German City

mentary session held by each new king had to be held in Nuremberg. During the 15th and 16th centuries Nuremberg was a cultural center and art, architecture, philosophy, science and innovation flourished. Ironically, some of the very things that made it a focal point of the German Renaissance would make it ideally suited to become a major city for Hitler’s National Socialist German Workers’ Party (NSDAP/ Nazi Party) and later for the war crime trials.

Nuremberg’s Old Town (Altstadt) walls were constructed to surround it beginning in the 12th-century. Originally they were approximately 4.5-miles with 3-miles and four gates still standing. The Pegnitz River divides the old town into the northern Sebalder Altstadt and the southern Lorenzer Altstadt. If you arrive at the Main Railway Station it is less than one block to the Konigstor, King’s Gate, and Konigstor Street that offers access to the major sites and attractions.

long, are grilled over beechwood and six to 12 are served with potato salad or sauerkraut on a pewter plate as pewter was one of the primary metals mined here. Currently an exhibit, “A Cultural History of the Nuremberg Bratwurst” is on display in the City Museum Fembohaus until March 2015. The 1596 Fembo House is the sole surviving large late Renaissance merchant’s house and has been a museum since 1953. www.museen.nuernberg.de/fembohaus

In 1356, the town’s status was assured when the Golden Bull was issued stating that the first parlia-

Just inside the gate is the Handwerkerhof, a courtyard with traditional craft stores, cafés and entertainment all replicating a medieval shopping district. This is a great place to purchase authentic souvenirs and memorabilia. The historic Bratwurstglocklein Restaurant is the perfect place to soak up the medieval atmosphere and order a traditional meal prepared and served in the authentic manner. It also presents a wonderful photo opportunity with the walls and tower in the background. www.handwerkerhof.de/de/home

Hotel Victoria is also in the shadow of the gate and it is ideally situated so that a car is not necessary for travel. It was constructed in 1896, underwent a complete renovation this year and represents an expert blending of traditional and modern. All 62 guestrooms provide WIFI, a pillow menu, international television viewing, down bedding and deluxe bath amenities.

The entire hotel is nonsmoking and breakfast is offered daily. The staff is exceptional and special packages are available online. www.hotelvictoria.de

The German National Museum was established in 1852 and was heavily bombed during WWII. A new building opened in 1993 and incorporates modern architecture and portions of a Carthusian abbey. The museum is considered one of the best in the world, with a permanent collection in the millions and there is no better place to explore the cultural history of the German-speaking people. Highlights of the massive collection include works by Durer, Tilman Riemenschneider, the first globe and a Nuremberg egg.

Cartographer Maritin Behaim created the 21-inch diameter Behaim Globe in Nuremberg in 1492. It depicts the equator, one meridian and a host of miniature paintings. The Americas are conspicuously absent because Columbus had not yet returned from his voyage of “discovery”. The globe was first referred to as an earth apple. A little over a quarter of a century later, In 1524, Peter Henlein made the first pocket watch. The Nuremberg egg was round, cumbersome and no glass covered the face necessitating a lid. It is believed they were originally worn as pendants. www.gnm.de/englische-seite

The high Gothic main basilica of St. Lorenz

Kirche was constructed between 1270 and 1350 with a presbytery being added in the mid1400s making it the city’s largest church. The exterior of the church has twin, 263 and 265-ft., spires and 30-ft. diameter rose window. The main entrance is magnificently adorned with sculptures that introduce the theme of redemption from the Garden of Eden to the final judgment. The interior is decorated with carvings and sculptures the most significant of which are the 1219 Mary and Child, Stoss’ 1518 Annunciation and the 1418 high altar. (German only) www. lorenzkirche.de

Several bridges line the

River leading from the southern section of the city to the northern. One, the Henkersteg or Hangman’s Bridge, has an incredible story to tell. The wooden bridge was built in 1457, was rebuilt after a flood in 1595, and reconstructed in 1954. The Nuremberg Hang- man was an official position that was also hereditary. He was shunned by the people and lived away from them in a tower and six room roofed walkway over the river at its western tip. Frantz Schmidt held the office of Official Executioner from 1573 until 1618 and kept a journal that has provided much information on the office and his life.

Tours of the Hangman’s Residence Museum include the Hangman’s Room the site of the prisoner’s last meals, at that time prisoners ate well the three days prior to execution. Executions took place outside of the city walls at what is today the location of the Main Railway Station.

Nuremberg’s Hauptmarkt, Main Marketplace, is home to the most renowned Christmas Market in the country, first documented in 1628. The market opens the first Friday before the 1st Advent Sunday and runs until Christmas Eve. Nearly 190 stalls, some 200-years old, are festively decorated and selling traditional foods, mulled wine and handicrafts, entertainment and stagecoach rides are offered on a regular schedule. The special Children’s Market includes hands-on activities, child-sized booths, a Ferris wheel and a two tiered carousel. www.christkindlesmarkt.de/en

Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor, had the Frauenkirche, Church of Our Lady, erected on the site of a destroyed synagogue, between 1352 and 1362. Our Lady is the oldest extant Gothic hall church in Bavaria. An interior tour showcases the 1445 Tucher Altar. On the western façade of the church visitors are delighted each noon by the Mannleinlaufen, a mechanical clock that was placed there in 1509. The sculpted figures of the seven electoral princes parade clockwise around the emperor honoring him for instituting the 1356 Golden Bull.

The Rathaus, Town Hall, has several distinct sections. The oldest section is Gothic and faces the Hauptmarkt. It dates from 1332 with a modernization in the 1400s. Jacob Wolff the Younger built a Renaissance addition in 1616. The building was for a time the largest secular hall north of the Alps. It building destroyed in WWII and reconstructed beginning in the 1950s. A 30-minute tour is offered of the dungeons below the older portion of the building. They date from the 14th-century.

The “Beautiful Fountain” is located in the Hauptmarkt. Stonemason Heinrich Beheim completed it in 1396. The 62-ft. column, with four rows featuring 40 sculpted figures, was surrounded in 1587 by an ornate fence that has an attached brass ring. Legend has it that if you turn the ring your wish will be granted.

Albert Durer lived in a half-timbered house built in 1420 from 1509 until his death in 1528. The house is the sole 16th-century artist’s residence in Northern Europe and is Germany’s first artist museum dating from 1828. A docent in the role of Agnes Durer, Albrecht’s wife, leads tours through the reconstructed rooms. Demonstrations of printing techniques are held as well as artwork exhibits.

The rebuilt Historic Art Bunkers, some as deep as 79-ft., were created beneath the Kaiserburg Castle during WWII. The bunkers were the former beer cellars of the castle and they were deemed bombproof. For added protection, systems were installed to provide ventilation and protect against fire.