Michelstadt

One little town I have wanted to visit for a while is Michelstadt.  I had read in a book that it was "a town of extraordinary beauty set in the enchanted forest of the Nordic god Odin."  David had already been to it for a business meeting, so it was the perfect town to visit with Anaëlle while everyone else was a work and school.

Michelstadt is located in Odenwald, a forest area that straddles several German states, including Hessen, Baden and Bavaria. It is unclear whether the name means Odin Forest (Odin being a Nordic god) or Forest of Odes. There was a Roman settlement here, but Michelstadt was first mentioned in writing in 741 AD.

I was looking forward to seeing the Rathaus (townhall), one of the most photographed sights in Germany.  We enjoyed the peaceful 1½ hour drive, parked the car, made our way to the Marktplatz, turned a corner and came upon....

....the Rathaus. Nein! Nein! Nein! I even threw in a Scheiße under my breath for good measure. One of the most photographed sights in Germany covered not just in scaffolding, but in bloody advertisements.  I knew through the power of the internet, we could see pictures of the Rathaus in all its glory, but what a disappointment.

The Rathaus was built in 1484 and the only alteration over the past 500 years has been the addition of a clock, moved from a different part of town.  The open ground floor accommodated the local court, while the townspeople and watchmen congregated outside.

The Rathaus is located in the Marktplatz which also features this 16th century fountain topped with a statue of of the town's patron saint, St. Michael. You see St. Michael all over the town, but Michelstadt was not named for him, as I had assumed. Rather, the original form michlinstadt is derived from the Old High German word michel, which means large.

A local doctor makes his specialty perfectly clear.

The grasshopper of this restaurant's sign caught my eye.

A private ivory museum, though I didn't know what it was at the time and thought the elephant decorations were interesting.

Passing through the town walls, we could get a good look at Michelstadt Castle, originally a Frankish manor which was bestowed on Einhard, the biographer of Charlemagne, in 815. Soon after, the manor was converted into a castle, then destroyed in 1304 and rebuilt. When the town wall was constructed around 1400, the castle was integrated into its defense complex.

Crossing back over the old-dry moat to the Diebsturm (Thieves' Tower).

Anaëlle in front of the Diebsturm, a corner tower of Michelstadt Castle, which served as a prison. Since the tower had no ground-level entrance, prisoners entered the dungeon through a trapdoor in the upper story.

I haven't been able to find out any information on this statue in front of the tower.

These 16th century administrative buildings added to the castle help make up the complex called the Kellerie.

This tiny house would make a wonderful scrapbooking cottage.

Upper story of a toy store

Michelstadt's Town Church is located just behind the Rathaus and its steeple was also covered in scaffolding. Dedicated to the Archangel Michael and Saint Killian, it was constructed from 1461to 1537.

Church door detail

The Mother-In-Law Fountain is one of the town's oldest fountains and was moved here from the Marktplatz in 1575. Its name is derived from the emblem stone under the orb which shows the coat of arms of the home city of the man who donated the fountain, George I, Count of Erbach, as well the home cities of his wife, her mother (George's mother-in law), and his own mother (his wife's mother-in-law).

This would have been much more enjoyable (and attractive) if the fountain had been turned on. In the middle of winter, with Anaëlle and I being what seemed to be the only tourists, the whole town was missing that nice festive atmosphere that comes with nice weather, happy people, and bubbling fountains. Oh, well.....

Upper floor of a bookstore. Click on the photo to get a closeup of the delightful drawings.

On the side of the bookstore.

Leaving the medieval center, Anaëlle just shook her head at this display of big bulky backpacks. Apparently in France, they have floppy American-style backpacks.