Rottweil

Rottweil is a town in the south west of Germany and is the oldest town in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg. Located between the Black Forest and the Swabian Alb hills, Rottweil has about 25,000 inhabitants. The old town is famous for its medieval center and the community is well-known beyond the local area for its traditional carnival (called Fasnet in the local Swabian dialect).

History

Rottweil was founded by the Romans in AD 73 as Arae Flaviae and became a municipium, but there are traces of human settlement going back to 2000 BC. Roman baths and a mosaic of Orpheus (ca. AD 180) date from the time of Roman settlement. The present town became a ducal and a royal court before 771 and in the Middle Ages it became a Free Imperial City in 1268.

In 1463 the city joined the Swiss Confederation, with which it was closely aligned for several centuries. Both its status as free city and its alliance with the Swiss Confederacy were eventually lost with the conquest of the region by Napoleon in 1803. The appearance of the town changed very little from the 16th century.

Main sights

• The late-Romanesque and Gothic-era Münster Heiliges Kreuz ("Minster of the Holy Cross"), built over a pre-existing church from 1270. It features a crucifix by Veit Stoss and noteworthy Gothic sculptures.
• Kapellenkirche (1330–40), a Gothic church with a tower and with three statue-decorated portals.
• Lorenzkapelle ("Church of St. Lawrence", 16th century), in late Gothic style. It houses some two hundred works by Swabian masters and Gothic altarpieces from the 14–5th centuries.
• The City museum, including a notable roman mosaic with the legend of Orpheus.
• The late-Gothic Town Hall (1521).
• St. Pelagius, a Romanesque church from the 12th century. Excavations have brought to light Roman baths in the same site.

Other

• The Rottweiler dog is named after this town; it used to be a butcher's dog in the region.
• Adam of Rottweil, the 15th-century scholar and printer, was born in Rottweil.
• Konrad Witz, painter
• Das Mädchen aus Rottweil is a song by the German band Die Toten Hosen

International relations

Rottweil is twinned with:

• L'Aquila, Abruzzo, Italy
• Brugg, Aargau, Switzerland
• Hyères, Var, France
• Imst, Tirol, Austria

Images

See also

• Rottweil (district)

References

External links

• The official website
• Feast of Fools: Medieval Carnival Celebrations in Rottweil
• Website for hotels and restaurants in Rottweil
• History and territory of the former Reichsstadt Rottweil
• Pictures and stories about Rottweil