Reinheit ob der Tauber - Jewish Life in Rothenburg

History where it actually happened:

RothenburgMuseum and Kulturerbe Bayern offer this guided tour of Jewish life in Rothenburg ob der Tauber. Every Saturday at 14:30, visitors can trace the footprints of Jewish heritage across the city - from the Judaica collection at RothenburgMuseum to Judengasse 10, one of Germany's oldest surviving Jewish residential buildings, complete with a remarkable 15th-century mikveh.

The tour starts at RothenburgMuseum, where participants get an introduction to the culture and history of the city's Jewish community. The Judaica collection brings together religious and everyday objects that illuminate Jewish life in medieval Rothenburg. From there, the route leads into the Judengasse - a quarter regarded in Germany and beyond as one of the best-preserved late-medieval Jewish urban districts anywhere. At Judengasse 10, guests encounter a house that has held more than 600 years of history and now stands as a monument of national significance under the care of Kulturerbe Bayern. After an introduction to the building's eventful architectural past, the tour descends to the heart of the house: the mikveh in the cellar - the only surviving ritual bath of its period in Germany that still exists together with its original dwelling.

Judengasse 10 was the first project taken on and restored by Kulturerbe Bayern. This non-profit initiative has been working since 2015 along the lines of the British National Trust, preserving Bavarian cultural heritage and making it accessible to the public.

"With this tour we show how alive heritage conservation can be," says Dr. Sybille Krafft, chair of Kulturerbe Bayern. "Judengasse 10 tells a story whose significance reaches far beyond Rothenburg. Through our collaboration with RothenburgMuseum, we are opening up a piece of Jewish heritage."