This
post is based primarily on Don's notes, occasionally supplemented with MT's
notes from our cruise in 2018. When information from other sources is added—for
further explanation to readers or to satisfy our own curiosity—that is set off
in a text box (as this one).
Most
of the photos that accompany this post are from Don’s camera (with a caption
indicating the time it was taken); those from MT’s iPhone are indicated by “MT”
placed at the beginning of the photo caption. Photos from any other source (such
as the public domain Wikimedia Commons), occasionally used for clarification,
indicate that source in the caption.
We
woke at 8 am and went to breakfast at 9. The forecast was for 62-82° F and partly cloudy.
At
11:30 am, we went to the Aquavit Terrace for a view of the Main River and ate a
buffet lunch (soup and salad) there.
Wednesday, 15 Aug 2018, 11:39 AM – Main river: with higher water level (up to
trees) due to locks.
12:00 PM – Erlenbach am Main: Right (northeast) bank of Main with sign for
“Enberger Erlenbach a[m]. Main,” possibly a shipyard (telephoto 119 mm).
Erlenbach
am Main
(pop. 10,178) is the largest town in the Miltenberg District in the
Regierungsbezirk (Government Region) of Unterfranken (Lower Franconia) in the
northwest of the state of Bavaria. Since 1918, Erlenbach has been the site of a
shipyard that, as of 2003, was one of the largest inland shipyards in Europe.
12:00 PM – Wörth
am Main: left (southwest) bank of Main with sign for “Stadt Wörth a[m]. Main” (telephoto 119 mm).
Although the photo is blurred, it recorded the location.
Wörth
am Main
(pop. 4,654) is a town in the Miltenberg District in the Regierungsbezirk
(Government Region) of Unterfranken (Lower Franconia) in the northwest of the
state of Bavaria. It lies across from Erlenbach on the left (southwest) bank of
the Main, nestled between the hills of the Odenwald and the Spessart, 13 km (8
mi) northwest of Miltenberg. From 1652 to 1918, Wörth had up to three shipyards
that built wooden river boats and ships. The last remaining yard moved to Erlenbach,
across the river, where it still operates. The old town is characterized by
medieval town fortifications and Fachwerkhäuser (half-timbered houses).
12:00 PM – Wörth
am Main: left (southwest) bank of Main with sign for “Stadt Wörth a[m]. Main” on wall below same white
building.
12:00 PM – Wörth
am Main: left (southwest) bank of Main with Schiffermast (ship mast) with
flags.
12:14 PM – After Wörth am Main: approaching a lock (empty).
12:37 PM – After Wörth am Main: in that lock (now full) with “Paul P.” barge from
“Regensburg” ahead.
12:42 PM – After Wörth am Main: in that lock (now full) as Viking Skadi followed that
barge out of lock.
12:45 PM – Another town, after Wörth am Main: church with the first
Zwiebelturm (onion tower, characteristic of South German Baroque) we had seen
on this cruise (telephoto 119 mm).
1:14 PM (Cropped) – After Wörth am Main – long kayak with synchronized paddling by 4-man crew.
1:48 PM – After Wörth am Main: “Viking Tracker” on TV in our stateroom, showing position
of Viking Skadi between Kleinheubach and Miltenberg.
MT 1:56 PM – After Wörth am Main: “Viking Tracker” on TV in our stateroom, showing position
of Viking Skadi between Kleinheubach and Miltenberg.
We
also discovered the “Bow Camera” on the TV in our stateroom.
1:51 PM – After Wörth am Main: “Bow Camera” on TV in our stateroom, showing that Viking
Skadi was following a barge through another lock.
Miltenberg: Viking map of Miltenberg, showing Docking Place with “D” (in blue
circle) around bend of river at right, at the end of Luitpoldstraße.
The
Viking Daily newsletter said the ship would arrive at Freudenberg (about 7 km past
Miltenberg on the Main) at 2:45 pm, but the ship docked right in Miltenberg itself.
Miltenberg (pop. 9,324) is a
town in the Regierungsbezirk (Government Region) of Unterfranken (Lower
Franconia) in the northwest of the state of Bavaria. It is the seat of district
(pop. over 9,000) of the same name. The Altstadt (Old Town) is located on the
left (south) bank of the Main, on the “left knee” of the “Mainviereck” (Main
Square) between the Spessart and the Odenwald. From Miltenberg northward, the
river Main became broader. The historic center stands on a narrow strip of land
between the Main riverbed and the foot of the Odenwald. Since the beginning of
the 20th century, after buying land from the neighboring community of
Großheibach in 1912 and 1951, Miltenberg has been expanding over on the right
bank.
In pre-Roman times, circular
ramparts were built on the Greinberg above the present town of Miltenberg. Between
the 150s and mid-3rd century AD, the Romans built and occupied two castra (hill fortresses) in this area, which
housed their southernmost military presence on the Main. After the withdrawal
of the Romans from the area, the population of the region declined, and it was
only under the Franks (after 500) that population density again rose noticeably.
The Frankish settlements did not just grow out of the former Roman cores but
included separate newly established sites. Early medieval settlers concentrated
in the area northwest of the current town. In the 9th century, stones from one castrum (singular of castra) were used in early medieval
fortifications nearby. In the 10th to 12 centuries, a town hall was added to
this castle-like structure, largely following the foundations of the castrum. However, this settlement was
destroyed in 1247, and its population moved to the village of “Miltinburc,”
which had been founded in the first quarter of the 13th century and was first
mentioned in 1226. Already by the early Middle Ages, the area’s red
Buntsandstein (colorful sandstone) was highly sought after, with products such
as grindstones and columns being hewn in the surrounding woods.
Miltenberg/Miltinburc grew around a
Mainz toll station built on the riverbank around 1230, protected by the
Mildenburg (castle) that had been established by the Bishop of Würzburg in the
first half of the 13th century. A castle settlement with a marketplace quickly
took on the character of a town. In 1237, the village was awarded the status of
town. For protection, walls from the castle were extended around the town. By
the 14th century, the town had expanded to the limits that roughly endured
until the 19th century: from the Würzburger Tor (Würzburg Gate) on the east to
the Spitzenturm/Mainzer Tor (Pointed Tower/Mainz Gate) on the west. The
original core was already known as the Altstadt (Old Town) in 1417.
The town’s strategic position on
the bend of the navigable river and on the important trade route between
Nuremberg and Frankfurt made it a politically influential member of the
Neun-Städte-Bund (Nine Town League) of Mainz. That state of affairs lasted
until 1525.
Miltenberg: Engraving from
1655 (By Matthäus Merian - scan of the historical book by
http://www.digitalis.uni-koeln.de/digitaletexte.html, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1984266).
The Franziskanerkirche (Franciscan Church) was built from 1667. Most of
the around 150 Fachwerkhäuser (half-timbered houses) dominating the appearance
of the Old Town today date from the 15th to 18th centuries. The inn Zum Riesen (To the Giant), originally a
Gothic house from circa 1400, was replaced in 1590 by the current building. The
Hotel Zum Riesen is one of Germany’s oldest inns, if not the oldest.
During the early 19th century, the
city lost its central position in the Electoral State of Mainz, it found itself
unfortunately situated on the edge of the Kingdom of Bavaria. At that point,
the major phases of urban development ended, and hence the medieval townscape
has been preserved to this day. Nowadays, Miltenberg’s previous importance is
evident in its magnificent half-timbered houses, for instance in the Alter
Marktplatz (Old Marketplace), better known as the Schnatterloch (Chatter Hole).
The Schwarzviertel (Black Quarter), the oldest part of the city, snuggles
between the Main and the Greinberg.
2:14 PM – Miltenberg: Viking Skadi passing under (low)
Mainbrücke (Main Bridge).
Miltenberg: Mainbrücke (Main Bridge)
(By Rufus46 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12139126).
The Mainbrücke (Main Bridge) at Miltenberg has 6 arches and a ramp. The
dominating Romanesque gatehouse has a hipped roof. The bridge was built in
1898-1900, demolished in 1945 when Americans were said to be coming, and
reconstructed in 1947-50.
Miltenberg: Mainbrücke
gatehouse (By Saarländer1950 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=35616569).
2:14 PM – Miltenberg: looking back at Mainbrücke with
Brückentor (bridge gatehouse) at far end.
The
guide for our tour group, 13D, was Jeanette, who was born in Miltenberg but had
moved away for 30 years. We started our guided tour from the east end of the
Altstadt (Old Town), near the Würzburger Tor (Würzburg Gate) at the east end of
the Hauptstraße (Main Street).
2:14 PM – Miltenberg: looking back at Mainbrücke with
Brückentor (bridge gatehouse) at left (mild telephoto 81 mm).
To confirm locations of places we saw on the tour and to gain additional information about them, Don consulted “Liste der Baudenkmäler in Miltenberg” (List of Architectural Monuments in Miltenberg) at https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_der_Baudenkm%C3%A4ler_in_Miltenberg, which lists buildings identified for protection by the Bayerisches Landesamt für Denkmalpflege (Bavarian State Office for Preservation of Monuments) by street and house number, with brief description and photo. The Miltenberg portion of that official list (with text but no photos) can be found at http://geodaten.bayern.de/denkmal_static_data/externe_denkmalliste/pdf/denkmalliste_merge_676139.pdf. Also useful in identifying buildings on Hauptstraße were search results at https://www.google.com/search?q=hauptstrasse+miltenberg&rlz=1C1EODB_enUS571US586&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjMioaMtsPfAhVInq0KHWXPCGEQ7Al6BAgGEA8&biw=797&bih=755#imgrc=_.
2:35 PM – Miltenberg: view from near docking place up
Luitpoldstraße toward Würzburger Tor (telephoto 105 mm). This location was
confirmed by the Esso gas station (with prices in euros per liter), which is
shown on the Viking map. Our guide pointed out the houses on the left,
constructed of red Buntsandstein (colorful sandstone).
2:45 PM – Miltenberg: from near Viking Skadi at docking
place, with our guide for Group 13D (note that her red paddle says “Viking
Bragi,” our originally scheduled ship, which we would join later), view toward
the other end of the wall, which the guide said was 1.5 km. In background at
right of center is the Mainbrücke; on the hill just above it is Mildenburg
castle (white); this was where our guide pointed to the castle.
MT 2:45 PM – Miltenberg: geese on riverbank near
docking place.
2:55 PM – Miltenberg: Brückentor (bridge gatehouse) at
south end of Mainbrücke (mild telephoto 44 mm).
MT 2:55 PM – Miltenberg: closer view of Brückentor
(bridge gatehouse) at south end of Mainbrücke (mild telephoto 44 mm).
Rather
that heading up Luitpoldstraße toward Würzburger Tor, the guide took us into
the Altstadt via the Ziegelgasse. (Don would come back to the Würzburger Tor
later, after the guided tour.)
3:02 PM – Miltenberg: our guide said this was an old
watchtower (although it had no windows or battlement for watching?).
Miltenberg: this very similar
photo more clearly shows traffic light with street sign for “Ziegelgasse” (By Images from Wiki Loves Monuments
2014, DE-BY, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=35062629).
The “Liste der Baudenkmäler in
Miltenberg” (List of Architectural Monuments in Miltenberg) has a “Rundturm”
(round tower) as part of the fortifications of Miltenberg, located at
Ziegelgasse 9, without a photo. The description “ ‘Blaue Kappe’, Mitte 14.
Jahrhunderts, mit Fachwerkaufbau, nach 1550” translates as “ ‘Blaue Kappe’ [Blue
Cap/Hood], middle of the 14th century with half-timbered superstructure, after
1550.” The only thing missing here is the half-timbered part.
The list for Miltenberg is based on
the “Liste der Baudenkmäler in Bayern” (List of Architectural Monuments in
Bavaria) from the Bayerisches Landesamt für Denkmalpflege (Bavarian State
Office for Preservation of Monuments). That list also has no photo but a
description for Ziegelgasse 9: “sog.[enannte] ‘Blaue Kappe’ mit Fachwerkaufsatz
(1604 d). der nordöstliche Runde Turm mit Kegelspitze des 20. Jh” which translates
as: “so-called ‘Blaue Kappe’ with half-timbered superstructure, dated 1604, the
northeast round tower with conical pointed top, of the 20th century.” This
could mean that the half-timbered structure at the top was added in 1804, but
may have disappeared before the conical roof was added in the 20th century.
Miltenberg: portion of this
photo showing traffic light with street sign for “Ziegelgasse” (By Images from Wiki
Loves Monuments 2014, DE-BY, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=35062629, Cropped).
MT 2:59 PM – Miltenberg: closer view of what our guide
said this was an old watchtower; here, one can just make out “Ziegelgasse” on
the street sign below the traffic light (mild telephoto 54 mm).
3:02 PM – Miltenberg: guide’s paddle leading us toward Ziegelgasse
(Brick Alley) street ahead, across intersection, with that tower on right.
3:04 PM – Miltenberg: view up Ziegelgasse street toward
St. Johannes Protestant church (tower); MT near our guide.
“Ehrlich Touristik” (on right side
of street) is at Ziegelgasse 3.
3:04 PM – Miltenberg: view up Ziegelgasse street toward
St. Johannes Protestant church (tower).
The “Weltladen” store (red sign on
the left) is at Ziegelgasse 6. At the far end of Ziegelgasse is the “Blickpunkt”
optical shop is at Hauptstraße 77. After crossing Hauptstraße (Main Street), the street that
was Ziegelgasse makes a small jog to the left and turns into Untere Walldürner
Straße, which leads toward St. Johannes church.
3:04 PM – Miltenberg: view off Ziegelgasse to the right,
with another tower (half-timbered at top), apparently part of old town wall.
3:06 PM – Miltenberg: Hotel Brauerei Keller (former
brewery) on Engelplatz at corner of Ziegelgasse and Hauptstraße, with old sign
(but guide said the original building had been destroyed).
The corner building at Hauptstraße 66, dated 1788, was built
in Baroque style. When the beer brewer Wilhelm Keller acquired the Baroque
building at the corner of Ziegelgasse and Hauptstraße in 1881, in order to
establish a brewery with an inn there, he laid the cornerstone for today’s Hotel Brauerei Keller (at Hauptstraße 66-70),
at the beginning of a pedestrianized zone to the west on Hauptstraße. In 1932,
the brewery building was torn down, and the hotel was built in its current
form. It is still operated by the Keller family.
3:06 PM (Cropped) – Miltenberg: old sign on corner of
Hotel Brauerei Keller.
When
the Ziegelgasse ended at the intersection with Hauptstraße (Main Street) and
Engelplatz (Angel Square), we had a view more of less straight ahead toward St.
Johannes church as the street name changed to Untere Walldürmer Straße.
3:07 PM – Miltenberg: view from Engelplatz up Untere
Walldürmer Straße toward St. Johannes church; Neues Rathaus (New City Hall) on
corner at left.
The DER Deutsches Reisebüro
(German Travel Office) in the half-timbered house straight ahead, where Untere
Walldürmer Straße leads out of Engelplatz, is listed on its own web site at Engelplatz
2, but the “List of Architectural Monuments in Miltenberg” lists it as being at
Untere Walldürmer Straße 2 and describes it as a three-sided, free-standing,
two-story house with half-timbered upper story and plastered ground floor,
dated 1718.
3:06 PM – Miltenberg: view from Engelplatz up Untere
Walldürmer Straße toward St. Johannes church; Neues Rathaus (New City Hall) on
corner at left; on right is another Viking tour group (mild telephoto 63 mm).
3:06 PM – Miltenberg: Engelplatz (Angel Square) with
Neues Rathaus (New City Hall) with Hausmadonna (House Madonna) on corner at
right.
The Neues Rathaus (New City Hall) is located in the former Gasthof zum Engel
(Inn to the Engel) at Hauptstraße 69 on the Engelplatz. The building was
started in the 18th century, raised to a total of three stories in the 19th
century, and extended to the rear with a hall annex in the first half of the
20th century.
The building to the left of the
Neues Rathaus is the former Postamt (Post Office, 1832-1968) at Hauptstraße
67 on the Engelplatz. It was built in 1712 in the Baroque style.
MT 3:02 PM – Miltenberg: Engelplatz (Angel Square) with
Neues Rathaus (New City Hall) with Hausmadonna (House Madonna) on corner at right
(mild telephoto 52 mm).
3:07 PM – Miltenberg: view from Engelplatz up Hauptstraße
(toward castle) with Hotel Brauerei Keller on far side of corner of Hauptstraße
and Ziegelgasse at right and ”Hench” sign for Bäckerei Café Konditorei Ludwig Hench on near side of that corner.
Bäckerei
Café Konditorei Ludwig Hench (Ludwig Hench Bakery Café Confectionery)
is located at Hauptstraße 64, on a corner of the Engelplatz. The bakery and
confectionery, with its café has a long family tradition.
3:08 PM – Miltenberg: view from Engelplatz up Hauptstraße
(toward castle) with Hotel Brauerei Keller on corner of Hauptstraße and
Ziegelgasse at right.
After
Engelplatz, we turned (southwest) on the pedestrianized Hauptstraße (Main Street) with many half-timbered houses.
3:11 PM – Miltenberg: view from Engelplatz up
Hauptstraße (toward castle) with Sparkasse Miltenberg-Obernburg on left, on corner
of Hauptstraße and Riesengasse.
The Sparkasse
Miltenberg-Obernburg (Savings Bank) is located at Hauptstraße 85-87, with a
Hausmadonna (House Madonna) on the corner of Hauptstraße and Riesengasse.
3:11 PM – Miltenberg: view up Hauptstraße (toward
castle) with street signs for Riesengasse (Giant Alley) off to left and Ochsengasse
(Oxen Alley) off to right and Sparkasse Miltenberg-Obernburg with Hausmadonna
on corner at left.
MT 3:08 PM – Miltenberg: view up
Hauptstraße (toward castle) with Sparkasse Miltenberg-Obernburg on left, with
House Madonna on corner of Hauptstraße and Riesengasse.
MT 3:09 PM – Miltenberg: view down narrow alley off
Hauptstraße.
As
we crossed that intersection, we were able to see the interesting house at Hauptstraße
83, which was set back to the left on the near side of Riesengasse.
3:13 PM – Miltenberg: half-timbered house at
Hauptstraße 83, with date 1581 below statue of the Holy Family; Sparkasse
Miltenberg-Obernburg (with red-orange sign with “S” for Sparkasse) across
Riesengasse at right.
The house at Hauptstraße 83
has colorful Hausfiguren (house statues) of the Holy Family and the date “1581”
in the center of its two half-timbered stories. The ground floor, which now
houses the Libros Fertig Touristik travel agency, was modified later.
Miltenberg: Hausfiguren (house statues) of Holy Family, above date “1581,” on half-timbered
house at Hauptstraße 83, with date 1581 below 18th-century statue of Holy
Family (Von Tilman2007 - Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27985310).
3:14 PM – Miltenberg: part of old city wall, viewed
from Hauptstraße.
MT 3:15 PM – Miltenberg: view down narrow alley off
Hauptstraße to part of old city wall with gateway arch (mild telephoto 44 mm).
3:18 PM – Miltenberg: another part of old city wall,
viewed from Hauptstraße, with MT.
3:18 PM – Miltenberg: half-timbered houses on
Hauptstraße, with overhanging upper floors.
Our
guide explained that owners were taxed by the area occupied by the ground
level. Therefore, they built upper floors that would overhang the ground floor.
3:20 PM – Miltenberg: full view of same half-timbered
house at Hauptstraße 74 as on left in previous photo, with
date “1589” in center of upper half-timbered floor) and sign for “Go In” store
on corner of ground floor, and what appeared to be another part of old city
wall on side of “Hotel” to its right.
The “Go In” clothing and jewelry
store is at Hauptstraße 74, a corner
building dated 1589. The roof construction is from the late 19th century, and
the ground floor has been altered.
MT 3:17 PM – Miltenberg: Hauptstraße - Madonna and
Child on front of house at Hauptstraße 76 (telephoto 55 mm).
3:21 PM – Miltenberg: ice cream store in half-timbered
house with house number “80” on corner of ground floor, presumably at
Hauptstraße 80.
Lenas Café und Eis (Lena’s Café and
Ice Cream) is at Hauptstraße 80. This
three-story building on a corner, with overhanging half-timbered upper stories,
is dated 1586 (plus or minus 5 years). The ground floor was modified later.
3:21 PM – Miltenberg: view farther along Hauptstraße (toward
castle) with more half-timbered houses and, in first two buildings (plastered
stone) on left, belonging to the Spielzeug-Laden Hegmann (Hegmann Toy Store),
the second (red one) of which is at Hauptstraße 93; farther along left, one can
begin to see Hotel zum Riesen at Hauptstraße 97, with “[Ho]tel [zum R]iesen” on
the high gable.
The house at Hauptstraße 93
is from the beginning of the 19th century.
3:21 PM – Miltenberg: view farther along Hauptstraße
with side entrance of Hotel zum Riesen at Hauptstraße 97 at left and more half-timbered
houses.
Hotel
zum Riesen
(Hotel of the Giant*) is the oldest inn of Germany and one of the oldest continuously
operating hotels in the world, steeped in tradition since 1158 (according to
the hotel’s own web page, although Wikipedia says it dates back to at least
1411). Its history mirrors that of the Holy Roman Empire. Kaiser Barbarossa was
a guest here in 1158 and 1168, as was Kaiser Friedrich III in 1442, followed by
many other emperors and princes. During the 30 Years War, King Gustav of Sweden
and military leaders of both sides stayed here. Other prominent guests included
Martin Luther in 1518 and Albrecht Dürer in 1520. The hotel was rebuilt in the
half-timbered Renaissance style in 1590.
The three-sided, free-standing
building at a fork in the street, where Riesengasse (Giant Alley) meets the
Hauptstraße, has a two-story bay. The “List of Architectural Monuments in
Miltenberg” says it bears the date 1590 and has a colorful Hausmadonna (House
Madonna) from the 18th century.
* Many names of German hotels, inns, and restaurants contain the preposition "zum" (a contraction for "zu dem" before masculine or neuter nouns) or "zur" (a contraction for "zu der" before feminine nouns). The normal English meanings of "zu" are "to" or "at." Various Internet sources explain the use in hotel, inn, or restaurant names as meaning the establishment was dedicated "to" (i.e., named after) a particular thing, or referring to the sign out front of the establishment, where "zum" or "zur" originally meant "at [the sign of] the" or referred to the fact that the sign was pointing "to" the establishment. Many of these establishments are centuries old, from a time when their customers were often illiterate, but could recognize pictorial signs. In Britain and the US, it would be more common to use the preposition "of," as in "Inn of the Dove" in Pennsylvania or "House of the Rising Sun" for the old brothel in New Orleans that inspired a popular song.
* Many names of German hotels, inns, and restaurants contain the preposition "zum" (a contraction for "zu dem" before masculine or neuter nouns) or "zur" (a contraction for "zu der" before feminine nouns). The normal English meanings of "zu" are "to" or "at." Various Internet sources explain the use in hotel, inn, or restaurant names as meaning the establishment was dedicated "to" (i.e., named after) a particular thing, or referring to the sign out front of the establishment, where "zum" or "zur" originally meant "at [the sign of] the" or referred to the fact that the sign was pointing "to" the establishment. Many of these establishments are centuries old, from a time when their customers were often illiterate, but could recognize pictorial signs. In Britain and the US, it would be more common to use the preposition "of," as in "Inn of the Dove" in Pennsylvania or "House of the Rising Sun" for the old brothel in New Orleans that inspired a popular song.
MT 3:18 PM – Miltenberg: side of Hotel zum Riesen at
Hauptstraße 97 at left and old sign hanging out over street.
3:22 PM – Miltenberg: side of Hotel zum Riesen at
Hauptstraße 97 at left and old sign hanging out over street, with Viking 13D
tour guide.
3:23 PM – Miltenberg: old sign for Hotel zum Riesen,
with Brewer’s Star hanging below it and Hausmadonna behind it, at Hauptstraße 97.
What looks like the Star of David
hanging from the old hotel sign is actually the Brauerstern (Brewer’s
Star), also known as Bierstern (Beer Star), and it marks a
house given the right to brew beer. It is unrelated to the Jewish symbol.
Although every Star of David is a six-pointed star, not every six-pointed star (e.g.,
a Chinese checker board) is a Star of David. This geometric figure, technically
called a hexagram, has existed throughout the world for several millennia, in
religious and cultural contexts and as decorative motifs. In alchemy, the
hexagram is composed of a triangle that points up representing fire while the
triangle that points down represents water. For centuries, it was customary for
brewers—particularly those in Europe—to brand or paint a six-pointed star on
the ends of their beer kegs. According to folklore, the hexagram of the Brewer’s
Star represented the six aspects of brewing: water, hops, grain, malt, yeast,
and brewer. Sometimes the Brewer’s Star symbol also included classic tools of
the brewer’s trade, such as malt scoop, mash fork, or beer tumbler.
3:22 PM – Miltenberg: old sign for Hotel zum Riesen,
with Brewer’s Star below it, at Hauptstraße 97 (telephoto 156 mm).
3:22 PM (Cropped) – Miltenberg: old sign for Hotel zum
Riesen, with Brewer’s Star below it, at Hauptstraße 97 (telephoto 156 mm).
3:23 PM – Miltenberg: other side of old sign for Hotel
zum Riesen, with Brewer’s Star below it, and Hausmadonna statue of Madonna and
Child (18th century) on side of hotel, at Hauptstraße 97.
3:23 PM (Cropped) – Miltenberg: Hausmadonna statue of
Madonna and Child (18th century) on side of Hotel zum Riesen, at Hauptstraße 97.
3:24 PM – Miltenberg: end of Hotel zum Riesen, with
main entrance, fountain, and outdoor seating on triangular square where
Riesengasse meets the Hauptstraße; MT and our tour group in foreground.
MT 3:24 PM – Miltenberg: end of Hotel zum Riesen, with
main entrance.
3:25 PM – Miltenberg: sign to left of main door for
“Hotel zum Riesen, ältestes Gasthaus Deutschlands” (Hotel zum Riesen, Germany’s
oldest inn); this close-up shows that the stonework of the ground floor is just
painted on (telephoto 93 mm).
3:24 PM – Miltenberg: another half-timbered house with
date “Anno 1480” below flower boxes, on corner at Hauptstraße 94.
According to the “List of
Architectural Monuments in Miltenberg,” the corner house at Hauptstraße 94
is a three-story house with half-timbered upper stories, dated 1496 [although
their photo also shows the date “Anno 1480” on the house]. The ground floor was
modified later.
3:20 PM – Miltenberg: half-timbered house at
Hauptstraße 94, with date “Anno 1480” below flower boxes.
3:25 PM – Miltenberg: more half-timbered houses on both
sides of Hauptstraße (toward castle), including “No.4” shop (for décor, cosmetics,
and fashion accessories) at Hauptstraße 98.
3:26 PM – Miltenberg: more half-timbered houses on right
side of Hauptstraße (toward castle). including “No.4” at Hauptstraße 98 and, to
its right, “Memories of Miltenberg” souvenir shop, with red awning and "um 1500" (around 1500) painted to right of awning, at Hauptstraße
96.
The house at Hauptstraße 98 was built at the end of the 18th century. The ground
floor was modified later.
The house at Hauptstraße 96 was built in 1500. The ground floor, with show windows,
was modified in the first half of the 20th century.
3:27 PM – Miltenberg: more half-timbered houses on right
side of Hauptstraße (toward castle); the nearest two houses have wise sayings
written on sides, of which the nearest has a two-part, rhyming saying that is
legible; the building to its left also has writing on the side of the top floor
of the bay window.
3:27 PM (Cropped) – Miltenberg: two-part, rhyming,
saying visible on side of half-timbered house on right side of Hauptstraße (toward
castle) reads “Weil jedes Teil das andere stützt konnt ich Jahrhundert Stehn”
(Because each part supports the other, I could stand a century) and “Wenn jeder
so dem Ganzen nützt wird keiner untergehn” (If everyone benefits from the
whole, no one will go under). This house is probably at Hauptstraße 102.
3:27 PM (Cropped) – Miltenberg: same half-timbered
house with bay window, at Hauptstraße 104 on right side of Hauptstraße (toward
castle) also has a saying written on the side of the bay window; the inscription
reads: “Was mußt herfür ich tun? Zu bleiben voll in Schwung! Oh bleib doch lang
ich jung! Nicht vergessen Fleisch u[nd] Wurst zu essen.” (What must I therefore
have to do? To stay in full energy! Oh, may I still remain young a long time!
Not forget to eat meat and sausage.); this makes sense, since the building is
currently occupied by a butcher shop.
3:28 PM – Miltenberg: same half-timbered house with bay
window, Hauptstraße 104 on right side of (toward castle); currently occupied by
“Metzgerei Bergmann Imbiss” (Bergmann Butcher Shop Snack Bar), at Hauptstraße 104;
the top corner to the left of the bay window has another saying written on it.
The house at Hauptstraße 104 was built in 1615 in Renaissance style. The stone
ground floor, in Neo-Renaissance style, is from the end of the 19th century.
3:28 PM (Cropped) – Miltenberg: saying on top corner of
that half-timbered house, at Hauptstraße 104, to left of bay window, reads:
“Mit Fleiches Kraft ein jeder schafft, glaubt er auch schon, es sei vorbei,
wirkt Fleisch u[nd] Wurst wie Zauberei.” (With the power of meat everyone
works, even though he believes that it is all over for him, meat and sausage
work like magic.); this again makes sense since the building is now occupied by
a butcher shop.
3:28 PM – Miltenberg: view back down Hauptstraße toward
Hotel zum Riesen; on left are “No.4” shop and “Memories of Miltenberg” with red
awning.
3:28 PM – Miltenberg: view back down Hauptstraße toward
end of Hotel zum Riesen with main entrance and fountain on small square (mild
telephoto 72 mm).
3:30 PM – Miltenberg: house at corner of Tränkgasse (sign
on corner) and Hauptstraße, with two levels of half-timbered overhang (owners
are taxed only for size of ground floor); “1375” painted on the corner may be
date of construction; sign on one window, on Tränkgasse side for “Polsterweks
& Schreinerei Miltenberg” (Upholstery and Cabinetmaker’s Workshop
Miltenberg), sign in first window on Hauptstraße side for “Steinreinigung &
Polsterei M[iltenb]erg” (Stonecleaning and Upholstery Shop Miltenberg) and
house number “108” over window to right of that, on Hauptstraße .
According to the “List of
Architectural Monuments in Miltenberg,” the house at Hauptstraße 108, with strong overhanging half-timbered upper
stories, was built in 1387, and the ground floor was modified around 1600.
3:30 PM – Miltenberg: view down Tränkgasse (Drink
Alley), off to right of Hauptstraße, toward Tränktor (Drink Gateway).
The Tränktor (Drink Gateway) is a gateway with rounded arch in the town
wall on the side of the Main. Built over it, at Tränkgasse 7, is a three story
residence with half-timbered upper floors, dated 1590. The gate leads to
Lindenplatz park next to the Main. The name of the gate (and the street) seems
to come from the fact that residents of the town brought their cattle here to
drink.
MT 3:26 PM – Miltenberg: view down Tränkgasse (Drink
Alley), off to right of Hauptstraße, toward Tränktor (Drink Gateway).
MT 3:28 PM – Miltenberg: half-timbered house at Hauptstraße
116, with “Apotheke” (pharmacy) on ground floor.
Miltenberg: half-timbered
house at Hauptstraße 116, with sign for “Apotheke” and smaller sign for “Alte
Stadt-Apotheke” (Von Aidexxx - Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=68729839).
The house on a corner at Hauptstraße
116 is a three-story building, dated 1706, with two overhanging, partially
plastered half-timbered floors. The stone ground floor, with a historicist
sandstone façade, is from around 1900.
The ground floor is currently
occupied by the Alte-Stadt Apotheke (Old City Pharmacy), which was
founded in 1514 and celebrated its 500th anniversary in 2014.
3:33 PM – Miltenberg: half-timbered house at Hauptstraße
121 with “1623” on arch over door but “1606” higher up, on the lowest wooden
beam. Our guide said that the house was originally all wood, but, by 1625, law
required the ground floor to be stone. Above the arch is “Oswald u[nd] Menges,”
and smaller sign on corner of this store at right says “Elektro-Fachgeschäft”
(Electro-Specialty Store). At the top of the wooden door under the arch, in
chalk, is “20CªMªBª18.”
3:33 PM (Cropped) – Miltenberg: half-timbered house at Hauptstraße
121, with “1623” in stone on arch above door and “20*CªMªBª18” in chalk at top of wooden door.
The Oswald und Menges electrical
company is located at Hauptstraße 121.
Of the three-story building, the two upper stories are half-timbered and date
from 1606. The ground floor, with historicist window design, is from the 20th
century, but reusing a portal from 1623.
Traditional house blessing for
2008 in chalk on door (By originaly uploaded by Papiermond, transfered to
commons by Μυρμηγκάκι - de:Datei:Sternsinger Segensbitte Regen.jpg, Public
Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5555357).
In German-speaking Europe, on
January 6, the Feast of the Three Kings (Epiphany), groups of young people
called Sternsinger (star singers) travel from door to door dressed as
the three Wise Men and singing traditional songs. They also perform the
traditional house blessing, by marking the year and the initials of the Three
Kings over the doorway with chalk.
“20*CªMªBª18” is an inscription for the Three
Kings, Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar, for the Feast of
the Three Kings in 2018.
3:31 PM – Miltenberg: view up Hauptstraße (toward
castle) with German flag in front of Altes Rathaus (Old City Hall); on far left
is small sign for “Elektro-Fachgeschäft” (Electro-Specialty Store) at Hauptstraße
121; at upper right is part of Miltenburg castle (white) (mild telephoto 56
mm).
3:36 PM – Miltenberg: steps leading down to old well,
with historical marker sign for “Staffelbrunnen” (Step Well).
The Staffelbrunnen (Step Well) is just off the Hauptstraße near the
Apothekengasse (Druggist Alley). Up until into the 19th century, the water
supply in old Miltenberg took place with a number of wells. Since the level of
the water source (spring) was almost at the level of the street, the town
hardly needed to suffer shortage of water. Today, the step well is the only one
of these wells that is still visible. It was built around the year 1600. During
the establishment of a pedestrianized zone in 1985, it was uncovered again. The
well got its name from the two sets of steps leading down to and up from it.
3:36 PM (Cropped) – Miltenberg: historical marker sign
for “Stafflelbrunnen” (Step Well), with text in German that translates: “First
mentioned in 1611. One of the 12 public wells until the construction of the
water main system in 1897. Uncovered in the framework of house water repairs
1985/86.”
3:33 PM – Miltenberg: view down left side of Hauptstraße
(toward castle, the white building on the hill at right), approaching Altes
Rathaus with ridge turret on roof; at upper right is part of Miltenburg castle (white) (mild telephoto 63 mm).
Altes
Rathaus
(Old Town Hall), at Hauptstraße 137, was built in Gothic style in 1378. It was
first mentioned in a document of 1379 as “Stadtwaage” (town weighing house). In
the Middle Ages, it served as a store and warehouse, in which the goods of
merchants were offered for sale for three days, based on what was called called
Stapelrecht (stacking rights). It has pointed arches on the ground floor and
high windows in the Bürgersaal (Civic Hall, large hall for gatherings and other
events) in the upper story. The mansard roof with tympanum and ridge turret is
from the 18th century. It served at the city hall from 1814 to 1949. The
building was renovated in 1979-1983 and now serves for all kinds of events,
mostly cultural.
3:37 PM – Miltenberg: Altes Rathaus at Hauptstraße 137;
red and white flag of Franken (Franconia), gold-red-black flag of Germany, and
blue and white flag.
MT 3:31 PM – Miltenberg: Altes Rathaus at Hauptstraße
137; red and white flag of Franken (Franconia), gold-red-black flag of Germany,
and blue and white flag (mild telephoto 54 mm).
MT 3:34 PM – Miltenberg: Altes Rathaus at Hauptstraße
137; red and white flag of Franken (Franconia), gold-red-black flag of Germany,
and blue and white flag.
3:39 PM – Miltenberg: historical marker sign to right
of main entrance for “Altes Rathaus” with text in German that translates:
“First mentioned in 1379 as Town Weighing House and Town Hall. On the ground
floor used as store and warehouse, in upper story as town council chamber and
dance hall. In 18th century, Gymnasium [high school], from 1824 to 1946 town
hall.
“Restored
and renovated in 1979 to 1983 at the initiative of the Historical Miltenberg
Society, by the City of Miltenberg with support of friends and citizens of
Miltenberg.
“Supported
with Federal and State means.” (telephoto 156 mm, Cropped).
3:42 PM – Miltenberg: view back to Altes Rathaus (at Hauptstraße
137) with German flags and (at right) Hauptstraße 139 with German flag and blue
and white Bavarian flag above sign for “No. 4 Lieblingsstücke.”
The house at Hauptstraße 139 has half-timbered upper stories from around 1800,
and the ground floor has been modified.
The No. 4 Lieblingsstücke
women’s clothing store is on the ground floor of Hauptstraße 139. Lieblingsstücke
means “favorite pieces.”
MT 3:38 PM – Miltenberg: view back to Altes Rathaus (at
Hauptstraße 137) with German flags and (at right) Hauptstraße 139 with German
flag and blue and white Bavarian flag above sign for “No. 4 Lieblingsstücke”
(mild telephoto 39 mm).
3:41 PM – Miltenberg: half-timbered house with blue
sign for “Schwind Sehen & Hören” optical and hearing store at Hauptstraße
136, with date “1333” at top of center beam on half-timbered upper floor. (Our
guide pointed out that the beam across the bottom was all one piece.)
MT 3:37 PM (Cropped) – Miltenberg: date “1333” on
half-timbered house at Hauptstraße 136.
Despite the date of “1333” claimed
on its exterior, this house is not on the “List of Architectural Monuments in
Miltenberg.”
3:40 PM – Miltenberg: view farther up Hauptstraße
(toward castle); in foreground on right (blue sign) is “Schwind Sehen &
Hören” at Hauptstraße 136; on left is "Steinwinter fashion" at Hauptstraße 141 and
just beyond it Hauptstraße 143 with an ornate portal.
The house at Hauptstraße 141, with half-timbered upper stories is from the 18th
century, although at its core it is possibly older, and the ground floor has
been modified.
The house at Hauptstraße 143, with half-timbered upper stories plastered over,
is from the 18th century. It has unique polygonal roof structures and a red sandstone
portal from around 1900, influenced by Jugendstil.
Jugendstil (Youth Style) is
an artistic style that arose in Germany about the mid-1890s and continued
through the first decade of the 20th century and became an international style.
It was inspired by natural forms and structures, particularly the curved lines
of plants and flowers. It derives its name from the Munich artistic journal Die
Jugend (Youth), which featured Art Nouveau designs and was instrumental in
promoting that style in Germany. As a result, the name of the magazine was
adopted as the most common German-language term for the style.
3:42 PM – Miltenberg: ornate Jugendstil-influenced
portal in Buntsandstein (colorful sandstone) at Hauptstraße 143; our guide said
it had one acorn for each child born in the family, and an acorn was later
removed when a person died.
3:44 PM – Miltenberg: half-timbered house at Hauptstraße
142 with statue of Madonna and Child.
The house at Hauptstraße 142, with half-timbered upper stories, is in its core
from the second half of the 16th century, although the ground floor has been
modified. On its middle floor is an 18th-century Hausmadonna (House Madonna
[with Child]) of colorfully painted sandstone. The building is currently
occupied by Konditorei Café Pfeffer (Pfeffer Pastry Shop Café), which is also a
Chocolaterei (Chocolatier).
3:44 PM (Cropped) – Miltenberg: statue of Madonna and
Child on half-timbered house at Hauptstraße 142.
3:44 PM – Miltenberg: view ahead to where Hauptstraße narrows
and curves around (toward the castle) as it follows the bend in the Main’ on
the right is sign for “Café Sell Konditorei” at Hauptstraße 152 (mild telephoto
56 mm).
The house at Hauptstraße 152,
with half-timbered upper stories, is from the end of the 17th century. The
ground floor, with mosaic advertising sign, was modified in 1960.
3:45 PM – Miltenberg: St. Jakobus Pfarrkirche - bell
towers flanking apse at east end; viewed from the Schnatterloch.
The St. Jakobus-Kirche (St. James Church), also known as St. Jakobus
Pfarrkirche (St. James Parish Church) or Kirche St. Jakobus der Ältere (Church
of St. James the Elder), is a Catholic parish church dedicated to the Apostle
James the Greater. It is located at Hauptstraße 164 on the Schnatterloch, the
town’s historical marketplace, just below the Miltenburg castle.
The church in its Neo-Classical
form today is a three-aisled pseudo-basilica with a three-sided apse, tiled
roof, and plastered masonry, but at its core it is Gothic, from the 14th
century. A first church was built here in the 13th century, when Miltenberg
received the rights of a city. Toward the end of the 14th century, a larger
three-nave building was built, In 1782, however, that building was declared
dilapidated, and plans for a new building were drawn up. However, the
conversion to today’s classical appearance took place in the 19th century: twin
towers with bulbous domes and lanterns flanking the choir (apse) on the east
end emerged in 1829-31 (the entrance is on the west); the nave was rebuilt in
1830 and 1886, the choir in 1862. It was renovated in 1959 and 2004.
3:46 PM – Miltenberg: Schnatterloch marketplace with
half-timbered houses on far (west) side (Hauptstraße 185 on left and two-part Hauptstraße
187 on its right), fountain in center, and nave of St. Jakobus Pfarrkirche at
right.
The Schnatterloch is the nickname locals use for the historical Alter
Marktplatz (Old Marketplace) of Miltenberg, surrounded by many beautiful
half-timbered houses. The St. Jakobus parish church is located in the immediate
vicinity of the marketplace. The Schnatterlochturm (Schnatterloch Tower), from
1453, at the back of the square forms a passage into the forest, and the
footpath that leads up to the Miltenburg castle also begins there. The
“Schnatterloch” itself is a hole in the tower, from which during heavy rains
water flows into a drainage channel that leads into the marketplace (earlier it
led to the Main). Rather than referring to its modern meaning of “chatter,” the
“Schnatter” part of the name is probably derived from the old concept of
“Schnade” (Middle High German snade),
which referred to a border, since channels for rainwater were originally at the
border of the town. Another possible explanation is that it could come from the
old term “Schnate” (incision), referring to the cut between the Schloßberg
(castle hill) and the Greinberg mountain.
3:46 PM (Cropped) – Miltenberg: half-timbered house at Hauptstraße
185 with “Kellerhals” (outdoor entrance to cellar) at its lower right corner,
next to Hauptstraße 187; on left is the Torbogen (gateway arch) that leads to
the Schloßgasse (Castle Alley), the footpath to Mildenburg castle.
Hauptstraße 185 is a three-story
half-timbered house on the west side of the Schnatterloch marketplace. According
to the “List of Architectural Monuments in Miltenberg,” the large oriel (bay
window) in the center is dated 1508, and the “Kellerhals” (outdoor entrance to
cellar) is dated 1594. For centuries, up until 1964, the house was inhabited by
merchants, artisans, and poets. Then it stood empty for 15 years and fell into
serious decay, even though it was still pictured in posters advertising travel
to Germany in 1979. Renovations began in 1980, and it opened as the winehouse
“Am Alten Markt” (On the Old Market) in 1981. Since 2012, it has housed the
Hotel Café Schmuckkäschen (Hotel Café Little Treasure Chest). It has a picturesque
vaulted cellar that can host up to 50 guests.
3:47 PM – Miltenberg: half-timbered house, at Hauptstraße
185, on Schnatterloch, with date “1623” below crowned head under the two-story
bay window.
3:46 PM
(Cropped) – Miltenberg: half-timbered-house at Hauptstraße 187, behind the
Marktbrunnen fountain.
Hauptstraße 187 (seemingly made
up of two houses with matching colors) has half-timbered upper stories, dated
1433, and the ground floor with stone framing from the end of the 19th century.
The above description (except the part in parentheses) is from the “List of Architectural Monuments in Miltenberg,” which gives the address as "Hauptstraße 187" and has the following photo that shows only
the far right portion and more clearly shows the large sign for “Bote vom
Unter-Main,” the house Madonna on right corner with date “1699” and star over
letters S and P above that statue, and the house number to right of the door at lower
left.
Miltenberg: half-timbered
house at Hauptstraße 187, right part only (Von Tilman2007 - Eigenes Werk, CC
BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27982676).
Miltenberg: half-timbered
house at Hauptstraße 187, house Madonna on corner at right with date “1699” and
star over letters S and P above that statue and sign for “Bote vom Unter-Main”
with another Madonna statue visible through window below that (Von Tilman2007 -
Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27982676,
Cropped).
Bote vom Unter-Main (Messenger of the
Lower Main) is a newspaper office that publishes a local edition of its parent
newspaper “Main-Echo,” the largest daily newspaper in the Untermain region of
Bavaria, with offices in several towns in that region. Bote vom Unter-Main provides
news from Miltenberg and the surrounding area of Kreis Miltenberg (Miltenberg
District). The www.main-echo.de web site shows
a photo of BOTH buildings as its site in Miltenberg and lists the address as “Marktplatz
187.”
Miltenberg: half-timbered
house at Hauptstraße 187, door with house number “187” to its right and just
below that “Marktplatz Nr. 1” (Von Tilman2007 - Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27982676,
Cropped).
3:48 PM – Miltenberg: fountain on Schnatterloch, with
half-timbered houses behind it, including Schloßgasse 1, Hauptstraße 185 with
bay window, and Hauptstraße 187.
More clearly visible from this
angle is the Kellerhals (outdoor entrance to cellar) at the lower right
corner of Hauptstraße 185.
3:48 PM (Cropped) – Miltenberg: half-timbered house at
Schloßgasse 1, to the left of Hauptstraße 185 with bay window; between them is
the Torbogen (gateway arch).
The two-story building to the left
on the one with large bay window is identified as Schloßgasse 1, the
former Torwärterhaus (gatekeeper’s house), from the 16th or 17th century. It
has a half-timbered top floor and stone ground floor, modified around 1950.
Between the houses at Schloßgasse 1
and Hauptstraße 185 is the Torbogen (Gateway Arch), which leads up steps
to the Schloßgasse (Castle Alley), the footpath to Mildenburg castle. The
gateway is a rustic square structure with a rounded arch in late Renaissance
style, dated 1610. The wrought iron lamp atop it is from the first half of the
20th century.
3:49 PM – Miltenberg: market fountain in Schnatterloch
square; our guide said one figure is “mooning” the man who made the sculptor
finish before paying him (telephoto 156 mm).
The Marktbrunnen (Market Fountain) on the Schnatterloch, made of red
sandstone and decorated with dancing putti*, was created in 1583 and is
considered one of the most beautiful Renaissance monuments in Miltenberg. Rising
above the octagonal basin is a slender column topped by the statue of Justicia
(Lady Justice) with sword and scales, between two coats of arms (that of
Miltenberg**, with the town’s patron saint St. Martin with a small shield with
the letter M and a kneeling figure next to him, and that of Wolfgang von
Dalberg, archbishop an elector of Mainz, 1582-1601). The current column is a
reconstruction from 1980, when the original column had to be replaced after 400
years, damaged by constant humidity and further by fighting toward the end of
World War II. The carefully cleaned original is not in the city museum.
* A putto (Italian: plural putti) is a figure in a
work of art depicted as a
chubby male child, usually naked and sometimes winged.
** The current coat of arms of
Miltenberg is a quartered shield on which the first and fourth squares contain
wheels with 6 spokes and the second and third squares contain the letter M.
From its founding in the 13th century until 1803, the town belonged to the
Elector of Mainz, which is the origin of the Wheel of Mainz. The M first
appeared in a seal from the early 16th century that also included Saint Martin,
as had earlier coats of arms.
After
the end of our guided tour, we briefly looked into the St. Jakobus Church
(see general description above), at Hauptstraße 164 on the Schnatterloch square.
3:54 PM – Miltenberg: St. Jakobus Church – sign about
“Camino de Santiago – der Weg und seine Pilger” (Camino de Santiago – the Way
and its Pilgrims) inside the church, which is dedicated to St. James; the
statue pictured here seems to be of St. James as a pilgrim, with a pilgrim’s
staff and scallop shells on his mantel (this Baroque statue is found in the St.
Jakobus church); at top right, the sign shows a stretch of the Camino route in
Germany (in red).
3:54 PM – Miltenberg: St. Jacobus Church – view from
rear of nave to main altar in apse, with MT in center aisle of modern-looking
interior; the pillars and pulpit seem to be of red Buntsandstein (colorful
sandstone).
The interior of St. Jakobus-Kirche was redeveloped during a general
renovation of the church in 2003-04. A new altar was installed, closer to the
pews, and the tabernacle got its own place on the (right) side in a historic
tabernacle. The thick Romanesque pillars of the nave go back to the 14th
century.
Behind the altar is a free-standing
painting from 2004 that reminds one of a classical triptych (a set of three
panels hinged so that the two side panels can be folded over the central one).
The picture, which is characterized by strong colors, can be visually changed
by folding and unfolding, It shows in the lower front the scene of the calling
of James and John, who are busy with their father Zebedee on a fishing boat. In
the middle of the picture and right are the miracle of Jesus raising the
daughter of the synagogue official Jairus from the dead and the scene in the
Garden of Gethsemane; in the top center is the request of the wife of Zebedee
to Jesus for a special place for her sons in His kingdom.
Miltenberg: St. Jakobus
Church – pulpit from 1635 (By Holger Uwe Schmitt - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=74012118).
Then
we followed Hauptstraße as it turned uphill to the west after Schnatterloch
square.
3:56 PM – Miltenberg: half-timbered house at Hauptstraße
171 with two-story oriel (bay window); MT in foreground.
Off the left-hand (south) side of
the Schnatterloch square is the Alte
Amtskellerei (Old Deputy Bailiff’s Office)* at Hauptstraße 171, one of the
most beautiful half-timbered houses in Miltenberg. Because of the difference in
street level from one end of the building to the other, it might be assumed
that reference to it as the former Amtskellerei
had something to do with the Keller
(cellar) of an Amt (office); in fact,
some web sites translate it as “official wine cellar.” However, that is not the
actual meaning (see below).
Miltenberg: Stadtmuseum at Hauptstraße
171, with a sign “Museum der Stadt Miltenberg” and a large banner for “[Stadtm]useum”
on the side (Von Tilman2007 - Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27981959).
The house at Hauptstraße 171 was
built in 1542 by the Mainz Bailiff Bernhard von Hardheim in the late Gothic
style on the foundations of an older building. In 1625, the house was bought
for future use as the seat of the Mainz Electorate’s administration. It now
houses the main exhibits of the Museum Stadt Miltenberg.
*In this case, Amtskellerei seems to be the official office of an Amtskeller, who in the Mainz dialect was
an official who followed immediately after the Amtsmann (bailiff, the head of a bailiwick), held court with him, and
had a domain under his supervision; a deputy-bailiff or vice-bailiff. The Amtskeller was the administrator of the
revenues of a jurisdiction, treasurer of a bailiwick. Amtskellerei can also refer to a district that is entrusted to the
supervision of a deputy-bailiff (Amtskeller).
At the Schnatterloch, the Museum Stadt Miltenberg (Museum of the City
of Miltenberg) towers with a total of four houses. Hauptstraße 169 houses the
office, library, archive, and museum education workshop. The core building (Hauptstraße
171) houses the permanent exhibition, as well as rooms for special exhibitions
and events. Since completion of the refurbishment in 2006).
3:57 PM – Miltenberg: view up narrow alley to Schnatterlochturm.
At the back of the Schnatterloch
square, a narrow cobblestone alley leads to the Schnatterlochturm (Schnatterloch Tower), from 1453, at Hauptstraße
179. The portal at the base of the tower forms a passage into the forest, and
the footpath that leads up to the Mildenburg castle also begins there. The
“Schnatterloch” itself is a hole in the tower, from which during heavy rains
water flows into a drainage channel that leads into the marketplace (earlier it
led to the Main).
MT 3:53 PM – Miltenberg: Don at entrance to portal of
Schnatterlochturm (the opening below his feet is probably the “Schnatterloch”
through which rainwater flows into the drainage channel beside the cobblestone
pavement).
3:58 PM – Miltenberg: Schnatterlochturm – bronze plaque
at side of the tower’s gateway, in German that translates: “Schnatterlochturm,
built around 1400, old name Snadenloch” and sign on wall next to it, in German
that translates: “This path is not strewn and not cleared. Walk at your own risk,
City of Miltenberg.”
Rather
than entering the Schloßgasse (Castle Alley) footpath to Mildenburg castle
through the Torbogen (gateway arch) on the Schnatterloch square, we passed
through arch at the bottom of the Schnatterlochturm to enter a wooded path that
would eventually merge with the winding Schloßgasse.
MT 3:55 PM – Miltenberg: MT on footpath leading up to
Mildenburg castle.
Miltenberg: aerial photo of Mildenburg castle, with Bergfried (keep) rising
behind it to right, Schnatterlochturm downhill toward left, and St. Jakobus Church
below at bottom left (Von Fritz Geller-Grimm supported by Rüdiger Wandke -
Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12631258).
4:09 PM – Miltenberg: MT on footpath approaching
Mildenburg castle, with two archways ahead.
Schloß Mildenburg (Mildenburg Castle) was
built on the Schloßberg (Castle Mountain),
a northern outcropping of the Greinberg mountain. The name Mildenburg,
originally Mildenberg or Miltenberg, consists of the Middle High German words milte, meaning kind-hearted or generous,
and bërc for the modern, New High
German Berg (mountain) or Burg (castle). The name was supposed to
characterize the nature of the castle and its lords. The name of the castle was
later transferred to the town that grew up to its northeast.
Although the castle was first
mentioned in documents in 1226, its construction was begun near the end of the
12th century by the Archbishop of Mainz to secure the eastern border of his
area of influence. It was the seat of the archbishop’s Oberamtsmann (chief
bailiff), the archbishop’s local administrator.
Miltenberg: telephoto view,
from across the Main river, of Mildenburg castle, with Bergfried (keep) rising
behind it, and St. Jakobus Church below at left (Von teichp, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=56553143).
The oldest part of the castle
complex is the 27m-tall Bergfried (keep), offering an extraordinary view of the
Main valley. It was built at the most vulnerable place, the rising slope to the
south. The current residential building with a high roof and stepped gable was
founded between 1390 and 1396 by Archbishop of Mainz. The castle was conquered
in 1525 in the Bauernkrieg (Peasants’ War) and again taken and destroyed in
1552. By 1558, it was partially rebuilt and then expanded several times. In the
18th century, it served as the seat of the archbishop’s Burggrafen (burgraves).
The archbishop’s Amtsmann (bailiff) moved into the city center in 1730, and as
a result the castle lost its original significance. In 1803, it passed to the
Princes of Leiningen. From 1807 to 1979 it was in private ownership, and the
interior underwent considerable reconstruction and modernization. In 1979, the
city administration of Miltenberg bought the castle. At that time, only a small
part of it was still habitable, and the entire castle was in dire need of rehabilitation.
In 2010, the extensive renovation work began, and since 2011 it has served as Museum
Burg Mildenburg with exhibits of contemporary art (20th and 21st centuries) and
also Russian and Greek icons from the 16th-19th centuries (the latter from the
art collection of the Diocese of Würzburg).
MT 3:58 PM – Miltenberg: sign for “Fränkischer
Marienweg” (Franconian Way of Mary), two signs (pointing in opposite
directions) for “Nibelungensteig, Odenwaldklub e.V.,” part of another sign for
“Odenwaldkl[ub],” and yellow sign for “patura” (warning that the fence is electrified),
on footpath near Mildenburg castle.
The Fränkischer Marienweg
(Franconian Way of Mary) is a 930-km-long hiking trail through Unterfranken
(Lower Franconia). It touches 50 places of pilgrimage in the Diocese of
Würzburg. It is divided into an east and a west loop, and part of its west loop
leads south along the Main to Miltenberg, where one of its pilgrimage stops is
the St. Jakobus Church.
The Nibelungensteig
(Nibelungen Path) is a 130-km-long hiking trail in the German states of Hesse,
Bavaria, and Baden-Württemberg. Following mostly natural paths, it traverses
the Odenwald hill range located between the rivers Rhine and Main. The trail is
named for the legendary Nibelungen, since three feeder paths lead from Worms,
which is the central setting of the Nibelungen Saga. In 2007, the Odenwaldklub
(Odenwald Club) was instructed to create the trail, which ends at Freudenberg
on the Main (just northeast of Miltenberg). Stage 6 leads from Amorbach (in the
Miltenberg district, south of the town Miltenberg) to the town of Miltenberg.
Patura KG is a firm,
located in the Miltenberg region, specializing in electric fences as well as
barn and pasture equipment for horses, cattle, and sheep.
4:10 PM – Miltenberg: view from Mildenburg castle of
St. Jakobus church and Mainbrücke (Main Bridge).
4:10 PM – Miltenberg: view from Mildenburg castle of St.
Jakobus church (showing more of nave, in white) and Mainbrücke (Main Bridge).
MT 4:12 PM – Miltenberg: MT and Don at overlook with
view from Mildenburg castle of St. Jakobus church and Mainbrücke (Main Bridge).
Having
enjoyed the spectacular view, we headed back down toward the town.
4:16 PM – Miltenberg: view down steep, terraced hill from
Mildenburg castle into Altstadt, with St. Jakobus church and Mainbrücke (Main
Bridge) at left.
4:16 PM – Miltenberg: front of Mildenburg castle with
gateway arch (similar to the one at the bottom of the Schloßgasse, except the
arch is pointed rather than round) with
lamp on top.
4:17 PM – Miltenberg: view down path (paved with stones
here) from Mildenburg with Main river below.
4:17 PM – Miltenberg: view down to Schnatterlochturm
and part of city wall.
4:20 PM – Miltenberg: another gateway arch, still near
castle, on asphalt path back down from Mildenburg.
MT 4:16 PM – Miltenberg: Don by gateway arch, still
near castle, on asphalt path back down from Mildenburg.
MT 4:17 PM – Miltenberg: Don and MT by gateway arch,
still near castle, on asphalt path back down from Mildenburg.
4:25 PM – Miltenberg: view back on front of Mildenburg
and part of wall, from path back down.
MT 4:21 PM – Miltenberg: view back on front of
Mildenburg, from path back down (very mild telephoto 41 mm).
4:25 PM – Miltenberg: view back on front of Mildenburg,
from path back down (mild telephoto 72 mm).
Instead
of following the Schloßgasse back down,
or the alternate path to the Schnatterlochturm, we headed east on Conradyweg
and then northeast on Burgweg (Castle Way) in the direction of the St.
Johannes Lutheran church.
4:28 PM – Miltenberg: view toward Main river and bridge
from near private house on path back down from Mildenburg.
MT 4:24 PM – Miltenberg: more of top of back side of
private house, probably Conradyweg 10, on path back down from Mildenburg, with view
toward Main river and bridge (very mild telephoto 39 mm).
Miltenberg: front side of
house at Conradyweg 10 (Von Tilman2007 - Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27979030).
The house at Conradyweg 10,
in Neo-Gothic style from the end of the 19th century, is now a hotel. It is a
conglomerate building with tin roofs, a richly decorated yellow brick façade
with stone elements.
MT 4:27 PM – Miltenberg: what appeared to be the back
side of Burgweg 58-60, on way back down from Mildenburg.
Miltenberg: front (showy)
side of Burgweg 58-60 (Von Störfix, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12017709).
The former Villa Winterhelt, at Burgweg
58-60, is a multi-sided, high three-story building of red sandstone, in
overdone historicist style, influenced by castle romanticism, built around
1900. It has stepped gables over a cellar substructure on a slope, with diverse
tower-like annexes with different types of roofs. It is dominated by an
exaggeratedly slender tower with a slate-covered upper story with hipped roof.
It has a single-story coach house from 1902.
We
had actually seen this large house, from a distance, at the beginning of our tour.
It is in a photo taken from near the Mainbrücke.
2:14 PM – Miltenberg: house at Burgweg 58-60 (in red
circle) on hill in distance, in photo taken from near the Mainbrücke (mild
telephoto 81 mm).
4:35 PM – Miltenberg: approaching St. Johannes Church,
façade and tower, at Burgweg 38; in the foreground is the modern, one-story
building that would soon become part of the “Neues Pfarramt” (new parish
office) at Burgweg 44 (telephoto 93 mm).
The Protestant (Lutheran) Johanneskirche (St. John’s Church) or
Pfarrkirche St. Johannis (Parish church of St. John), built in 1897 in Neoclassical
style, is located at Burgweg 38, although the Pfarramt (church office) was at
this time still located nearby, at Obere [Upper] Walldürner Straße 1. The
church is a single-nave hall church with diverse annex buildings. It has a tall
octagonal tower with a high pointed steeple.
4:36 PM – Miltenberg: house near St. Johannes Church,
with bulletin board (right) for “Evang.-Luth. Kirchengemeinde” (Evangelical-Lutheran
Church Congregation).
The “List of Architectural Monuments
in Miltenberg” lists the two-story building at Burgweg 44 (without
photo) as “Evang.-Luth. Gemeindehaus” (Evangelical-Lutheran Parish House),
built in historicist style in the late 19th century, and describes it as having
a sandstone façade with Gothic-styled window frames, historicist half-timbered
parts in the upper floor and gable, and a half-timbered corner oriel (bay
window) with a high, pointed roof.
In August 2018, this would have
been the location of the “‘Neues’ Pfarramt” (“new” parish office) of the St.
Johannes Church, before the office moved from its old location at Obere
Walldürner Straße 1 in early October of that year.
MT 4:32 PM – Miltenberg: corner oriel (bay window) and
pointed roof of that house near St. Johannes Church.
4:37 PM – Miltenberg: St. Johannes Church – tower and
façade; white building in background at right is what would soon become the “‘Altes’
Pfarramt” (“old” church office), at Obere Walldürner Straße 1.
Miltenberg: former Pfarramt
(church office), at Obere Walldürner Straße 1 (Von Tilman2007 - Eigenes Werk,
CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27986504).
Obere Walldürner Straße 1.
The house at Obere Walldürner
Straße 1, built in late-historicist style in 1902-03, is of plaster-covered
masonry with stone and half-timbered structures. It is dominated by its corner
tower with half-timbered upper story and pyramidal roof. It also has a console
oriel (bay window, on right corner in above photo).
A St. Johannes church newsletter
inviting parishioners to the dedication of the “Neue Pfarramt” on October 7,
2018 shows a photo of a modern, one-story building with the house at Burgweg 44
next to it, in the background. (https://www.evangelisch-miltenberg.de/system/files/dateien/2018-07-16_anstoss_178_ev_online.pdf), but the newsletter,
published July 16, 2018, still shows the address of the parish office as Obere
Walldürner Straße 1. An October 8, 2018 newspaper article on inauguration of
“new” parish office at https://www.meine-news.de/miltenberg/c-kultur/architektonischer-dreiklang-nun-vollendet-neues-pfarramt-ist-jetzt-offiziell-eingeweiht_a43318#gallery=null has only one photo of
the older house at Burgweg 44 and shows two photos of the (old) parish office
at Obere Walldürner Straße 1, although it says that the pastor and church
secretary moved into the new office at Burgweg 44 the previous Sunday.
4:39 PM – Miltenberg: MT looking at sculpture in front
of house at Burgweg 49.
The villa at Burgweg 49, in
historicist style from end of 19th century, has a corner tower with
half-timbered upper story. (An Internet search for this address found that it
was a doctors’ office.)
MT 4:35 PM – Miltenberg: sculpture in front of house at
Burgweg 49.
From
there, we headed down Untere [Lower] Walldürner Straße back
toward the Engelplatz square.
4:41 PM – Miltenberg: view back up Untere Walldürner
Straße to different side of St. Johannes Church; the half-timbered house in the
background to the left of the church is on Burgweg, into which Untere
Walldürner Straße converges just after the church.
4:40 PM – Miltenberg: view down cobblestone Untere
Walldürner Straße, with nice Audi sports car at near right and half-timbered
house at Untere Walldürner Straße 2 on corner of next intersection at left,
then across Engelplatz square and Hauptstraße, with “Bäckerei Hench Conditorei”
at Hauptstraße 64, and down Ziegelgasse to the Brückentor (bridge gatehouse) at
the south end of the Mainbrücke (Main Bridge) (telephoto 119 mm).
MT 4:41 PM – Miltenberg: Audi sports car parked in
front of Untere Walldürner Straße 11.
The half-timbered house at Untere
Walldürner Straße 2 is from 1718.
4:43 PM – Miltenberg: Franziskaner Klosterkirche, just
to right of Bäckerei Hench, with umbrellas on Engelplatz in foreground; this view shows the ornate portral in the church's west façade.
The former Catholic Franziskanerkirche
(Franciscan Church), also known as Klosterkirche zur Unbefleckten Empfängnis
Mariens (Cloister Church of the Immaculate Conception of Mary), at
Hauptstraße 60, was built in 1667-1687 in Baroque style. It is a hall church,
on the model of Gothic Minorite churches, with a ridge turret with lantern on
its saddle roof, stone buttresses, and a three-sided apse.
The Franziskanerkonvent
(Franciscan Convent) of Miltenberg was founded in 1630. Its first decades were
overshadowed by war and pestilence. After provisional lodging, a cloister with
chapel was created in 1660-62 in what was then the “Äußere Vorstadt” (Outer Pre-City
[outside the walls])—now the city center, Construction of the Klosterkirche
(Cloister Church) began in 1667, designed by the Italian-born court architect
of the Prince-Archbishop of Würzburg. The long nave was completed in 1679 and
the apse in 1688, at which time the church was consecrated with the patronage
of “Mariä Himmelfahrt” (Assumption of Mary [into Heaven]). The rich interior
decoration was added by 1705, including the organ from 1681, and in 1707 the
previously flat ceiling was remodeled with a barrel vault divided by belt
arches.
The cloister flourished in the 18th
century, and the convent building was expanded in 1735. The Franciscans taught
philosophy and theology in the cloister and also in the Gymnasium (high school)
of Miltenberg. In 1803, the Electorate of Mainz, as were all religious
principalities, was dissolved, and the Franciscan cloister was secularized.
After the French period, Miltenberg became part of the Kingdom of Bavaria. The
empty-standing cloister was given back to the Bavarian Franciscan Province and
was re-inhabited starting in 1836. In 1843, the convent changed to the patronage
of the “Unbefleckte Empfängnis Mariens” (Immaculate Conception of Mary), for
the Immaculate Conception (Mary’s freedom from original sin), for centuries advocated
by the Franciscans, had become official Catholic dogma in 1854.
During a renovation of the church
in 1838, the wall paintings were painted over. World War II did not cause any
significant damage, but by 1960 the
convent consisted of only four priests and four lay brothers. In 1960-74, the
interior was redesigned and partially returned to Baroque style; the Immaculate
high (main) altar was re-created in Baroque form. Further renovation of the
interior took place in 1977. From the original interior furnishings, the
sculpture-rich pulpit and the organ are preserved.
In 1983, the convent was dissolved,
and the convent buildings were purchased by the Caritas charitable
organization. Since 2012, there have been plans to use the church as a
columbarium (vault for urns with cremated ashes).
4:45 PM – Miltenberg: Franziskaner Klosterkirche -
interior view from rear of nave to main altar in apse; pulpit at left and MT in
aisle.
4:46 PM – Miltenberg: Franziskaner Klosterkirche -
pulpit on left side of nave.
MT 4:43 PM – Miltenberg: Franziskaner Klosterkirche -
main altar in apse (mild telephoto 43 mm).
4:46 PM – Miltenberg: Franziskaner Klosterkirche –
statue of Mary, the Immaculate Conception, on main altar (telephoto 119 mm).
4:47 PM – Miltenberg: Franziskaner Klosterkirche – view
from near main altar to rear of nave with organ; pulpit to right from this
angle.
4:47 PM – Miltenberg: Franziskaner Klosterkirche –
other side of pulpit (taken from near main altar).
4:47 PM – Miltenberg: Franziskaner Klosterkirche –
organ in choir loft at rear of nave.
MT 4:46 PM – Miltenberg: Franziskaner Klosterkirche –
organ in choir loft at rear of nave (mild telephoto 49 mm).
4:57 PM – Miltenberg: Franziskaner Klosterkirche sign
for “Franziskanerkloster” (Franciscan Cloister) with German text that
translates: “1630 calling of the Franciscan order by Mainz for stabilization of
the confessional conditions. First settlement in the hospital on Manggasse.
1667 beginning of the construction of the church. The choir [apse] was nor
erected until 1687. The portal at the west entrance is a donation of the
Elector of Mainz Johann Philipp von Schönborn in 1668. Temporarily the seat of the
Gymnasium [high school]. The convent was dissolved in 1983.”
Manggasse is a street just
three blocks west of Ziegelgasse. Until 1867, Manggasse 4-6 was the site of a
Spital (hospital) founded in 1319.
Johann Philipp von Schönborn (1605-73) was the
Archbishop-Elector of Mainz in 1647-73. He was also Bishop of Würzburg
(1642-73) and Bishop of Worms (1663-73). He was the first of six members of the
Schönborn family who, over the course of more than three generations, were to
rule over eight of the most prestigious ecclesiastical principalities of the Holy
Roman Empire, giving the name “Schönbornzeit” (Schönborn Era) to an era
(1642-1756) sometimes nostalgically remembered as an era of prosperity. Today,
the term “Schönbornzeit” denotes a particular style of Rhenish and Franconian
Baroque.
At
this point, we briefly went down the nearby Ziegelgasse to the Mainstraße,
which runs along the Main river, to look for public restrooms. Earlier, we had passed
a sign about restrooms there.
3:02 PM – Miltenberg: earlier photo that included the “Vatter-do!” sign, just above guide’s
paddle, on island at lower end of Ziegelgasse where it intersects with the Mainstraße;
the spire atop the Franziskaner Klosterkirche can be seen over the top of a
red-roofed building of left side of Ziegelgasse.
In Miltenberg (and apparently also in the Franconian town of Erbach), a “Vatter-do” sign shows a father and son, with the son pointing the way to the nearest public restroom and excitedly calling out in the local dialect “Vatter-do!” (Father, there!).
5:20 PM – Miltenberg: “Vatter-do!” sign on island in street at lower entrance to Ziegelgasse, where it intersects with the Mainstraße, across from the Mainbrücke bridge.
4:53 PM – Miltenberg: view to west on Mainstraße toward
Mildenburg castle on hill in distance.
Back
on the Hauptstraße, Don decided to head back east, toward the Würzburgertor, which we had seen
briefly at the beginning of our guided tour.
5:10 PM – Miltenberg: Gasthof zum Anker at Hauptstraße
31 with “Gasthof Anker” on side of
building, old shop sign for “Gasthof Anker” and another sign, above the doorway
arch, for “Anker …Weinbau” (Anchor … Winery).
The Gasthof zum Anker (Anchor Inn)
has been at Hauptstraße 31 since 1773. It is a traditional altfränkisch
(Old Franconian) wine restaurant. (Large parts of Franken [Franconia] were
given to the Kingdom of Bavaria in 1803, and Franken is still part of the State
of Bavaria in today’s Federal Republic of Germany.)
5:06 PM – Miltenberg: view down Hauptstraße toward; building in right foreground with old shop
sign for “Gasthof Anker” and another sign, above the doorway arch, for “Anker
…Weinbau” (Anchor … Winery); just beyond it is the former customs office, at Hauptstraße
29; Würzburgertor in distance.
5:06 PM – Miltenberg: view down Hauptstraße toward Würzburgertor; Gasthof Anker in right
foreground with old shop sign, and just beyond it is the former customs office,
at Hauptstraße 29 (mild telephoto 49 mm).
The former Zollgebäude (customs
building) at Hauptstraße 29 was originally built in 1779 in Baroque
style, and an additional story, in Neo-Baroque style, was added around 1900. It
was a Gasthaus (inn) in the early 19th century, and since 1862 the Amtsgericht
(District Courthouse).
5:07 PM – Miltenberg: view down Hauptstraße toward Würzburgertor, with view through gateway at
base (mild telephoto 63 mm).
The Würzburgertor (Würzburg Gate), at Hauptstraße 1, is a five-story
gate tower with a pointed arch passage at the east end of the Altstadt, leading
to east toward Würzburg. It was built in Gothic style in 1405 (other sources
say it was first mentioned in 1379). It is located at the eastern entrance to
the Altstadt. Originally, it had a crenellated firing platform (battlements),
since the town’s eastern flank was most vulnerable in medieval times, and in
those days the heavily armed gate was a fearsome prospect. At the beginning of
the 15th century, however, the crenellated battlements were removed, and a
decorative hipped roof was built in their place. On the outside and in the
passageway are a series of stone blocks that are holdovers from the gate’s
portcullis mechanism. In the passage is a wooden crucifix from the 19th
century.
Then
Don went back down the Hauptstraße
toward Engelplatz.
5:08 PM – Miltenberg: half-timbered house at
Hauptstraße 17.
The half-timbered house at Hauptstraße
17 is dated 1610.
5:08 PM – Miltenberg: half-timbered house at
Hauptstraße 17, with “1610” over door.
5:11 PM – Miltenberg: Domkellerei at Hauptstraße 36.
Miltenberg: other side of
former Domkellerei (Von Tilman2007 - Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27984716); historical
marker sign is visible at lower right here.
The former Mainzer Domkellerei
(Mainz Cathedral Cellar) or Alte Domkellerei (Old Cathedral Cellar), at
Hauptstraße 36, was built in Late Gothic style, dated 1480 [according to the
historical marker sign on the building, but 1489 according to the “List of
Architectural Monuments of Miltenberg”*], although other sources indicate it
was built before then. It has stepped gables over a high cellar floor and
Freitreppe (outside staircase). Remodeling dated 1831. For its earlier owners,
it is also called the Hartigsbau (Hartigs’ building). It served as the
residence for the Mainzer Domkeller. The original building was surrounded by a
wall and a moat and was a Stadthaus (city house) of the Rüdt (or Rüd) von
Kollenberg** noble family, which gave possession of it to the Mainzer
Domkapitel (Mainz Cathedral Chapter) in 1420. The Domkapitel made it into the
Domkellerei, as the administrative center of the Mainzer Domkapitel.
In 1990 the Stadtbücherei (City
Library) was opened in the renovated building.
* This might be because the Alte
Pfarrkirche (Old Parish Church) of nearby Bürgstadt has a Gothic window from
the Alte Domkellerei in Miltenberg, which has the year “1489” on its back side.
** The ruins of Burg Collenberg (or
Kollenberg) castle in located near the village of Dorfprozelten in the district
of Miltenberg. The barons of the Rüdt von Kollenberg fränkish (Franconian)
noble family had this as their seat starting in the 13th century (around 1250).
Although the family possibly had roots in the 8th century and certainly by the
12th century, the progenitor of the family under its present name was Weiprecht
Rüd von Rüdenau (Wilpertus Rude de Rudenau), who had numerous possessions
between Miltenberg and Wertheim in the 13th century. In 1222 he was first
mentioned as Wipertus de Amorbach, but his sons and grandsons took the nickname
“dictus Ruede,” and he eventually took the name “von Rüdenau” and later “von
Collenberg” for himself. (Amorbach and Rüdenau are both in the district of
Miltenberg.) Earlier names Rüd, Rüdin, Rude, Rudo, Rudi, and Ruden later
developed into today’s Rüdt. Among known family members was Konrad Rüdt von
Collenberg (died 1379-1382?), a very noble free imperial knight in Miltenberg,
who held the office of Deutschmeister (second highest rank) in the Knights
Templar order. The Collenberg line still exists today.
5:11 PM – Miltenberg: historical marker sign for
“Domkellerei/Hartigsbau” with text in German that translates:
“Middle point of
the Zehntbezirk (tithing district) of the Mainzer Domkapitel (Mainz Cathedral
Chapter) since the 14th century that here above all pressed and stored wine.
“Late
Gothic building from 1480. Stepped gable. Popularly called Hartigsbau (Hartig’s
building) after the first private owner Ignaz Hartig since 1851.
“Since
1906 in possession of the city.”
After
meeting MT again at the Engelplatz, we both went back down Ziegelgasse to the
waterfront to head back to the ship.
At
5:30, the Viking Skadi cast off to continue traveling up the Main toward
Würzburg, passing through the Spessart.
The Spessart, which is
divided between Bavaria and Hesse (to the north), is Germany’s largest
continuous upland forest area. It is a range of low, wooded mountains. The name
Spessart is derived from “Spechtshardt”; Specht is the German word for
woodpecker (of which several species are found here), and Hardt is an
outdated word meaning hilly forest. The Brothers Grimm grew up in the Spessart,
and many of the fairy tales in their collection are based on legends in this
region. Miltenberg is located in the Spessart.
After
dinner, we were out on the top deck (“sun deck”) when the ship sailed past a
castle illuminated at night. Don only managed to take one photo showing some of
the other Viking passengers and a blurry image of the castle.
9:27 PM – After Miltenberg in Spessart: unidentified
castle illuminated at night.
However,
MT got some better photos, of which some turned out clear enough that Don was
later able to identify the castle as Burg Wertheim. The castle was on
the north side of the Main in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, while the south bank was still in the
neighboring of Bavaria (as would be our next destination of Würzburg).
MT 9:25 PM – Wertheim: approaching Burg Wertheim castle
illuminated at night (telephoto 73 mm).
MT 9:24 PM – Wertheim: clearer photo of Burg Wertheim
castle illuminated at night (telephoto 125 mm).
Wertheim: Burg Wertheim (Von
Anne Stauf - Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28384502).
Burg Wertheim (Wertheim Castle)
is the landmark of the town Wertheim am Main, on the Main river between
Miltenberg and Würzburg. Burg Wertheim
is the ruins of a Höhenburg (mountain castle) on a high, narrow mountain spur
between the valleys of the Main an Tauber rivers, above the town of Wertheim.
It is one of the oldest castle ruins in the state of Baden-Württemberg. The
Grafen von Wertheim (Counts of Wertheim), members of a branch of the Franconian
noble family Reginbodonen, first named themselves after Wertheim in 1132, and in
that century began the construction of their castle, which developed into a
cultural center. The castle was first mentioned in documents in 1183. The
medieval poet Wolfram von Eschenbach had close connections with the Counts of
Wertheim and dedicated the fourth book of his famous Parzival epic,
written down between 1200 and 1210, to one of those counts. The castle was
expanded from the Oberburg (upper castle) in several building periods until parts
of it were destroyed by a gunpowder explosion in 1619, during the Thirty Years’
War (1618-48). Later in that war, it was occupied by the Swedish (Protestant)
army and consequently suffered further destruction by artillery fire of
Imperial (Catholic) forces in 1634. Since then, it has remained in ruins. Remaining
standing from the Oberburg are the 25-meter-tall Bergfried (keep) from around
1200 as well as the Palas (palace*) from the second third of the 13th century.
Connected to the Palas is another residence building, in which remains of an older
building are preserved.
*A Palas (from the Late Latin palatium
= imperial court, via the Old French pales
or palais) is a German term for the
imposing or prestigious building of a medieval castle that contained the great
hall. Such buildings appeared during the Romanesque period 11th-13th centuries)
and were peculiar to German castles.
Wertheim: aerial view of Burg
Wertheim, showing the full extent of the castle complex (Von de:Benutzer:Elektromann - de:Bild:Burgw2.jpg, Gemeinfrei, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=296160).
Wertheim, also known as
Wertheim am Main, is a town (pop. 23,400) in the extreme northern part of the
German state of Baden-Württemberg. It
is located at the confluence of the rivers Tauber and Main and is best known
for its landmark castle and medieval town center. It borders on the Odenwald
hills and the Spessart range to the north across the Main. It was founded
between the 7th and 8th centuries; however, the first settlement, on the right
(north) bank of the Main, was called Kreuzwertheim (after the cross, Kreuz
in German, on its marketplace), first mentioned in documents of 779. From the
early 12th century onwards, a branch of the Franconian noble family Reginbodonen
named themselves after the town. After the Counts of Wertheim built a castle of
the left (south) bank of the Main, a settlement that was called Wertheim developed
at the foot of the castle. After Wertheim was granted town rights in 1306, its
counterpart across the Main slid into steep decline. In 1806, the area to the
left of the Main was given to the Grand Duchy of Baden (now part of the German
state of Baden-Württemberg), while territories right of the Main were given to
the Kingdom of Bavaria (now the German state of Bavaria).
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