Nuremberg

Medieval gem

Nuremberg (from Middle High German 'nourenberc' meaning 'rocky hill') looks back on nearly a thousand years of recorded history. It is first mentioned in a document issued by Emperor Henry III that records the freeing of a slave, Sigena, in the year 1050. The city on the Pegnitz developed rapidly as a result of the industriousness of its skilled craftsmen and its trade with other cities. Charles IV stipulated in the Golden Bull of 1356 that every newly elected German king and emperor-to-be should hold his first imperial court in the town of Nuremberg.

In 1424, at the zenith of its power, the free imperial city was chosen as the location for the safekeeping of the imperial jewels. The most impressive testimony to the period in which medieval Nuremberg flourished is its most prominent landmark, the Imperial Castle, which looms large in the old town area, surrounded by five kilometers of ramparts and eighty watchtowers. Most imperial diets and courts were held at the castle and all the emperors of the Holy Roman Empire between 1050 and 1571 spent time here.

Center of humanism

Artists such as the painter Albrecht Dürer, the woodcarver Veit Stoß, and the stone sculptor Adam Kraft created works of art of European rank during this era. Martin Behaim designed the first globe of the earth and Peter Henlein made the first pocketwatch. Nuremberg became a center of humanism, the sciences, painting, and sculpture.

Thousands of people visit the Albrecht Dürer House every year. It was built in 1420 in the typical style of the period, a half-timbered construction on a sandstone foundation. Dürer worked here from 1509 to 1528. Since 1871 the house has been a museum, affording visitors an opportunity to see where the famous Renaissance artist lived.

Nuremberg is also home to the National Museum, established in 1852. It is the largest museum of cultural history in the German-speaking countries, housing a collection of around 1.2 million objects from prehistoric times to the present.

The Nazis exploited Nuremberg's aura as an Imperial City for propaganda purposes. They held mass rallies here starting in 1927 and 1929. In 1933 they declared Nuremberg the permanent venue for these rallies, holding them annually until 1938.

A documentation center at the former rally grounds, opened in November 2001, shows how it was used by the Nazi regime. There are architectural remains spread out over an area of more than four square kilometers that reflect the megalomania of the Nazi ideology. A permanent exhibition entitled "Fascination and Violence", shown on a surface area of 1,300 square meters, is dedicated to the causes and consequences of the Nazi regime.

Nuremberg trials

In November 1945 high-ranking Nazis were put on trial in room 600 of Nuremberg's Justice Palace for crimes against peace and humanity. In October 1946, after eleven months of court proceedings, the sentences were read out by the War Crimes Tribunal, marking a milestone in the history of international law.

World-famous market

In addition to its places of historical interest Nuremberg has attractions such as an international song festival in July, Germany's largest old town street festival in September, and its world-famous Christmas market ('Christkindlesmarkt') in December where a popular seasonal specialty is sold, chocolate-covered gingerbread called 'Nürnberger Lebkuchen'.

The city's top-level soccer team, 1st FC Nuremberg, also known simply as "the club", has won the German Championship nine times and the DFB Cup three times in its more than one hundred year history.