Ratstrinkstube (City Council Tavern), Rothenburg

The City Council Tavern is one of Rothenburg’s most recognizable historic buildings. Once reserved exclusively for members of the city council, it was a place where councillors could meet for drinks after their official business, away from the general public. Today, the building houses the Rothenburg Tourism Service, but its distinctive façade preserves several reminders of the town’s past.

The gable facing the Market Square is particularly striking, featuring the imperial city’s coat of arms and three different timepieces. The large city clock, installed in 1683, is accompanied by a date display and a sundial decorated with the signs of the zodiac, added in 1768. Between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m., visitors gather at the full hour to watch the building’s famous mechanical clock. Two figures appear through the windows on either side of the clock, reenacting one of Rothenburg’s best-known legends.

The scene depicts the Master Draught, a story associated with the Thirty Years’ War. According to the legend, when Catholic troops under General Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly, captured Rothenburg in 1631, Tilly threatened to plunder and destroy the Protestant town. He supposedly offered to spare it if former mayor Heinrich Nusch could drink an enormous 3-litre tankard of Franconian wine in a single draught. Nusch accepted the challenge and, according to the legend, accomplished the feat, saving Rothenburg from destruction. Since 1910, the figures of Tilly and Nusch have brought this famous story to life on the façade every hour.