Welcome to Disneyland… in Bavaria: Rothenburg inspired Pinocchio and is the PERFECT Christmas town

Picture the perfect festive scene, and chances are it looks like this: cobbled streets, the gabled roofs of wooden houses laden with thick blankets of snow, and a towering Christmas tree in a market square festooned with hundreds of twinkling lights. .

And this is exactly what the German town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber looks like at this time of year.

This small town in Bavaria is the best preserved medieval walled city in the country. Rows of half-timbered houses with red-tiled roofs line the ancient streets, safely enclosed behind a thick stone wall and protected by six gates and 42 imposing towers. You can walk along almost all of the upper city walls – a two-mile trail that rewards visitors with uninterrupted views over the old town and the Tauber valley beyond.

The name of the city means ‘red fortress on the Tauber’.

Christmas cheer: Katja Gaskell finds Rothenburg (pictured) to be the perfect holiday setting

Sleep within the walls of the old town and enjoy breakfast overlooking the valley in the charming, family-run Burg-Hotel.

Double B&Bs start at £160 per night (burghotel.es).

Alternatively, a stone’s throw from Gallows Tower is the Rappen Hotel, a pleasant and comfortable property dating back to 1603. Double bed and breakfast rooms start from £70 per night (hotelrappen.de).

So enchanting is Rothenburg that it’s been the setting for movies (including the 1968 musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang) and inspired numerous Disney classics: join the line for photos of Plonlein, a mustard-yellow house used as a model for Geppetto’s house in Pinocchio.

Above is the Plonlein house in Rothenburg, which was used as a model for Geppetto’s house in Pinocchio.

Long story short: Rothenburg inspired numerous Disney classics, including Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, as well as Pinocchio (above).

Despite its fairytale appearance, however, Rothenburg is a thriving community and has been since its founding in 1274. Today some 2,500 people reside within the old walled city, many living and working in the old buildings just as they did. did hundreds of years ago.

Of course, trading in the 21st century looks a little different. The shops now sell everything from delicious sausages and local sweets to ‘light houses’ – ceramic models of typical Bavarian houses designed to hold candles that are particularly popular at Christmas, when Rothenburg really comes to life.

Because this town not only seems like the perfect place to celebrate Christmas, but it’s where many of the Christmas traditions we enjoy today originated.

The best place to get a taste of all things festive is Kathe-Wohlfahrt, a family-owned business that houses the world’s largest selection of German Christmas decorations. The store—you’ll recognize it by the cherry-red vintage car laden with gifts parked outside—has around 20,000 beautifully crafted and painted decorations.

Decorative candle arches known as Schwibbogen, like the one pictured above, were used by miners as a symbol of hope during the long winter months, Katja reveals.

Many of them hail from the nearby Erzgebirge region, including the colorful wooden Nutcracker kings that have become synonymous with Christmas and the decorative candle arches known as Schwibbogen, which date from the late 18th century and were used by miners as symbol of hope during the long winter months.

Above the store is a museum dedicated to the history of Christmas decorations, from the first trees decorated with fruit, nuts and sugar canes to today’s baubles.

Other fun exhibits include the story of the first Advent calendar, another regional creation, and the angel-like creature Christkindl, responsible for delivering presents in Germany on Christmas Eve (no ruddy-cheeked Santa jumping down the chimney here).

Katja visits Kathe-Wohlfahrt (pictured), a family business that houses the world’s largest selection of German Christmas decorations.

Christmas festivities really get going on the first Sunday of Advent when the Reiterlesmarkt, the city’s famous market, opens, selling traditional crafts, local food and hot spiced gluhwein.

In Rothenburg, however, locals eschew the British trend of masking the taste of cheap red wine with spoonfuls of sugar and oodles of spices, instead using Franconian white wine.

The best place to try a piping hot glass is the stand of the humorous Albert Thurauf, whose family has been producing wine for four generations. They also own a bar on the main square, as well as Glocke, a hotel and restaurant that serves delicious Bavarian food. In the basement there is a cellar full of barrels by candlelight where Herr Thurauf organizes wine tasting evenings.

Above is the Reiterlesmarkt, Rothenburg’s famous market, selling traditional crafts, local food and hot spiced gluhwein.

During her trip, Katja tries a local sweet snack called snowballs (pictured).

Bavaria may be best known for its beer, but the region of Franconia, where Rothenburg is located, has been growing vineyards for over 1,300 years and produces some exceptional wines.

A Christmas tradition that has been celebrated in Rothenburg for centuries, but not quite caught on in the rest of the world, is the local sweet treat of snowballs.

Dozens of these large, round, crunchy cakes covered in a generous coating of powdered sugar can be seen stacked precariously in the windows of the city’s bakeries. Originally reserved for special occasions, snow globes are now available year-round.

Taste the best at Bakery Friedel, a family-owned business and one of the city’s oldest bakeries that has been creating snowballs since 1882. During the festive season, they turn out a staggering 3,000 a day.

Come to Rothenburg in the New Year and although the Christmas market will have closed, many of the other festive traditions will remain. This is truly a town where you can eat, drink, and be merry year-round.