Question 1

Wertheim on Your Own

Accepted Answer

Wertheim is a town to explore on foot: the market square, the collegiate church and the old gates are close together, and the castle ruin stands on the ridge above them. Leave enough time for the climb and for the view over both rivers. The castle: In 2026 the ruin opened at 9 a.m. and closed at dusk, with entry at €2, so check before you go. A restaurant in the castle has a terrace looking over the town. The collegiate church: The Gothic Stiftskirche, now a Protestant parish church, has two clock faces on its tower, one with only an hour hand. Old-town details: The Engelsbrunnen, a fountain of 1574 in local red sandstone, takes its name from the two small angels holding the town's coat of arms, and the Kilianskapelle is a late-Gothic chapel from the 15th century. Flood marks: The Kittsteintor, one of the few surviving town gates, carries marks of the river's floods from 1595 onward. The glass museum: It is at Mühlenstraße 24, in a half-timbered house of 1577. Getting back on time: All-aboard is usually about 30 minutes before sailing, and your ship posts the exact time. A ship will not wait for passengers touring on their own. Carry ID: Carrying ID is not a legal requirement in Germany, but if you cannot show it when police ask, they can escort you to fetch your passport.

Question 2

Tipping in Germany

Accepted Answer

In Germany a tip is customary in restaurants, bars and taxis, though nobody is obliged to leave one, and it is seldom more than 10 percent of the bill. Many people simply round up, for example from €13.80 to €15. Tipping is not usual at fast-food counters. Taxi drivers usually receive 5 to 10 percent of the fare.

Question 3

Culture and Local Life

Accepted Answer

Wertheim's year follows a festival calendar: an old-town festival over the last three days of July, a medieval festival at the castle, and the Michaelismesse, an autumn fair. The castle ruin also hosts concerts and other events. The poet Wolfram von Eschenbach, in his Parzival of around 1205, calls the Count of Wertheim "my lord", the basis for linking him with the town. The Fischer- und Schiffergenossenschaft, the fishermen's and boatmen's association, continues a guild that already owned a large guild house in 1478. The glass museum's Christmas exhibition, from the first Sunday of Advent to January 6, shows historic tree decorations from 1830 onward. Wertheim's craft-glass tradition in the town and its surroundings goes back several centuries.

Question 4

History

Accepted Answer

Wertheim grew up below the castle of its counts, who first took the town's name in 1132, and it remained the center of their county until 1806. Its position between two rivers has brought repeated floods throughout its recorded history. Across the river first: The first settlement called Wertheim lay on the opposite bank, today's Kreuzwertheim, and the town on this side grew up at the foot of the counts' castle. Castle and town walls: The castle is first recorded in 1183, its keep dates from around 1200, and work on the town wall began around the same time. Coins and a cemetery: Emperor Charles IV granted Count Eberhard the right to mint coins in 1363. The Jewish cemetery, established in 1406, is the oldest surviving Jewish cemetery in Baden-Württemberg. New lords: The line of the counts of Wertheim died out in 1556, and by the end of the century the county had passed to the counts of Löwenstein. When the county was broken up in 1806, Wertheim went to Baden. A castle in ruins: A gunpowder explosion damaged the castle in 1619, and in 1634, during the Thirty Years' War, imperial artillery bombarded it while Swedish troops held it. It has stood in ruins since. The highest flood: The highest flood on record came on February 27 and 28, 1784. The synagogue: The Jewish community sold its synagogue to the town in 1938, which spared the building from burning in the November pogrom, though its interior was wrecked; it was demolished in 1961, and its outline is marked in the paving of the Neuplatz. Glass after the war: Glassworks from Ilmenau and Stützerbach in Thuringia moved to Wertheim after 1945, and by 1952 the town had 35 glass firms. To learn more ashore: The Grafschaftsmuseum, at Rathausgasse 6 near the market square, collects art and objects from the old county in a group of 16th-century buildings that includes the Blue House.

Question 5

Wertheim with Children

Accepted Answer

Wertheim suits a family day built around a morning at the castle ruin and an afternoon at the glass museum, which has hands-on stations and a glassblower. The old town is small enough to cross on foot between the two, and the museum opens only in the afternoon. Younger children: The glass museum has 30 play stations, among them a flea microscope and a Cartesian diver. School age: The museum's glassblower usually works from about 2 p.m., and visitors can try blowing a glass ball. In 2026 the museum opened Tuesday to Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m., and a family ticket for two adults and up to four children cost €14, so check before you go. Flood hunt: Count the flood marks on the Kittsteintor, which go back to 1595. Teenagers: At the castle, the keep dates from around 1200 and the palace from the 13th century, and a late-Gothic balcony looks out over the Tauber valley.

Question 6

Shopping

Accepted Answer

Shopping in Wertheim comes in two forms: long-established shops in the old town's lanes, and Wertheim Village, an outlet center beside the A3 autobahn. The outlet center has more than 110 stores. Wertheim Village opened in 2003 and draws about 2.5 million visitors a year. The glass museum's shop sells replicas of historic glasses, modern glass pieces and glass jewelry.

Wertheim

Good to know

Where Ships Moor

Wertheim on Your Own

Tipping in Germany

Culture and Local Life

History

Wertheim with Children

Shopping

Port crowds

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