In 1631, during the Thirty Years' War, the Imperial General Tilly captured Rothenburg and ordered the town burned to the ground. According to legend — and the town has been telling this story ever since — the burghers offered Tilly a massive ceremonial tankard of Franconian wine holding 3.25 litres. Tilly declared that if any man could drink the whole thing in a single draught, he would spare the town. Former mayor Georg Nusch accepted the challenge, drank it all without stopping, and Rothenburg was saved. He then, the story continues, slept for three days.
The legend is almost certainly embellished, but there really was a destructive occupation, and the town really was spared. The Meistertrunk ("Master Drink") is now the central myth of Rothenburg's identity. On the north and south faces of the Ratstrinkstube (the councillors' tavern, now the tourist office) on the Marktplatz, mechanical clock figures act out the scene: on the hour between 11am and 3pm, and again at 8pm and 10pm, the windows open, the figure of Tilly appears, and Nusch lifts the tankard. It takes about a minute and draws a crowd.
The Meistertrunk pageant festival is held over the Whitsun weekend (late May or early June) and is the biggest event on the town's calendar. The entire old town dresses in period costume, there are markets and theatre and a re-enactment of the drinking scene in the Rathaus courtyard. If you happen to be in the area during Whitsun, it is worth arranging your visit around it.