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It always depends on the point of view what is the start
or the end of a road - if you are looking to the mountains, then the Romantic
Street in southern Germany starts in Fuessen, we
just have visited some days before ( you didn't ? Try! ). But believe me, all
people of that wonderful town we will see today will say, Wuerzburg is the
beginning of that marvellous Romantic Street. Take a look, all these towers
in the capital town of Lower Franconia are they not looking like the silhouettes
of mountains?
Now first the main question - where is Wuerzburg? Take a
map from Germany, put your finger in the middle to Frankfurt and slip a little
bit to east and then to south. Now you are normally in Lower Franconia (if
your fingers are not to big or sliding to fast), just between Nuernberg and
Frankfurt. A very important highway cross is also there, the motorways A 7
from northern Germany (Kassel - Ulm - Kempten)
and the A 3 (Frankfurt - Nuernberg) meet here
together. Distance from Frankfurt about one hour drive, from Munich airport
I will need with my airportshuttle a little less than two hours. Wuerzburg
is also a railroad cross and a lot of busses are stopping there too.
I bet that travellers whole over the world know the river
Main connected with the name of Frankfurt airbase. The town of Wuerzburg has
been located for almost 3000 years along the shores of the Main river. The
photograph shows a view of Wuerzburg with the Main river in the foreground
(This should be correct English, I hope so now, my dear corrector from the
outside).
The history of this nice town at the Romantic Street started
with the founding of a Celtic castle on the Marienberg (Hill of Maria).Later
on earls, dukes and the German Cesar Friedrich Barbarossa (named "Redbeard")
took this place for residence. The old stones could tell you names like Tilman
Riemenschneider (famous wood arts), Balthasar Neumann (great architecture)
or Rudolf Virchow (medicine) and Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen ( who do not know
x-ray units, that was the guy who discovered this), they all lived and worked
in Wuerzburg once.
The old times are gone but not the the memory and stone
documentation. Our picture below shows you the barock military castle long
time the residence of the prince-bishops from Wuerzburg. Below the 500 years
old stone bridge over the river Main, till today fine. This was handycraft,
wasn't it?
Old buildings, history, nice views and stories are one reason
to visit a town. That's the vacation part. Wuerzburg today is worth the other
and necessary part too, for business or / and education. In 1582 there was
founded the Julius-Maximilian-University and in our times over 20 000 students
are learning there in different branchs. The town also is like a magnet for
congresses and exhibitions, space for guests they have enough or do you think,
over 4000 beds in the nice and modern accommodations will be to less? But not
all times all visitors the citizens of Wuerzburg liked. In 1631 the Swedish
army lead by king Gustav Adolf was laying there three years. In my legend part
a little further on I will tell you one story of that dark time.
Quick back to the possibilities for vacation. I guess, one
day is really to short for sightseeing. For example, there are some different
roundtrips (every one nearly a two hours walk) just for looking on the main
important points. If you want have some guide tours in the inside, you will
need much more time. And believe me, it will be worth it.
My, excuse me, the picture given me by the town on the left
is one famous building now under the protections of the UNESCO as a world heir,
the "Residenz".
Working or walking, the last one as a visitor, makes always
hungry and thirsty. You are a lucky one, if you stay there in Lower Franconia.
Although they have an important brewery in Wuerzburg this town has a door to
paradise. Vine yards all around in the lovely landscape, a lot of small restaurants
with dishes home used (like mother will cook, if she is franconian) and naturally,
international ones too. Excellent accommodations small and big, the most family
size, lots of sportive possibilities and the special flair of Franconia, you
will understand why people love Wuerzburg and the Romantic Street, mainly the
whole romantic area there.
Before I finish with my used sentences ( you can just jump down here) one old story from the town. If you sometimes
visit Wuerzburg you see the town mayors house with a high tower, named the
Duke's Eckhardt-Tower. In older times they had a guard up there and people
told the following story:
The tower guard from the Duke's Eckhardts-Tower at Wuerzburg
It was to the times of the thirty-years-during war. 1631
the Swedish army had conquered the town and stayed now the third year there.
It was cruel for all citizens. Nearly in every house the enemies were living,
the officers near the old fish-market area, soldiers everywhere in all houses.
On the third annuary day the old town mayor walked all steps up to the tower
top where the guard named Joerg lived and watched. This young guy was brave
and got the job in reason of his good eyes to look far over the area.
The guard was very astonished to see the old town mayor
at him because normally he has to go down and so he was wondering, what the
mayor want from him. The old man thought some minutes silent if he could trust
that young man, than he started to talk. "Once in the mountains a grain
of sand fell down and ripped more and more with him so at the end it was a
big fall. The same I want that you do, small in your hand but getting a huge
result" . Here he stopped, asking sudden: "Are you loyal to our cesar?"
The tower guard said: " Mayor, I am so loyal like the river to his shores
or the swallows to my tower".
"Ok," the mayer continued, "than listen
to me. The town will give a big ceremony that evening to all our Swedish enemies
in case of the annuary. The generals will be served in the monastery over the
river, the officers will have their dishes in the town mayors hall and all
soldiers will be served in the houses they stay. The vine will be good and
very sweet and before the bell rings 22 hours, they will all sleep very deep.
But just than, if you had done your normal work and count the ten bell hits
by your own hand like usual, the sound of the clock will be a sign. At the
gate to Mainz there will wait the army of the cesar, the last bell sound will
open that door and all enemies will be killed in that night. So we must go
sure, that the bell rings exactly otherwise we failed our freedom".
Joerg was happy and proud about the honest and confident
job the town mayor want him to do. There was no doubt that this young guy will
do his duty and the town mayer went back downstairs with the hope for freedom.
The tower guard himself was looking over the town beneath his work place thinking
about the coming. Perhaps he also thought about the orphan girl named Rieke,
living in the same tower. She was the child of the last tower guard and the
town has allowed her to live there further on. As a thank she always kept an
eye on Joerg's living rooms. But in all time, he wanted to speak to her a little
longer she was flying away like a shy bird. In the contrary, if he saw her
fetching the water at the fountain near the tower, she was staying even till
the Swedish horsemen were coming. It made him sad but soon it will have an
end.
Sun was gone, Joerg went down the stairs to close the
tower as he suddenly heard something strange. So he looked for this curious
noise very careful and silent. Then he heard two voices and coming nearer unvisibly
he understood the whispered talk.
The young maiden Rieke just said: " Believe me Axel,
you all will be lost after the bell had ring ten o'clock. That's the reason
I have called you here in otherwise I never will have done that. Fly away,
rescue your life!" Then a man asked in broken German from whom she will
know. Rieke told that Swedisch soldier, she had listen to the talk between
the town mayor and the tower guard. But the Swedish was not really believing
her :" I can not believe that, they will be crazy. If you tell me the
truth I must warn all my comrades!". The girl begged him again "
Let the others, rescue yourself, please!"
The tower guard did not listen longer to that betrayal,
he slipped upstairs as quick as possible. Just as he arrived in the clock room
the bell started to hit one quarter to ten. Joerg knew now, every minute will
count and he put hand on the clock and let the bell sound ten, 15 minutes earlier
than in reality. If the Lord will help freedom will come and no betrayal can
avoid this.
Next morning all Swedish soldiers were dead and the tower
guard the heroe. The town gave him big honours and in memory of his brave and
thinkful decision he got the right every evening 15 minutes to ten ringing
earlier. This use should be kept over hundred years, people told. But acting
like an heroe he lose his love and lived alone till he died although this girl
Rieke later wanted him but he didn't. So far the legend of that today existing
tower.
In our new century the citizens of Wuerzburg are nice to
everybody, even the Swedish can come again without fear for death. Yeah, in
september the town has a Swedish cultury festival week - I guess some inhabitants
of that town are great-grandsons of some soldiers in the Middle Ages.
Nevertheless we are all humans that's the main important
thing. And a second very true old sentence in Latin said: "in vino veritas".
Oh you never learned Latin? No problem, that means drinking wine helps seeing
and talking the truth - you can try this in the vine week from 26th may till
4th june. The whole town is decorated with vine cottages, you can test over
100 different ones and the original franconian dishes too.
More informations you can get by the Tourist
Information or you visit the own homepage
of Wuerzburg. Maybe, we will meet us there or shall your personal airportshuttle
pick you up at Munich airport for a trip to that town?
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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more or in the internet,
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