The Coolidge examiner., 1932-07-29
NKELSBUHL, quaint Bay

Society, Washington. d. c.
(WNU Service.)
NINKELSBUHL, quaint Bava-
rian town, is donning holiday
attire. This summer it will
celebrate the three hundredth an
niyersary of the raising OF the siege
of King Gustayus Adolphus' Swed-
ish army, during the Thirty Years
war.
Dinkelsbuhl is one of Bavaria's
medieval gems. Visitors to Bavaria.
however, have needed the call of
its larger sister communities-Nu-
remberg, Rothenburg and Nordlin-
gen-but have passed Dinkelsbuhl
by. Approaching Dinkelsbuhl from
across the lovely valley through
which the tiny Wornitz carries its
waters to the rushing Danube, the
traveller beholds a living fairytale
town-a vision from the long gone
Middle ages. Crossing a bridge over
the broad, lily-padded moat which
was once the city's first line of de-
tthe tower gates. it would occasion
little surprise to be challenged
brusquely by some ancient sentinel
in helmet and coat of mail. How
ever, once within the town, the trav-
eler finds a fascinating picture of
serenity.
The urge for speed has not
reached Dinkelsbuhl; streets still
echo to the clatter and clump of
horses and oxen. People liveplacidly,
farming the fertile fields of the sur
rounding valley or conducting the
same small enterprises which en-
gagged the attention of generations
of their forbears. There Is no air
of dilapidation about the place.
Everything is incredibly old but ex-
tremely well preserved. Tradition
is hallowed and kept alive here, and
changes that would alter the medic
val characteristics of the city are
not tolerated. The council sees to
il that when repairs have to be
made on the houses they are carried
out in such n manner as to preserve
the original form, and no shrieking
signs may be displayed.
The main streets Of the city radi-
ate toward the cardinal points from
a central plaza and are lined with
shops and with fine old patrician
houses. Time-mellowed buildings,
gabled and timbered, rest cozly
against each other, while occasion
ally an architectural giant rears it's
Steep-sided roof above the others,
proclaiming to all comers its sturdy
old age. Branching off from the
main thoroughfare are narrow,
winding lanes and side streets which
abound In treasures of medieval
artistry. Exquisite examples of
frame and stucco building, intricate,
hand-forged iron rails and gratings,
and beautiful, secluded courts and
gardens await the explorer of these
enchanting byways.
Old Trades Survive.
Trades that are dying out in
other places still exist in Dinkels-
buhl. COopers make barrels by
hand in the open air. Copper
smiths hammer out pots and kettles,
baking tins. and other utensils, for
copper in the kitchen is still held in
high esteem in the small cities and
in country districts, and one of the
few surviving pewter molders still
plies his trade here.
Everywhere. hanging over the
dOorways, are wonderfully executed
wrOught-iron signs Indicative of the
activities carried on within. One
might infer that at some time in
Dinkelsbuhl's history the guild of
smiths was n power within the
town. At any rate. the signs lend
to the streets over which they
swing a note of peculiar interest.
As in so many South German
towns. the houses are for the most
part gayly painted.
OverShadowing the market place,
as indeed it overshadOws every
thing else in the city. is the Church
Saint George. built during the lat
ter part of the Fifteenth century,
when Dinkelsbuhl was at the
height of its influence. To the 5000
Inhabitants il represents something
more than a place of worship. 1t is
an expression of all the civic pride
and aspirations of the sturdy old
burghers who directed its erection.
And right well they succeeded. for
Saint Georges is perhaps the finest
late Gothic church in southern Ger
many. The design and execution
of the structure were placed in the
able hands of the master architect
NikOlaus Eseler Won Alley. At the