Moat
Fortunately, much of the early 15th century city fortifications remain, although they have been significantly altered or even obscured in some cases. The buildings that you are passing on the left were constructed on land that was formerly part of the dry moat that ran along the city walls. If you look carefully, you will see one of the remaining towers almost completely engulfed by later additions of barns. Further along, you will see the last remaining part of the moat that runs along the southern and eastern portions of the wall. In the centuries following the construction of the fortifications, advancements in weapons made the medieval walls useless for defense. In the intervening years, it was decided to open the walls and allow adjacent homeowners access to gardens developed in the former moat. Some examples can be seen here. The city walls did not have a rampart running along the top as the better-known city walls in Rothenburg ob der Tauber does. Instead, access to the walls was provided by a required alley of about two meters (six feet) between the nearest buildings and the inside of the walls. Once the walls were opened, that alley was no longer required and buildings were allowed to expand to and even incorporate the city wall into their design. Examples can be seen in these houses set into the wall. Continue walking along the path to the left, down the hill.
Continue along Hemmersheimer Strasse for a short distance and take the path on the left that leads down the hill. The area of the old moat that you are walking through was the old Jewish Cemetery.
...next stop
Jewish Cemetery
Fortunately, much of the early 15th century city fortifications remain, although they have been significantly altered or even obscured in some cases. The buildings that you are passing on the left were constructed on land that was formerly part of the dry moat that ran along the city walls. If you look carefully, you will see one of the remaining towers almost completely engulfed by later additions of barns. Further along, you will see the last remaining part of the moat that runs along the southern and eastern portions of the wall. In the centuries following the construction of the fortifications, advancements in weapons made the medieval walls useless for defense. In the intervening years, it was decided to open the walls and allow adjacent homeowners access to gardens developed in the former moat. Some examples can be seen here. The city walls did not have a rampart running along the top as the better-known city walls in Rothenburg ob der Tauber does. Instead, access to the walls was provided by a required alley of about two meters (six feet) between the nearest buildings and the inside of the walls. Once the walls were opened, that alley was no longer required and buildings were allowed to expand to and even incorporate the city wall into their design. Examples can be seen in these houses set into the wall. Continue walking along the path to the left, down the hill.
Continue along Hemmersheimer Strasse for a short distance and take the path on the left that leads down the hill. The area of the old moat that you are walking through was the old Jewish Cemetery.
...next stop
Jewish Cemetery