Hotel Eisenhut

The Hotel Eisenhut is Rothenburg’s most deluxe hotel but with rooms very competitively priced when compared to other hotels in this “must-visit” town. The promise of a special experience is created as you walk into the spacious reception hall which has a hearty, German-castle look; with beamed ceiling, Oriental carpets, massive, wrought-iron chandeliers, weaponry, large oil paintings, and a sweeping wooden staircase. Beyond the stately entrance there are comfortable lounges and several dining rooms opening onto a garden terrace, a wonderful retreat to escape the throng of daytime visitors. The high-ceilinged breakfast room, once a courtyard, is full of lovely, country-style tables and chairs. Throughout the hotel there is a fascinating collection of large, mural-like oil paintings depicting scenes of the Thirty Years’ War. Because the Eisenhut was created out of four 15th- to 16th-century patrician mansions, the guestrooms are intriguingly tucked along a maze of corridors. While bedrooms at the front of the hotel are larger, we preferred the smaller back rooms with their peaceful countryside views. After four generations of ownership by the Eisenhut family, the hotel is now run by the Schlag family who own six hotels in Franconia.