Will Suture for Travel

Wertheim

We sailed in the morning. At some point, either in the morning or last night, we transitioned from the Rhine to the Main River.

Random church we sailed by
Random ruins we sailed by

This afternoon we were in Wertheim. This town was established in the 8th century and still has a medieval city center and the ruins of a castle overlooking the city. The city was given an official city rights under Frankfurt law in 1306. Our guide told us that during WWII, the people of Wertheim welcomed Hitler and Naziism. There was an air base just outside of town that was a target for the Allies, but on a scheduled date for bombing, there was heavy cloud cover which protected the city. Later, American troops were coming towards the city and 2 young men went to the top of the castle and waved white flags of surrender. Our guide said that not everyone in town was initially in agreement with what the young men did, but they were later recognized with saving not only the people of the town, but the town itself from being destroyed. They are recognized with a small plaque at the castle, but our guide said that there recently was a competition to come up with a more significant and appropriate recognition for them. The air base was later used by American troops for many decades and our guide said that the community and the US military had a very good relationship.

The castle was initially built in the 12th century and expanded over time. The castle was partly destroyed by an explosion in the 17th century and again during the Thirty Years War, but the castle never fell. The castle and ruins became a sightseeing destination in the 19th century, but by 1950 the site was falling into disrepair and part of it collapsed. Another portion collapsed around 1980. Today, the city of Wertheim maintains the site as a museum, but our guide says it is very expensive for the city to maintain. They have added a restaurant and events to help pay for the upkeep of the castle.

view of the town and the Main River from the castle
Another view of the town and the Main River

We walked around the town center for a while before returning to our ship.

Town Square
This blue half-timbered house is unusual. This was a status symbol. This house is from 1593 and it was historically blue. It was painted with a mixture of finely crushed glass and cobalt called smalt. It was very expensive, so having anything painted with this was a show of wealth.
Partially uncovered frescoes inside the Wertheimer Stiftskirche. The foundation stone for this building was laid in 1384. From the 16th century, Protestant services were held in the building. In the 17th century Protestant services were held in the nave with Catholic services held in the choir with a screen separating them. I can only imagine what it was like to have 2 church services going on at the same time in a stone building. The church became solely Protestant again in 1842.

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