While it may be best known as a Christmas market destination,
Americans serving in
Visitors to the historical center will immediately understand
the source of Nürnberg’s name, meaning “rocky hill,”
as they negotiate the cobblestone streets leading up to the Kaiserburg.
The hilltop castle dominating the old town’s north side is the former seat of
the
Straddling the
Nürnberg flourished in the high Middle Ages as a major node on the north-south trade routes
that linked a rapidly developing northern
Dürer (1471-1528), best known for his
unparalleled skill as an etcher and engraver, was recognized in his own
lifetime as one of the all time masters of painting and engraving. Visitors to
the Albrecht Dürer Haus
just below the Kaiserburg can tour the house where he
lived and worked during most of his adult life. The small museum affords the
public a feel for the world of that time, including re-creations of Dürer’s workshop and a printing press of the day.
To see Dürer’s original work, go to
the
An exhibit of watercolors by painters ranging from Dürer through moderns such as Franz Marc, Wassily Kandinsky and Auguste Macke is on display
through Jan. 21. The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from
While flourishing as a center of learning and publishing
through the early days of the Lutheran Reformation, Nürnberg’s
fortunes peaked just as the Middle Ages began to fade. The Age of Exploration
diminished its importance as a mercantile center and the Thirty Years War
(1618-1648) sent the town into a decline in wealth and influence that lasted
for over two centuries.
Romantic revival
The city experienced a revival in status and importance with
the onset of the Industrial Revolution.
That mythology was hijacked by the National Socialists in the
1920s and 1930s when the town became a center of Nazi party activity. The Nürnberg Laws on Citizenship and Race, the anti-Semitic
promulgations published in 1935 that paved the way for the disenfranchisement
and murder of the German
Jews, are a part of Nürnberg’s
historical legacy.
The parade grounds used to stage the Nazi party mass rallies
from 1933-1938 are best known to Americans through the films of the recently
deceased Nazi propagandist Leni Riefenstahl. The
complex of grandiose parade grounds and stadiums is administered by the Faszination und Gewalt Dokumentationszentrum Reichspartei-tagsgelände.
Tours of the grounds and the accompanying collections are available weekdays
from
It may have been Nürnberg’s close
association with the Nazis, as well as its importance as an industrial center
vital to the Nazi war effort, that literally brought down the wrath of Allied
forces on the city in the last year of World War II. Air raids in January 1945
left Nürnberg more in ruins than remnants. Some 90
percent of the old city’s buildings were either completely destroyed or heavily
damaged.
The city is notorious as well as the site of the
International Military Tribunal that tried surviving Nazi leaders beginning in
November 1945. The Nürnberg Trials, the first such
tribunal to hold national leaders accountable for genocide and crimes against
humanity, were held in the Landgericht Nürnberg-Fürth, Fürtherstrasse
110, Room 600. Tours are held on the hour Saturday and
Sunday from
War ravaged cities from
Visitors will also enjoy sampling the local cuisine and
beverages that range from small Nürnberger sausages
to the Christmas season standby Lebkuchen —
gingerbread cakes — as well as locally brewed beers and wines from the
surrounding countryside.
While Nürnberg can be enjoyed at
any season, the annual Christkindlesmarkt that runs
from Nov. 28 to Dec. 24 is as good a time as any. If possible make train
connections to avoid the hassles of traffic and parking. Direct service from