is interpreted as a courthouse. A banner of arms was first mentioned in 1462.
Source: Stadler 1968, p.54
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 18 Apr 2014


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