If I Were Going...: Viking River Cruise: Nuremberg

St. Lorenz (St. Lawrence) Cathedral

Now, on to Nuremberg (Nürnberg), which isn’t on the Danube. It is on the River Pegnitz and the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal.

We had cruised on the Danube to Kelheim and then joined the 100-mile-long canal that provides a transport channel to Nuremberg and then on to Bamberg to the North Sea. It is often called the Europa Canal because it traverses 11 countries to link the North Sea with the Black Sea.

Lock between Regensburg and Nuremberg; Photo: Scott Stevens

The canal was built between 1960 and 1992, but follows parts of Charlemagne’s Ditch, a canal started in 793.

In the 1800s, there was a similar canal from Kelheim to Bamberg, but it had more than 100 locks and was quickly made obsolete by the railroad.

This was our last stop by river. By far, it was our most industrial dock. And, once again, not in walking distance to the city. With a total metro population of 3.5 million, Nuremberg is the second-largest city in Bavaria, the largest in Franconia, and the 14th largest in Germany.

Ornate building crests

First mentioned in 1050, Nuremberg grew rapidly because it was situated on a major trade route from Italy to Northern Europe.

Nuremberg was considered the "unofficial capital' of the Holy Roman Empire because Imperial Diet (Reichstag) and courts met at Nuremberg Castle.

During the 13th and 14th Centuries, Jews were frequently massacred, often in land grabs by the Christians. In 1349, Nuremberg's Jews were subjected to a pogrom in which they were burned at the stake or expelled, and a marketplace was built over the former Jewish quarter. The city was devastated by plague seven times between 1405 and 1534.

Police station

Our first foray into Nuremberg was an optional morning trip where we were given a short orientation and then released to walk around. As is typical of all tours, it was apparent that the guides assumed we wanted to shop. And, I think that’s what most people did – as much as they could on a Sunday morning.

But, Scott and I walked through the shopping area straight to the Pegnitz River where we found a series of beautiful medieval-looking bridges.

Medieval bridge on the Pegnitz

It was a calm, sunny day so we were treated to beautiful reflections in the water. Willow trees and half-timbered buildings …

Medieval charm

Wooden bridges ...

Wooden Pegnitz River bridge; Photo: Scott Stevens

Stone bridges and covered bridges ...

A beautiful, calm day

Plus, some Canada Geese (those things are everywhere), Common Moorhens and a Eurasian Coot …

Canada Goose, Common Moorhens and a Eurasian Coot

There were some picturesque shops around the river ...

German gingerbread

... none of which were open – probably a good thing that the toy store was closed.

I love German woodcraft!

As we headed back to our meeting place, we stopped in St. Lorenz (St. Lawrence) Cathedral, a medieval church that is now one of the most prominent Evangelical Lutheran Churches in Bavaria.

St. Lorenz (St. Lawrence) Cathedral

Originally a Catholic Church, St. Lorenz was built between 1400 and 1477. St. Lawrence was one of the first churches in Germany to become Lutheran during the Reformation in 1525.

Church interior

Often, when churches converted, much of the ornate artwork was removed.

Bench detail

But, the wealthy citizens of Nuremberg wanted to preserve the memory of their ancestors and therefore preserved St. Lawrence’s works of art.

Church interior

Following our morning of exploring, we had a formal tour of Nuremberg. It started with a bus tour (which makes photography tricky), that covered a few famous World War II spots.

Nazi Rally

Nuremberg held great significance during the Nazi Germany era. Because of the city's relevance to the Holy Roman Empire and its position in the center of Germany, the Nazi Party chose the city to be the site of huge Nazi Party conventions.

The Nuremberg Rallies were held in 1927, 1929 and annually from 1933 through 1938.

After Adolf Hitler's rise to power in 1933, the Rallies became huge Nazi propaganda events.

At the 1935 rally, Hitler specifically ordered the Reichstag to convene at Nuremberg to pass the anti-Semitic Nuremberg Laws that revoked German citizenship for all Jews and other non-Aryans.

The Rallying Grounds covered about seven square miles and were envisioned as a testament to the grandeur of the Nazi party. Most of the planned structures were never finished and some have been diminished since that time. The German government wants to keep them for historical purposes, but has no desire to glorify anything about the Nazi regime.

We passed by the two remaining major structures …

The unfinished Congress Hall (Kongresshalle, now called the Documentation Center), which somewhat resembles the Colosseum in Rome.

Congress Hall

The biggest preserved Nazi building, it was intended to provide seating for 50,000 people. The building was 128 ft. high, but the plan was to build it up to almost twice that height. It had a diameter of 820 ft. and the goal was to have a roof that spanned the entire area with no internal supports (a feat some architects say is not possible). Since 2001, the Documentation Center has held a permanent exhibition called “Fascination and Terror” that chronicles the Nazi reign. The southern building houses the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra.

We also passed the Zeppelinfeld, a giant parade field (and Zeppelin landing field) and grandstand that was designed to inspire awe and admiration.

Zeppelinfeld

It was once flanked by a series of pillars that has giant spotlights pointing to the sky between them. The pillars were removed for safety reasons and to diminish the grandeur.

Zeppelinfeld during a Nazi Rally

The grandstand had the swastika atop it that blew off in 1945, after Germany's fall. From 1947 to 1995 the Nuremberg American High School used he Zeppelinfeld for football practice. It is now part of the Norisring motor racing track and houses a campground.

During the war, Nuremberg was headquarters of military district XIII, an important site for military aircraft, submarine and tank engine production, and the location of a concentration camp sub camp.

Destruction of Nuremberg

The city was severely damaged in Allied strategic bombing from 1943 to 1945. About 90 percent of the city was destroyed in only an hour in 1945, killing 1,800 residents and displacing 100,000. In total, about 6,000 residents were killed in air raids.

Despite this intense destruction, the city was rebuilt after the war and was to some extent restored to its pre-war appearance including reconstruction of some of its medieval buildings.

Between 1945 and 1946, German officials involved in war crimes and crimes against humanity were brought before an international tribunal in the Nuremberg trials. Nuremberg was chosen as the site for the trials because of the symbolic value of having the trials in the city where Nazi Rallies were held and where laws stripping Jews of their citizenship were passed. We drove by, but did not stop at the Palace of Justice.

Rose Cemetery

We also passed the famous Rose Cemetery, famous for its many roses and for the important citizens buried there, including Albrecht Dürer (more on him later) and sculptor Adam Kraft.

There has been a cemetery on the site since the 13th century.

The neighboring church, Johannisfriedhof (St. John's) was built in the 14th century and survived the bombing raids during World War II. Bronze tablets on the uniform headstones are engraved with epitaphs and coats of arms.

We then had a walking tour that started at the top – at Nuremberg Castle.

You can see the sandstone ridge here

Much of the history of the city is reflected in the history of Nuremberg Castle, a group of medieval fortified buildings on a sandstone ridge high above the historical center of Nuremberg.

The city’s name is actually a reference to the ridge – nurem (nürn) means “sandstone” or “sand;” berg means “hill” or “mountain.”

The castle, together with the city walls, is considered to be one of Europe's most formidable medieval fortifications.

In the Middle Ages, German Kings (who became Holy Roman Emperors after coronation by the Pope) did not have a capital city. Instead, they moved from one of castle to the next. In the following centuries, all German kings and Emperors stayed at the castle, most on several occasions.

Castle views

The first fortified buildings appear to have been erected around 1000, after which there were three major construction periods: the castle built under Holy Roman Emperors (1027-1125); a new castle built under the Hohenstaufen emperors (1138-1254); and reconstruction, modifications and additions in the late medieval centuries.

The Habsburg emperors concentrated on their territories mainly in Austria, Bohemia and Hungary and rarely visited Nuremberg.

Fortified walkway

The castle lost its importance after the Thirty Years' War, which ended in 1648 when the Imperial Diet moved to Regensburg.

In 1806, during Napoleon's restructuring of Central Europe, French troops occupied Nuremberg and handed it over to Bavaria.

In the 19th century with its general interest in the medieval period, some modifications were made. During the Nazi period, in preparation of the Nuremberg party rally in 1936, it was "returned to its original state."

But, just a few years later, World War II air raids in 1944/1945 destroyed a large part of the castle and surrounding buildings both on the hill and below in town. It took more than 30 years to complete the rebuilding and restoration to its present state. And, unlike many other areas affected by World War II bombing, Nuremberg was reconstructed to look as it did before the war rather replacing bombed-out areas with new, modern buildings. So, you think you are looking at a medieval city, not a town largely constructed in the past 80 years.

Rebuilt Nuremberg from Castle Hill

Towers can be found at intervals along the wall. Some very large round ones were originally built as narrower square towers that were vulnerable to canon fire. The towers were fortified by building a circular wall around the existing square ones. The strength came from thickness and the lack of corners that could grab cannonballs rather than letting them glance off the curved side.

Castle towers

A hand-dug deep well inside a small half-timbered house (the house’s lower stone walls date from 1563) in the middle of the courtyard was the castle's only source of water. Its shaft reaches the water level in a depth of 164 ft. and the water in the shaft is usually is 10 ft. deep. The well provided sufficient water for normal consumption, but during Imperial Diets and visits by the Emperor, water barrels had to be transported on wagons from the city.

Well house

After touring the castle grounds, we walked down the steep hill through the historic town.

We passed by a youth hostel in the castle. The multiple windows in the pitched roof were originally constructed to provide cooling air to grain that was stored there to prevent it from overheating and igniting.

Nuremberg Castle Hostel

Dürer statue

Then, we walked by the home Nuremberg’s most famous artist and favorite son, Albrecht Dürer (1471 -1528).

A painter, printmaker and theorist, Dürer became famous when he was still in his 20s because of his high-quality woodcut prints.

He was a contemporary of the major Italian artists of his time, including Raphael, Bellini and Leonardo da Vinci. From 1512 on, he was patronized by emperor Maximilian I.

Nurembergers are very proud of Dürer and have several tributes to him, including this statue, which was erected in the 1860s.

Interestingly, everything around it was destroyed in World War II air strikes. But, the statue survived intact.

While not in front of the home where Dürer lived -- and died -- you can see the home from near the statue.The house, which is open for tours, is one of the few surviving burgher houses from Nuremberg's golden age and, even more significantly, it is the only surviving 15th century artist's house in Northern Europe.

Dürer is considered one of the first European landscape artists and was known for his meticulous detail.

Young Hare (1502) and Praying Hands (1508) are among his most famous works.

Young Hare and Praying Hands

We ended our walk at the market square.

Nuremberg shawarma vendor

A pretty sight in the square was the Frauenkirche ("Church of Our Lady"), a beautiful example of brick Gothic architecture. It was built on the initiative of Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor between 1352 and 1362 in place of the former Jewish synagogue that was destroyed during the pogrom of 1349 (which followed an outbreak of plague).

Frauenkirche; Photo: Scott Stevens

A big feature of the square was the Schöner Brunnen (Beautiful Fountain), a 14th-Century fountain next to the town hall.

Schöner Brunnen

In the shape of a Gothic spire, the fountain exceeds 60 ft. in height. Built between 1385 and 1396, it features 40 colorful figures.

Night light; Photo: Scott Stevens

The figures represent philosophy, seven liberal arts (grammar, logic, rhetoric, arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, music), four evangelists (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John), four church fathers (Gregory, Ambrose, Augustine, Jerome), seven prince-electors (Archbishop of Cologne, Archbishop of Mainz, Archbishop of Trier, Count Palatine of the Rhine, Duke of Saxony, Margrave of Brandenburg,King of Bohemia), nine worthies (Hector, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Joshua, David, Judas Maccabeus, King Arthur, Charlemagne, Godfrey of Bouillon), seven prophets (Hosea, Daniel, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Amos, Isaiah, Joel) and Moses.

Because winter was approaching, the fountain was not turned on, but the the sun went down, it was brilliantly illuminated.

I must say, I had expected Nuremberg to be a big industrial city -- and I suspect much of it is -- but I didn't expect the charm of the part we visited.