Wertheim-am-Main is a very old medeival city, dating back to the 7th century. It is on the Main River, and is known for its castle ruins and medieval town center. The castle (Burg Wertheim) was a very large fortress built on a hilltop above the river and dating from the late 12th to mid 13th centuries. The town below has many interesting pre-Renaissance half-timbered houses and small streets, including towers such as the leaning Spitzer Turm. The gothic-style Stiftskirche (the protestant Collegiate Church) dates from the 14th century. The local red sandstone was used extensively for buildings throughout the town, even for the castle and inside the church.
We spent a drizzly morning in the town and during the afteroon Tom did a bike tour of the area, picking up the boat again 16 miles downstream at Freudenburg.
