Rothenburg, Germany 罗腾堡,德国

There has been a settlement here since about 500 B.C., but Rothenburg didn't really come into its own until the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf the First, chartered¹ it as a free imperial² city in 1274. Rothenburg became a prosperous trading center , one of the leading cities in Southern Germany.Many of the buildings we see today are from this period such as Rothenburg's Townhall----the Rathaus . The older Gothic section on the left dates from 1240.The church of St. Jacob was begun in 1336 and houses the wooden altar of the Last Supper, by the artist we first saw in Würzburg, Tilman Riemenschneider. The intricate³ details on the elegant⁴ drapery of the figures firmly establish Tilman Riemenschneider as a master of Gothic sculpture.

The evening is the perfect time to take a guided tour with Rothenburg's own nightwatcher.

All right, let's have another stop after this long walk. My name is George, night watchman here, the only one, and I want to tell you something about the duties a night watchman had, back in the Middle Ages. It was a bad job, a low job, because people were superstitious⁵ in the Middle Ages and they feared the night, they believed in ghosts and all kinds of scary things going on at the night time, and night watchman's main duty was to guard the city at night like police, and that was dangerous because all the good people were home at night.


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intricate : adj.复杂的, 错综的, 难以理解的
drapery: n.(供装饰用的)织物, 帏帐, 布料

1 chartered   

a.特许的，持有特许证的

参考例句：

• the Institute of Chartered Accountants （英国皇家）特许会计师协会
• The government chartered the new airline. 政府给这家新航空公司颁发了许可证。

2 imperial   

adj.帝王的，至尊的；n.特等品

参考例句：

• They made an objection to the imperial system with resolution.他们坚决反对帝制。
• The Prince Imperial passed away last night.皇太子昨晚去世了。

3 intricate   

adj.错综复杂的，复杂精细的

参考例句：

• We were able to thread but slowly through the intricate reports.我们能弄懂这些复杂的报告，只是很慢。
• The plot of the novel is intricate and fascinating.这部小说的情节错综复杂，引人入胜。

4 elegant   

adj.优美的，文雅的，简练的，简结的

参考例句：

• She was an elegant and accomplished woman.她是位优雅的才女。
• She has a life of elegant ease.她过着风雅悠闲的生活。

5 superstitious   

adj.迷信的

参考例句：

• They aim to deliver the people who are in bondage to superstitious belief.他们的目的在于解脱那些受迷信束缚的人。
• These superstitious practices should be abolished as soon as possible.这些迷信做法应尽早取消。