Topplerschlösschen

About the museum

Heinrich Toppler, who served several times as mayor of the Imperial City of Rothenburg between 1388 and 1403 and was one of its most influential men, had a fortified residence built in the Tauber valley below the old town in 1388. The building is a so-called Weiherhaus (moated manor): a stone tower base carries two half-timbered floors; originally the house was surrounded by water and reachable only by a drawbridge. It served as a residence, a retreat and a guard post over the neighboring mills. Toppler himself ended up in custody in the Rothenburg town hall in 1408.

After numerous changes of ownership, the Boas family acquired the house in 1861 and rented it out as a holiday home until the 1960s. In the mid-1970s it was thoroughly restored: the roof was renewed, beams were repaired, wall paintings were uncovered and secured with Plexiglas. The building is completely preserved and is considered one of the best examples of its type in Franconia.

Inside, the small castle is furnished as a lived-in house rather than a sterile museum: furniture and household items from the 16th to 19th centuries, a small dark kitchen with a soot-blackened ceiling, the good parlor with centuries-old floorboards and a stove from 1710, and bedchambers above. The house has no water, electricity or toilet. The owning family shows the building during short guided tours and explains its history and furnishings.

Highlights

• Moated small castle from 1388 with stone tower base and half-timbered floors
• Furniture and household items from the 16th to 19th centuries
• Old kitchen and parlor with a stove from 1710
• Uncovered historical wall paintings
• Tour led by the owning family

Permanent exhibition

• Möbliertes Wasserschlösschen – The fully preserved tower house is furnished with furniture and household goods from the 16th to 19th centuries and shows living conditions from the late Middle Ages to the early modern period.

Operated by

Familie Boas (Privatbesitz)

Admission & discounts

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: no information
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The tour leads over several floors of a medieval tower house.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

The small castle lies in the Tauber valley below the old town, on the Taubertalweg, between the Doppelbrücke and the Barbarossabrücke.

Amenities & dining

The house has no water, no electricity and no toilet.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit