Röttingen: Wine, Theatre and Historic City Walls

Röttingen lies in the Tauber Valley and on the Romantic Road. Wine, theatre and historic buildings offer different ways to shape your stay. If you’re looking for a hotel in Röttingen, you can plan your trip around whether you’re most interested in a performance at the Frankenfestspiele, the Whitsun wine festival, or the history of wine and the town.

Brattenstein Castle and the Frankenfestspiele

Brattenstein Castle was first mentioned in 1230 in connection with the Lords of Hohenlohe. Since 1984, its courtyard and tithe barn have served each summer as the setting for the open-air theatre of the Röttingen Frankenfestspiele. The castle thus brings together a historical record and a recurring theatre tradition.

If you’d like to include a performance in your travel plans, check the dates for the summer in question. The festival takes place annually, but dates and programme formats may vary.

Wine: Festival, Hiking Trail and Cycling Route

The Röttingen Wine Festival is celebrated at Whitsun. In the winemakers’ barns and courtyards, you can sample wines from the Röttinger Feuerstein vineyard; the selection ranges from Silvaner to Tauberschwarz. The programme and participating winemakers may vary from year to year. The festival is therefore a seasonal reason to plan your stay around Whitsun.

The wine hike starts in the historic old town and leads through orchards and vineyards. The themed information boards explain the vineyard sites, grape varieties and terroir, as well as aspects of prehistory and history. The trail combines views of the landscape with information about viticulture. While the wine festival focuses on the wines and winemakers’ courtyards, the hike takes you through the vineyards and their themes.

The Gaubahn Cycle Route offers a different focus: it runs mostly along a former railway line that once connected the Tauber Valley with the Main Valley, and passes through Röttingen. The historic connection between the two valleys is part of the route’s history; today, you can experience its course as a cycle path. Röttingen thus offers several ways to explore its wine landscape and regional history, without needing to follow the same route.

City Wall, Garden and Truffle Culture

Seven of the 14 towers that originally formed Röttingen’s city wall remain, some of them partly inhabited. The wall and its towers once served as fortifications and are now among the town’s sights. Their surviving sections make their former defensive function visible as an important part of the town’s history.

Around 70 different culinary and medicinal herbs grow in the Paracelsus Garden, some cultivated and others growing wild. Sculptures by artist Herbert Mehler create a contrast with the plants. The selection of herbs can gradually change, and the works on display may also vary.

During a visit to the truffle plantation, you can learn about the secrets of truffle cultivation. If you’re interested in a tasting, ask in advance about current dates and arrangements.

Wine Museum in Röttingen

The wine museum is dedicated to the history of viticulture in Röttingen and the Tauber Valley. The exhibition includes historic tools from different periods and a former winemaker’s costume. The museum is closed until further notice.

More Culture in the Wider Würzburg Destination

Ochsenfurt is also part of the wider Würzburg destination. Its historic old town is enclosed by an almost complete fortification system with numerous gates and towers. The New Town Hall dates from the 15th century; the Lanzentürmchen contains a figurine clock and a moon clock. These buildings offer a distinct historical perspective on Ochsenfurt and add further examples of regional architectural history to the exploration of Röttingen’s city wall and castle.

Discover more destinations: Reichenberg, Rottendorf, Veitshöchheim, Würzburg, Gaukönigshofen, Tauberrettersheim, Zell Am Main, Giebelstadt.

Back to the main travel overview: Würzburg.