Topplerschlösschen, Rothenburg ob der Tauber

The Topplerschlösschen is a small late medieval residential tower in the Tauber Valley near Rothenburg ob der Tauber. It was built by Rothenburg's mayor Heinrich Toppler in 1388 as a summer house in the architectural style of a so-called Weiherhaus, a special form of the Festen Haus. It consists of a stone base in the style of a fortified tower and upper floors made of half-timbering. It is surrounded by a moat, which was flooded by a spring. If necessary, the water could be drained into the millstream via the fox mill. Small manor houses of this type were common in the late Middle Ages, but are extremely rarely preserved.

Since 1861, the Topplerschlösschen has been owned by the Boas family, who rented it out as a vacation home until the 1960s.

The fully preserved building is furnished with furniture from the 16th to 19th centuries. It can be visited and gives insight into late medieval to early modern living conditions.

Modeled on the Toppler Palace, the Duke of Saxony-Altenburg had the so-called Duke's Chair built as a retreat in his Rieseneck hunting estate at the beginning of the 20th century.