Wertheim, Bavaria

Wertheim was a very picturesque village nestled amongst wooded hills and vineyards, and by the river. We walked from the new town through a narrow archway to discover a typical old Bavarian village - narrow cobblestoned streets, tall and narrow ornate buildings packed closely together, very steep roofs, a church, outdoor cafes, little shops full of colourful items and, of course, a castle on top of a hill.

But each village has its own story and there were some interesting tales about this village. There was a very narrow villa that is now used to sell glass sculptures and so forth. Taxes used to be determined by how much floor space you had, not by how high your building was. So the owner of this building built a very narrow ground floor and had his little villa widened at each new floor. One way to reduce your taxes! This building is shown in the photos below.

The story behind the castle on the hill is fascinating. The castle was burnt out decades ago as result of a maid falling asleep on her watch, allowing a log to fall out of the fire and setting everything alight. 

Near the end of WW2, the Americans were going to bomb Wertheim because it had a German army base nearby.  The villagers were in great fear of the military personnel, but one teacher decided to take matters in his own hands. He ran up to the castle ruins as fast as he could, and set up a white flag there, knowing full well he would be shot by their own army if caught. It worked and the town was saved from bombardment! The villagers greeted the Americans with open arms, cheering them as they arrived. I gather the Americans then set up a base there which they operated for some time. Apparently this relationship has continued to this day, with many Americans still visiting the village. 

Walking into the village.

A typical building, though shutters were less common.

The building on the left is the narrowest building.

Another view, showing how the narrow house gets wider up higher.

At the bottom right is a wooden fountain. The white canopies behind it were part of a big ice cream shop. 

Ice creams were very popular on that hot day. 

The castle on the hill.

Outside the village on our walk back to the ship. The castle can just be seen at the centre of the photo.