Travel Blog No. 8
(click on photos to enlarge them)
Wertheim is a town in the state of Baden-Wurttembag. The Luftwaffe had a small airfield there during W.W. 2 to instruct pilots in flying the JU87 STUKA. The town was captured by the Americans in 1945, and postwar the airfield hosted a small U.S. Army base called Camp Peden. In the early 1990s, the Soviet Union having collapsed, the camp became redundant and it was closed. Wertheim is built at the confluence of two historic rivers - the Tauber and the wider Main. The Medieval town suffered partial destruction during the Thirty Years War, and Wertheim Castle the hilltop landmark, was left a picturesque ruin for almost three centuries. From the air the old town looks like a giant slice of pizza. A slice made crunchy with modern red tiles and ancient red sandstone building blocks. Cross over the highway bridge and you are back in Bavaria.
An interesting pair of Wertheim photos I
scraped from a U.S. Veterans webpage.
In 1945 there was also a dispersed ME109
production facility at Wertheim, hidden in
tunnels, barns and the surrounding forest.
A 1960s postcard of Castle Wertheim, found on Ebay
While we were busy touring Miltenberg the VIKING BESTLA had continued upriver. Towards the end of our afternoon we boarded motor-coaches and dashed along the river highway to Wertheim, not really knowing what to expect. This was one of the few stops where Viking does not provide a guided tour, and without a map you are pretty much left to your own devices. The time constraint means you have to confine yourself within the old town, which is too bad, because Wertheim is definitely worthy of a more careful visit. After receiving instructions from Tour Director - Alex, we all scattered. My wife and I made our way through the narrow streets, looking for something inviting to photograph.
The Renaissance well known as the "Engelsbrunnen" has been photographed by every tourist who ever entered the town with a camera. Why should we be different? Built of the same red sandstone of which our Miltenberg town-guide was so proud, the brunnen (it means both well and fountain) takes it name from the pair of angels that adorn the top of the piece.
For many years the Engelsbrunnen existed with its red sandstone skirting removed, and folks could use either of two drinking fountains. The stone skirting is now restored, as are two iron pulleys that indicate it was a well. This postcard view of the well is about 100 years old. Further along we turned into a courtyard with a large church on our right, and a smaller chapel to the left. The old castle loomed on the hill above, and the shadows were deepening as the sun was sinking at our back. I had no knowledge of any of the monuments we were photographing, but trusted we could research them when we were home in Canada.
And this is the same view - taken about 70 years ago. It seems virtually unchanged.
In the basement of the chapel are entombed the bones of the Counts of Wertheim, most of whom were Catholic. Of course we had no opportunity to enter the chapel, and contented ourselves with recording interesting corners and monuments of the surrounding area - and they were quite abundant. The much larger structure on the right is the Evangelishe Stiftskirche - the principle Protestant Church in Wertheim. If you go back to the aerial photo you will see that the yellow church is the largest structure in the old town.
In addition to the ubiquitous red sandstone monuments, we encountered plenty of red foliage in Wertheim which I attributed to the time of year. Behind the church was an elderly vine which is living attached to a retaining wall some 30 feet in height. Here Wendy poses with some gorgeous colour! I admit I posed at the wall too.
The Renaissance well known as the "Engelsbrunnen" has been photographed by every tourist who ever entered the town with a camera. Why should we be different? Built of the same red sandstone of which our Miltenberg town-guide was so proud, the brunnen (it means both well and fountain) takes it name from the pair of angels that adorn the top of the piece.
For many years the Engelsbrunnen existed with its red sandstone skirting removed, and folks could use either of two drinking fountains. The stone skirting is now restored, as are two iron pulleys that indicate it was a well. This postcard view of the well is about 100 years old. Further along we turned into a courtyard with a large church on our right, and a smaller chapel to the left. The old castle loomed on the hill above, and the shadows were deepening as the sun was sinking at our back. I had no knowledge of any of the monuments we were photographing, but trusted we could research them when we were home in Canada.
And this is the same view - taken about 70 years ago. It seems virtually unchanged.
In the basement of the chapel are entombed the bones of the Counts of Wertheim, most of whom were Catholic. Of course we had no opportunity to enter the chapel, and contented ourselves with recording interesting corners and monuments of the surrounding area - and they were quite abundant. The much larger structure on the right is the Evangelishe Stiftskirche - the principle Protestant Church in Wertheim. If you go back to the aerial photo you will see that the yellow church is the largest structure in the old town.
Posing on the chapel steps, October 6, 2014.
Many of the carved plaques attest to the piety and charity of Wertheim's Christian elite, all now gone. Husband and wife memorials are very commonly found on German churches. This is one of several we photographed. I cannot read German and I have no way of telling you the story of this couple.
In addition to the ubiquitous red sandstone monuments, we encountered plenty of red foliage in Wertheim which I attributed to the time of year. Behind the church was an elderly vine which is living attached to a retaining wall some 30 feet in height. Here Wendy poses with some gorgeous colour! I admit I posed at the wall too.
An additional feature built on the wall of the church is a sun dial which was large enough for the inhabitants of the schlosse (built on the ruin of Castle Wertheim) to check the hour of the day. Because it had already gone past 6pm, the wall was in shadow. It was time for us to start back to meet the VIKING BESTLA, which we had been promised must be waiting for us on the Main River.
Our longship was at the dockside, as were most of our fellow passengers, all waiting for the gangplank to be secured in place. Several of the wonderful dining room staff and our beloved chef were lining the rail to greet us and, at a signal, pulled out large letters that spelled "WELCOME BACK". Their gesture was much appreciated and we were very happy to pile aboard to prepare ourselves for cocktails and dinner. There was still much to see and enjoy as we set sail upriver.
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