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The Röderturm and the 1945 exhibition

The only tower on the town wall you are allowed to climb: 103 steps, €3.00, and on the way up the Alt-Rothenburg society's exhibition on the night of 31 March 1945, when this tower was burned out to its walls. The window is 11:00–14:00 and that is the whole day.

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Where and when

Where
Röderturm, at the Rödertor, Rödergasse, 91541 Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany Open in Google Maps Walking directions
Era
14th-century gate tower on the wall; burnt out in 1945 and rebuilt with the Alt-Rothenburg association
Opening
June–August daily 11:00–14:00; April, May, September and October weekends and public holidays only, 11:00–14:00; November–March weather-dependent, so check before going. Extra hours during the Reiterlesmarkt (as of August 2026)
Price
€3.00 adult, €1.50 up to age 18 (as of August 2026)
Best time
11:00, when it opens, because it closes at 14:00 and the day-trip coaches are still on the market square at that hour. Combine it with the covered wall-walk, which passes the foot of this tower — it is the natural halfway stop on the eastern stretch.
Good for
Free or cheap
Official site
www.rothenburg.de
Map showing where The Röderturm and the 1945 exhibition is
Open in Google Maps Walking directions © MapTiler © OpenStreetMap contributors

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What is The Röderturm and the 1945 exhibition?

The Röderturm is the 14th-century tower over the Rödertor, the easternmost gate of the circuit, and for centuries it was the town’s signal post — the place a watchman stood to see trouble coming up the road. It is the only tower on the wall open to climb, and it is 103 steps to the tower room at the top.

On the floors in between there is an exhibition on how the town and its defences grew — and, more to the point, the Alt-Rothenburg society’s documentation of the destruction of 1945. That association helped rebuild this tower after it was burnt out to the bare walls at the end of the war, so the room you are standing in is itself the exhibit. On 31 March 1945 nine tons of bombs took 306 houses, nine towers and close to a thousand metres of wall — about 40% of the inner town — and the quarter you look down on from the top is exactly the ground that burned.

That is the case for coming here rather than only doing the Rathaus tower. The Rathaus tower is higher, in the middle of town, and shows you the plan. This one is small, cheap, on the eastern edge, and shows you the wound and the repair from directly above it.

The catch is the timetable. It opens 11:00–14:00 and no longer: daily in June, July and August; weekends and public holidays only in April, May, September and October; and from November to March the tourism office lists it as weather-dependent, which means you should assume it is shut unless you have checked. €3.00 for an adult, €1.50 up to 18.

What visitors say

4.9 from 94 ratings

  • BradinHK

    4 out of 5 2 months ago

    This is one of the five gateway entries into the Old Town, facing east in the direction of the Rothenburg ob der Tauber rail station. The gateway is fronted by a defensive Bastion construction and backed by a 43.5 metre watchtower, which is the tallest in the city. It makes for quite an impressive entry into the Old Town. The watchtower was constructed between 1385-90 while the outer bastion was added in 1615. The tower can be accessed by visitors who can climb to the top where you are afforded panoramic views of the Old Town and surrounding lands. Opening days and times vary depending on the season so reference the Rothenburg ob der Tauber website for details.

    Read this review on Google

  • John D

    5 out of 5 8 months ago

    Beautiful view! A must see! The ticket was 5 euros and the kind gentleman in the entrance gave us extra info!We were alone and had a good look around, amazing panoramas!

    Read this review on Google

  • Mat Bienczyk

    5 out of 5 2 years ago

    The Roderturm tower stands on the outer gates on the city - there's a steep staircase to get upstairs. You can pay 2 Euro each to get to the very top to see the views of the city and outskirts from the top of the tower. It also links you to the city walls.

    Read this review on Google

Ratings and reviews from Google. See all on Google Maps

Frequently asked questions

Can you climb a tower on the Rothenburg town wall?

Yes — the Röderturm at the Rödertor is the only tower on the wall open to visitors. It is 103 steps to the tower room.

How much is the Röderturm and when is it open?

€3.00 for an adult and €1.50 up to age 18. It opens 11:00–14:00: daily in June, July and August, weekends and public holidays only in April, May, September and October, and weather-dependent from November to March.

What is inside the Röderturm?

An exhibition on the development of the town and its fortifications, including the Alt-Rothenburg association's documentation of the destruction of 31 March 1945.

Was the Röderturm destroyed in the Second World War?

Yes. It was burned out to the walls at the end of the war and rebuilt shortly afterwards, with substantial support from the Alt-Rothenburg association.

Röderturm or Rathaus tower?

The Rathaus tower is 60 metres and 220 steps and shows you the plan of the whole town. The Röderturm is 103 steps, costs €3.00 and looks straight down on the eastern quarter that burned in 1945. If you have the time and the knees, do both; if not, the Rathaus tower has the bigger view and much longer hours.

Festivals in Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Medieval festivals in Rothenburg ob der Tauber
Der Meistertrunk (Rothenburg Whitsun Festival) in Rothenburg ob der Tauber Hiroki Ogawa · CC BY 3.0
Featured
Living History & Museums Historic City Celebrations

Der Meistertrunk (Rothenburg Whitsun Festival)

Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany

Rothenburg ob der Tauber's Whitsun festival re-enacts the legend of 1631, when former mayor Nusch supposedly saved the town from General Tilly's army by emptying a tankard holding more than three litres of wine in one draught. Citizens have performed the play 'Der Meistertrunk' since 1881, framed by a four-day festival with a costumed procession, military camp, shepherds' dance and crafts market.

– 2026
Family

More places in Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Places in Rothenburg ob der Tauber
Landmark Start here

The Town Wall and the Covered Wall-Walk

Circuit largely 13th–14th century; Spitalbastei finished 1537; the wall-walk rebuilt 1948–53 after the bombing of 31 March 1945

About four kilometres of wall, six gates and more than forty towers around an old town you can cross on foot in fifteen minutes — and roughly 2.5 km of it walkable on a roofed timber gallery five metres up, free and at any hour. Walk the eastern run from the Spitalbastei to the Klingentor, and read the names carved into the stones: they are the donors who paid to rebuild it after 1945.

Free or cheap Best in the evening Works in the rain
Walking directions
Experience

The Night Watchman's Tour

Re-enacts a real municipal office, obsolete by the 19th century; run in its present form since April 1991

Sixty minutes behind a man with a halberd, a horn and a lantern, through streets the coaches left three hours earlier. Be at the town hall by 19:50 for the English round at 20:00 and bring cash — and know that Hans Georg Baumgartner, who has walked this round since April 1991, is on the official schedule only until the end of October 2026.

Best in the evening Good with children Free or cheap
Walking directions
St Jakob's Church and the Holy Blood Altar in Rothenburg ob der Tauber Holger Uwe Schmitt · CC BY-SA 4.0
Church

St Jakob's Church and the Holy Blood Altar

Built 1311–1484, consecrated 1485; Riemenschneider's Holy Blood Altar 1500–05

The parish church built between 1311 and 1484, whose west choir is carried on an arch over a public street, and whose gallery holds Tilman Riemenschneider's Altar of the Holy Blood, carved 1500–05. Go up to the gallery and look at the middle of the Last Supper: the figure at the centre is not Christ but Judas, and he lifts out.

Works in the rain Quiet corner
Walking directions

Stories from medieval Rothenburg ob der Tauber

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