HW 41: Wertheim - Walldürn - Buchen

Wertheim: Situated on the River Main, this idyllic little town has often been referred to as "Little Heidelberg". It was first mentioned in 779. In the 12th century, it was already walled and owned by the Counts of Wertheim. In 1306, Wertheim was granted the rights of the city of Frankfurt. The Reformation was introduced after 1524. After the Counts of Wertheim died out in 1556, the town and county fell to Count Ludwig von Stolberg-Königstein, and after his death in 1581 to his son-in-law Count Ludwig von Löwenstein. Imperial troops conquered the town and castle in 1634. Wertheim also suffered greatly from flooding. In 1806, the town fell to Baden. Particularly worth seeing is the market square with its magnificent half-timbered houses and the angel fountain from 1574. In the Kapellengasse you will find the Marienkapelle chapel, built in 1447 and now renovated. The Gothic St. Kilian‘s Chapel, built in 1472, served as a grammar school from 1604 to 1871 and has been a local history museum since 1904. The town hall was converted from two residential buildings in 1540 and has a tower with a double-sided turning staircase. At the Kittstein Gate on the Tauber, you can see part of the old town fortifications. The castle, built at the beginning of the 12th century by Count Wolfram I and extended several times, particularly in the 14th-16th centuries, served as the count‘s residence until the Thirty Years‘ War. As a result of a powder explosion in 1619 and bombardment in 1634 and 1648, it remained largely in ruins. Above the gate you can see the archive building built between 1742 and 1745. The imposing Palas is in ruins. You can enjoy a wonderful view from the keep.

Walldürn: First documented mention in 795, formerly Dürn (Durne), called Walldürn from 1408. From around 1170 it was the residence of the Lords of Dürn. In 1291, Rupert von Dürn sold the town to Count Rudolf von Wertheim, who passed it on to Archbishop Gerhard von Mainz in 1292. Walldürn remained Mainz until 1803, then passed to the Princes of Leiningen and in 1806 to Baden. Walldürn suffered greatly during the war years of the 17th and 18th centuries; the parish church was plundered three times during the Thirty Years‘ War. Walldürn became famous for the miracle of blood: around 1300, the priest spilled the chalice during mass and a crucifix and 11 heads of Christ appeared on the corporal. It was displayed for veneration. A large pilgrimage quickly developed, during which many miraculous healings were reported. The original church had to be extended in 1626 and demolished in 1698. The new pilgrimage church was built between 1700 and 1715. The altar of the Holy Blood from 1626, made by Zacharias Junker, contains the silver shrine for the corporal.

Buchen: first mentioned in 773. The historic town center impresses with numerous half-timbered buildings. Around 1170, the town was first owned by the Lords of Dürn, who elevated it to the status of a town. It came to the Archbishop of Mainz in 1309. The town lost its self-government due to its involvement in the peasants‘ revolt in 1525. The plague raged in 1635 and the French occupied Buchen in 1680. In 1717, a major fire destroyed parts of the town. In 1803 it came to the Princes of Leiningen and in 1806 to Baden. Worth seeing are the town church (built 1503-1507, extended in 1960), the former Beghinenhaus from 1489, the town hall with its baroque façade and open hall from 1723 and the former Electorate of Mainz official winery from 1493, which now houses a museum.