Following Jewish footsteps
through medieval Rothenburg


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Judengasse
The Mikveh, ritual bath of the second Jewish community, located in 10 Judengasse.
Source: RothenburgMuseum, H. Merz
The Judengasse (Jews' Lane) was the second Jewish housing area, which had been built on the raised moat outside the first wall in the northern part of the town. It is situated between Weißer Turm (White Tower) and Blauer Turm (Blue Tower) in the Klingengasse, the latter doesn't exist anymore though. Therefore it was located between the second and the first circular wall in an area which also enclosed the Jewish cemetery along with the Schrannenplatz. The majority of the Jewish houses on the Judengasse were erected shortly after the year 1400. Most of them survived the bombings during WWII. Since the 1980s, after a period of dereliction, some of them have been refurbished to be lived in again.

A distinctive architectural feature of the houses is that they are arranged like terraced houses, their eaves sides facing the street. Numbers 15 to 21 make up the oldest housing complex, a terraced house divided into three parts, dating back to around 1400. The Mikveh, i. e. the ritual bath which is of vital significance to any Jewish community, was discovered in house number 10 around 1980 by Dr. Hilde Merz, who was in charge of the RothenburgMuseum at that time.