22-24 May 2025
I fell in love with Nürnberg when I visited in 2021. I forever love a walled city with turrets and moats.
Actually, I fell in love with Nürnberg artist, Albrecht Dürer. Or maybe it was the city’s connection to the efforts of the Monuments Men after WW2. Could be the wonderful Frauekirche dominating the main square of Hauptmarkt with its gothic facade, bell tower, and functioning mechanical clock. I fondly recall that Johann Pachebel was an organist at St. Sebaldus.
Hard to decide what was best about Nürnberg. I know this city will be a wonderful repeat visit with Martha.
Revisits and New Explorations
Historischer Kunstbunker
The Art Bunker buried deep within the rock at the base of the Nürnberg Castle began its long history as a beer celler. Early citizens didn’t know to boil water making it safe to drink. Instead, their idea was to brew beer. Tasted better, too. Next, brewers needed a place to store their beer. What better spot than in cellars and caves. Therefore, when WW2 approached, local leaders had ready-made locations for the storage and protection of their heritage.
As early as 1933, plans were undertaken to use these caves, not for the safety of Nürnberg’s women and children, but for the protection of art, both Germany’s and art of any other country Nazi’s could lay their hands upon. By the truck loads, art and treasures were moved into underground bunkers.
Here, 10 to 80 feet under solid rock below Nürnberg Castle, lie six large chambers with individual temperature control locked behind massive iron doors.
As the Monuments Men discovered, treasures included the priceless Our Lady of Krakow removed from Krakow and never intended to be returned. The Imperial and Holy Roman Empire regalia was also here as were paintings by homeboy Albrecht Dürer, the Angelic Salutation sculpture from St. Lorenz, the 500-year-old mechanical clock and tableau adorning Frauenkirche and much, much more.
Mittelalterliche Lochgefängnisse
Otherwise known as Nürnberg’s medieval dungeons, this site consists of 12 prison cells and a torture chamber. Enjoy a macabre but interesting experience visiting dungeons dating back to the 14th century.
The dungeon held prisoners awaiting trial or punishment. Found beneath the Old Town Hall, the stone-walled cells are dim, damp, but well-preserved, with original wooden doors, shackles, and even graffiti scratched by former inmates.
Guided tours weave through narrow corridors and tiny, dark holding cells, interrogation rooms, and the so-called torture chamber. Here, justice in the Middle Ages was anything but merciful. The methods of questioning and medieval legal practices make the tour both educational and unsettling.
It’s not a light-hearted attraction, but it gives one a powerful, close-up view of medieval justice, crime, and punishment. This excellent tour represents history’s darker edge.
History of Injustice and Justice
Listen and Learn
There are two main sites highlighting the history of Nazism in Nürnberg. The Memorium Nürnberg Trials affords a look into the memorable war crimes trials of 1946. Here, thru film and news coverage, the world’s citizens saw and heard the horrors the accused willingly perpetuated. Here sat the Court who judged them fairly and sentenced them. Courtroom 600 where the trials occurred is open for viewing.
A second floor houses a comprehensive museum which attempts to explain the events leading up to these trials. Everything appears in German but the audio guide translates it all. Any visitor should understand the implications of a loss of democracy under a glib dictator and his cohorts and bootlickers.
As this museum begins: “WW2 began with a propaganda lie and progressed to unimaginable horror.” In Courtroom 600, an informational film poses an even more serious question: When is the next Nürnberg? Quoted is International advocate for women’s and civil rights, Amal Clooney, when speaking to the UN, “This is your Nürnberg moment.”
America could do well to listen and learn.
A second site, first-time visited, was the Documentation Center Nazi Party Rally Grounds a short tram ride southeast of HBF. The Documentation Center offers a profound exploration of the Nazi regime’s history, focusing on the role of Nuremberg as the site of its infamous party rallies.
Currently, the center is undergoing renovations. A specially designed Interim Exhibition titled “Nuremberg – Site of the Nazi Party Rallies. Staging, Experience, and Violence” is on display. This exhibition delves into the history of the Nazi Rallies and the Rally Grounds, presenting a concise yet impactful narrative.
Visitors receive a comprehensive overview of the Nazi Party’s rise and their orchestration of propaganda and rallies. These events represented massive propaganda events designed to showcase the regime’s power and unity. The center offers an audio guide in English.
Not To Miss
Frauenkirche is best known for its daily performance of “Männleinlaufen“ by its mechanical clock. This charming clock, installed in the 16th century, commemorates the Golden Bull of 1356 which named Nuremberg an official site for imperial elections.
Every day at 12:00 p.m., the bells chime and a parade of electors circles an enthroned Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV. Delighted crowds gathered in the Hauptmarkt below. Alongside this animated show, the church’s bells mark the hour and call to worship, as in many traditional Gothic churches.
The Frauenkirche’s bell tower also holds several bronze bells, used for religious services and festive occasions, adding a resonant soundtrack to the city’s historic center. It’s a beautiful fusion of engineering, history, and sound that gives the square its character and rhythm.
And don’t miss walking inside. Emperor Charles IV commissioned Frauenkirche, built between 1352 and 1362, on the site of a former synagogue destroyed during a pogrom. It constitutes one of the earliest examples of Gothic architecture in Nuremberg and meant as an imperial court church.
The interior, while relatively modest in size, is richly symbolic. A highlight is the beautiful high altar and the intricate stained-glass windows that filter colorful light into the nave. The church also houses the Tucher Altar, a late Gothic masterpiece from the early 15th century, along with numerous sculptures and coats of arms representing the Holy Roman Empire.
Extraordinary Walking City
There are numerous excellent museums and churches in Nuremberg. Johann Pachebel was an organist at St. Sebaldus (1695-1706 ) and quite possibly wrote his well-known Canon in D there.
St. Lorenz, completed around 1400, offers views of priceless art, most of which survives because of storage with the caves of the Art Bunker. And, because he is a home-boy and much-respected artist, the home of Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) provides a peek into his life in Nuremberg.
Nuremberg represents an extraordinary walking city because its compact, beautifully preserved Old Town shines with history, culture, and charm—all easily explored on foot. Enclosed by medieval walls and towers, the city blends Gothic spires, half-timbered houses, and grand squares with a deeply layered past. Walking through Nuremberg means tracing the footsteps of emperors, artists, and war tribunals.
I stroll about the massive Kaiserburg (Imperial Castle) and down cobbled lanes into the bustling markets like Hauptmarkt. The ornate Schöner Brunnen still flows. The streets leading to the train station are lined with kiosks of every imaginable food and drink. Cafes and beer halls abound.
Riverside paths, bridges over the Pegnitz River, and quiet courtyards give space to pause between discoveries. Stroll along the walls and the streets. Add cozy beer gardens, traditional Franconian restaurants, and church bells tolling the minutes, and I enjoy a city best explored step by step.
So Pick a Spot – Any Spot
Pick a spot with a view. Along the river is wonderful. Overlook Frauekirche’s clock and tableaux or watch people prime the medieval pumps of the Schoner Brunnen fountain. Just pick a spot and enjoy a cool Hefeweizen. This is a city easy to love.
Some of my previous adventures in Nuremberg appear in my 2021 articles:
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