City fortifications of Königshofen

The city walls of Königshofen stand around the old town centre on the right bank of the Tauber valley. Built in the late 16th century, they mark the transition from market town to fortified settlement. Earlier records of the place go back to the 9th century, when it was already a trading site. Sections of the sandstone curtain wall survive along the Upper and Lower Mauerstraße. On the eastern side of the Upper Mauerstraße the full line of the old ditch and parts of the rampart remain. From the vanished Upper Gate near today’s Hauptstraße the wall ran down to the Tauber flood-plain, where the lower stretch is still visible. North-west of the churchyard the surviving stretch joins the old churchyard wall, which once formed part of the defences. Visitors can walk beside the remaining walls and ramparts. The protected ruins run from the Upper Mauerstraße down to the river and then along the Tauber-side footings. The best-preserved stretches lie between the Hauptstraße and the churchyard, where the sandstone blocks and earthen embankment are clearly visible.