City of Rothenburg & Jasmund National Park, Germany
WillhiteWeb.com: Europe Travel
Rothenburg
Jasmund National Park
A short walk out of the fishing harbor of Sassnitz are the chalk cliffs of Jasmund National Park. These cliffs are up to 300 feet high rising out of the Baltic Sea. Above the cliffs are beech tree forests that look forever undisturbed with hiking trails throughout. This nature reserve is Germanys smallest National Park and fairly new one created in 1990.
Starting in 1142, Rothenburg became Germanys second largest city in the Middle Ages. It's located along the "Romantic Road", Germanys old trade route. Rothenburg is also Germanys best preserved Medieval town. A big highlight is walking on top of the Medieval Wall for about a mile around the city passing some of the original towers as well. Another great sight is the Crime and Punishment Museum where you can see all the torture devices used in the day. It's crazy! Mostly just seeing the city by foot is what it's all about in Rothenburg, going back into the middle-ages.
The long walk to Sassnitz
On the ferry to Germany
Jasmund National Park
Jasmund National Park
Trails in Jasmund National Park
Jasmund National Park
Our first view of Rothenburg
Streets of Rothenburg from the city walls
Church in Rothenburg
Walking the city walls
Walking around town
At the torture museum
Town square
On the city walls
Another view of the city walls
We arrived at the boat dock after a 4 hour basic ferry ride. Upon arrival, we got a shock. The boat docked about 4 miles from town in the middle of nowhere. It was almost dark and there was no transportation, nor did we have any German marks anyway. Everyone on the ferry got into their cars and soon we were the only ones there. We decided to walk since we had gotten so much sleep. We arrived in Sassnitz after about an hour walking in the dark, being Germany, nobody offered to give us a lift. We weren't too tired even passing a few hotels to get one closer to the city center. Finally we picked one and crashed for the night.
I awoke early to hike in nearby Jasmund National Park. It wasn't part of our plan but it was so close, even visible from the boat as we were approaching Germany. Plus I saw the postcards in the hotel and that lured me in. I walked the whole trail above the cliffs, a 3 hour hike from the hotel and back. Rachelle slept during this time. Soon we were on the train and off to Berlin.
We saw Rothenberg at some point in our long ramblings around Germany. It was highly recommended and they were correct. The city was like a giant museum or a movie set really.
Rothenburg Tower
Fun in Rothenburg
Jasmund National Park
