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Hello friends of Bavaria and mine (I hope), here I am again,
your George from airport-shuttle Munich. Today we make a trip into a town full
of history and hidden jewel, the town Noerdlingen in Bavaria.
The USA have space ships but Bavaria and especially Noerdlingen has something
they needed first but I'll tell you later about this. First let's see where
this interesting town is located. Those of you who know the „Romantic
Street“ in Bavaria will find the town Noerdlingen in the middle between
end and beginning of that nice travel road. From Munich airport we will need
about 150 kilometer or 80 miles to reach Nördlingen. Using the highway
8 Munich-Stuttgart we take the exit Augsburg in direction Donauwörth on
a Federal Road and then to Noerdlingen.
From a distance we see the „Daniel“, that's not
a tall guy but a high church-bell tower of the „late gothic“ church
St. Georg just in middle of the town Noerdlingen. Later in town you will hear
five times a day a tower guard crying. This old custom and the cry „so,
G'sell, so“ (translated "hey buddy, hey") bases on a historical
briefed happening you will find below in the part of legends.
But back to the town Noerdlingen, it is a really nice one.
Surrounded by a big wall with five gates, sixteen towers and two big fighting
buildings it is a sweetie for people who love the Middle Ages and the buildings.
The wall was started in the 14th century and made stronger in the 16th and
17th century. These times were full of hard wars, you remember perhaps the 30-Years-War between the Katholics and the Protestants,
leaded by King Gustav Adolf from Swedia. Or you have the name Wallenstein in
your memory. For example, the Free Imperial Town Noerdlingen was in 1634 on
the Protestant party. The troups of the catholic german emperor tried three
weeks with shooting, surrounding and attacking to conquer the town, three weeks
senseless and full of losses. First they had beaten the protestant army they
were able to run over the walls.
We can be lucky, that in these old days towns and villages
were not so much damaged than in wars today otherwise we will not have this
marvellous flair of the Middle Ages. By the way, the status of „Free Imperial
Town“ Noerdlingen lose in 1802/1803, since that time it belongs to Bavaria.
And now we can proudly say, without Bavaria and the town
Noerdlingen the Apollo Missions of the US in the 70ties perhaps would not have
happened. You are wondering why? Now, that is the explanation of the main title
too: the town region, we name the area „Ries“, is an unique landscape
on world. Once a day, 15 million years ago, a big meteorite smashed down there
and made a crater like you will find on the moon. So the NASA send their boys
over to Bavaria to train climbing craters before they send them to our nightly
wanderer. Hey, what's the Americans without Bavarians, got me?
Ok, now to other people. I guess some of you wondering when
he is talking about Romans and Celtics
again. Here I do. But, I am very sorry, I can offer you only the Italian ancestors,
the Celtics never lived in the crater area. Some old relatives, a tribe named
„Alamannen“ was living there, I think they would be nearly the same
rough people because the Romans had a castle placed there the digging founds
show up. A lot of these things, also the scientic results from the crater,
you can visit in some museums in town. Another big museum is for all small
and big boys, a collection of railroad trains. You can see the original big
ones from former times, all good renovated.
If you plan your vacation in autumn time for Bavaria please
calculate the days between the 14th and 16th of september for an one-day-trip
or longer to Noerdlingen. They celebrate all three years there the „historical
townwall-festival“, then you can eat food made by old receptures, buy
and see old branches, fighting- and riding-shows, thousands of old costumes
and some more nice things from the Middle Ages.
Now my ususal legend part: maybe you know that in Germany
the pig is a symbol of luck not only something to eat although it is very good
tasting, believe me. The town Noerdlingen had in old times one pig, bringing
luck and saving the town. A female and the famous world known Bavarian beer
are also the main actors in that story, listen:
In the near of Noerdlingen was (and still is) located
the castle of Wallerstein. The knight there was a drinker and after a while
nobody want to borrow him money or give him something else. So he got the idea
to rob the town. But the town had these big walls, good guarded. So he tried
to make one gate guard as a treator because this guy was known to be a bad
one.
This gate guard agreed to let open one night the gate. But, in the near of
the gate there lived a pig, always as a prisoner. In this special night the
pig walked to the street, found the gate and look, there was a small opening.
The pig pushed his nose through and suddenly the gate opened up. Fine, lucky
for freedom the pig scubbered his back on the gatewing.
In the same time a nice female was coming from a pub carrying a bottle of beer
for the husband at home. She saw in the moonlight the red back part of the
pig and then she was aware that the other half of the pig was outside the gate,
it was open. She cried hell, the other guards came and closed the gate, caught
that guard and asked him about. (Believe me, in these old times they ask very
nice, our criminals todays could be happy). He confess what should happen by
that robbery knight and he was punished by cutting in four parts. This brave
female should have cried to him as being mad about this betrayal „so G'sell
so“ - that means something in the old times like „bandit“ or
more worse. And in memory of that happening the tower guard still today use
these words for his cry five times a day.
In the meantime I was at a nice sunny day again in Noerdlingen
and had my digicam with me. So you will have now some nice views here
 a beergarden old hauses meeting place
 St. Georg the organ Reimer-Gate
 Harburg-Gate
So that's for today with tales, some more are following
in the next days on the tale site. You should now decide wether you spent one
or more days in that interesting and marvellous area. The „Romantic
Street“ offers other nice towns too, take a look on Wuerzburg
or Tauberbischofsheim, they are not much far away.
And remember, if you need somebody to pick you up on Munich airport, I will
be there for you and would appreciate if I can serve you.
See you there or somewhere else, bye
Your George
Script by J.W.Lohfink, for any mistakes in spell or grammar I
apologize as a precaution, corrections, questions or comments please mail to me.
>> German version
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