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'Rottweil' is the oldest town in southwestern Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg.
Rottweil is located between the Black Forest and the Swabian Alb and is a small town of about 25,000 inhabitants with a medieval center. It is mainly known for its carnival (or also called Fasnet).

Contents

History

Main sights

Other

Twin towns

See also

External links

History

Rottweil was founded by the Romans in AD 73 as Arae Flaviae and became a municipium, but there are traces of human settlement going back to 2000 BC. Roman baths and a mosaic of Orpheus (''ca.'' AD 180) date from the time of Roman settlement. The present town became a ducal and a royal court before 771 and in the Middle Ages it became a Free Imperial City in 1268.
In 1463 the city joined the Swiss Confederation, with which it was closely aligned for several centuries. Both its status as free city and its alliance with the Swiss Confederacy were eventually lost with the conquest of the region by Napoleon in 1803. The appearance of the town is very little changed from the 16th century.

Main sights

★ The late-Romanesque and Gothic-era ''Münster Heiliges Kreuz ''("Minster of the Holy Cross"), built over a pre-existing church from 1270. It features a crucifix by Veit Stoss and noteworthy Gothic sculptures.

★ ''Kapellenkirche'' (1330-1340), a Gothic church with a tower and with three statue-decorated portals.

★ ''Lorenzkapelle'' ("Church of St. Lawrence", 16th century), in late Gothic style. It houses some two hundred works by Swabian masters and Gothic altarpieces from the 14th-15th centuries.

★ The City museum, including a notalbe mosaic with the legend of Orpheus.

★ The late-Gothic Town Hall (1521).

★ ''St. Pleagius'', a Romanesque church from the 12th century. Excavations have brought to light Roman baths in the same site.

Other

The Rottweiler dog is named after this town; it used to be a butcher's dog in the region.

Twin towns

★ L'Aquila, Italy

★ Brugg, Switzlerland

★ Hyères, France

★ Imst, Austria

See also

★ Rottweil (district)

External links

★ The official website

★ Feast of Fools: Medieval Carnival Celebrations in Rottweil

★ Website for hotels and restaurants in Rottweil

★ History and territory of the former Reichsstadt Rottweil

★ Pictures and stories about Rottweil