Kodiak Haakansons: A stop in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany

The drive from Zagreb to Amsterdam could have been pretty uneventful and unexciting, as we had three days to do it and between 4-6 hours of driving per day. The hotels we chose had swimming pools so we anticipated giving the kids lots of play time to end the trip with. But Tom had suggested we make a stop in Rothenburg ob der Tauber before we headed to our hotel in Frankfurt, and I'm so glad he did! The town was amazing. A medieval walled town. Filled to the brim with tourists, but for good reason. You can walk around the town on the walls of the original fortress, looking down into the moat or onto the little winding streets. The kids absolutely loved it... A few strange facts about Rothenburg, however:

Rothenburg held a special significance for Nazi ideologists. For them, it was the epitome of the German 'Home Town', representing all that was quintessentially German. Throughout the 1930s the Nazi organisation "KDF" ("Kraft durch Freude") Strength through Joy organized regular day trips to Rothenburg from all across the Reich. This initiative was staunchly supported by Rothenburg's citizenry – many of whom were sympathetic to National Socialism – both for its economic benefits and because Rothenburg was hailed as "the most German of German towns".
In March 1945 in World War II, German soldiers were stationed in Rothenburg to defend it. On March 31, bombs were dropped over Rothenburg by 16 planes, killing 39 people and destroying 306 houses, six public buildings, nine watchtowers, and over 2,000 feet (610 m) of the wall. The U.S Assistant Secretary of War John J. McCloy knew about the historic importance and beauty of Rothenburg, so he ordered US Army General not use artillery in taking Rothenburg. The local military commander Major Thömmes ignored the order of Adolf Hitler for all towns to fight to the end and gave up the town, thereby saving it from total destruction by artillery.