Ochsenfurt, Bavaria, Germany

The City of Ochsenfurt in 1623

Rosa and Franz X. Grunewald chose to reside, and raise their family, in the city of Ochsenfurt, Germany. The following is the history of Ochsenfurt taken from the www.Ochsenfurt.de/ website: The City of Ochsenfurt is named after a ford where oxen crossed the river. Ochsenfurt lies at the point where the Main River reaches its southernmost point. Nestled in the vineyards of Franconia in the German State of Bavaria.

The town, which dates to the eighth century, has seen a lot of history. The first mention of a ferry crossing the Main River was in 1103. Richard the Lionhearted was brought there as a prisoner in 1193 and was ransomed for 100,000 marks. Set free, he left from there on his return trip to England.

In 1631, during the Thirty Years War, Ochsenfurt was occupied by Swedish troops, and King Gustav Adolph visited the town twice that year.

In the years before, between and after, the city changed hands regularly, with the church, the nobility and conquerors trading ownership. Today Ochsenfurt is the second largest town in Wurzburg County.

A walk through the walled Medieval city of the Middle Ages is a walk past madonnas and saints, past half-timbered houses, stone towers and defensive walls.

Located in the center of town is the Neuen Rathaus - New City Hall which was built in 1515. That might not seem new to anyone living in 2016, but it is newer than the old city hall located down the street which was built in ________

St. Andrews Catholic Church is a large Gothic style cathedral with carvings done by the famous sculptor Tilman Riemenschneider.

Catholic Church

 This building is the Palatium, the former palace of the Wurzburg Catholic Bishops.

In 1268, a blacksmith from Ochsenfurt named Hans Stock went to fight with King Konradin of Hohenzollern in Italy. When the king was captured and excuted, Stock, who supposedly looked like the king, led the defeated troops back home. It was not until they had safely returned together that he announced he was not the king, but rather the 'schmied' or blacksmith of Ochsenfurt

blacksmith photo.