Following Jewish footsteps
through medieval Rothenburg

Jewish Headstone

Fragment of a Jewish headstone in the southern wall of the old castle.

Every now and then complete headstones or fragments have been discovered by chance in various of the town's buildings. Just like here in the outer side of the castle wall close to the Eselssteige below the Blasiuskapelle - Saint Blaise's Chapel - in the upper third of the wall. Sometimes complete headstones are found during archaeological excavations or architectural studies of historic buildings.

One specifically searched for headstone had been made into a step of the spiral staircase in the Gothic part of the town hall.

A large part of the Jewish headstones that had been desecrated that way were reused as covering plates of the town wall, mostly with the inscription facing down. Whenever they can be retrieved they are taken to the RothenburgMuseum for inventory.