Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany

Rothenburg ob der Tauber sits on a plateau above the Tauber River in Middle Franconia, Bavaria, with roughly 11,000 residents. First recorded in 942, the settlement became a Free Imperial City in 1274 and preserved its medieval Old Town largely intact. The town's survival in 1631 is attributed to Mayor Georg Nusch, who reportedly drank about 3.25 litres of wine before General Tilly's troops, a feat re-enacted annually as the Meistertrunk. Landmarks include the 1380 town hall, the 1300 Plönlein corner, the 1172 Kobolzeller Kirche, and St. James's Church from 1333, which holds Tilman Riemenschneider's 1505 Blood Altar. A 4 km walking trail along the defensive wall, laid out in 1971, traces the full circuit.