Nuremberg, Germany: a rich past and lots of presents

The site of one of Germany’s oldest Christmas markets, Nuremberg was probably founded in the 11th century, the first written reference to the city being made in 1050. By 1254 it had become a well-fortified, independent city state within the Holy Roman Empire, minting its own coins.

Nuremberg’s place in history also owes much to its long tradition of toy-making, notable inventions such as the fob watch and clarinet, and innovations including the first globe and the first road map of Christian Europe. Germany’s first paper mill, print workshop and railway were also established here.

Although the small Pegnitz river flows through the city, you won’t sail into the centre. However, you’re only 15 minutes away by coach if your river boat is sailing the Main-Danube Canal, which traverses Nuremberg’s southern suburbs.

Nuremberg overview

Remains to be seen

High on a hill, the 12th-century Kaiserburg Imperial Castle dominates the city skyline; and you can also see much of the ancient walls, gateways and towers that embrace the Old Town.

But all is not as it seems. During the Second World War, Allied bombs destroyed almost 90 per cent of the city. After the conflict it was decided not to clear the rubble and build anew but instead to restore the city’s old buildings — a painstaking process that took 38 years.

Wherever possible, houses, churches and monuments were salvaged; others were repaired using traditional materials, to reflect Nuremberg’s historic character. New buildings carefully echo the shapes, roof-lines and features of medieval and Renaissance structures. Crucially, the layout of the Old Town’s narrow, cobbled lanes was retained.

A bridge too far

Step onto the bridges spanning the Pegnitz to see some of Nuremberg’s oldest and most beautiful buildings: the Hospice of the Holy Spirit, built out over the river in the 1330s, and the half-timbered, wooden-galleried Weinstadel, erected in the 1440s as a leper infirmary. Later a wine store, then a workhouse, then a spinning house, it is now a students’ hall of residence.

Hangman’s Bridge

Look, too, for the covered, wooden Hangman’s Bridge, first constructed in 1457. Its small tower was the home of the town executioner, who was forced to live as an outcast from the society which, nonetheless, required his services.

Son and hare

Nuremberg’s most famous son, artist Albrecht Dürer, was born in the city in 1471. The four-storey, half-timbered house where he lived for the last 19 years of his life is now a museum that is well worth a visit (museums.nuremberg.de/duerer-house). Opposite, a modern sculpture inspired by one of Dürer’s best-known paintings, Young Hare, provokes unending “Is it dazed or is it dead?” debate.

A statue of the artist stands in nearby Bergstrasse.

Clock work

Every day at noon, in the Hauptmarkt, the musical clock on the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) — built in the 1350s as a royal chapel for Emperor Charles IV — puts on a five-minute performance, recalling his 1356 decree that kings of Germany must hold their first parliament in Nuremberg. He sits on the central throne as trumpets sound and seven electors pay homage.

It’s not the only must-see sight in this main market square: the 14th-century Schöner Brunnen (Beautiful Fountain), built in the style of a Gothic church spire, features 40 colourful stone figures. Spinning the golden rings in its railings is said to bring good luck.

Sugar and spice

The Hauptmarkt is also the site of the Christkindlesmarkt, Germany’s most celebrated Christmas market, which dates back to the 16th century. The elaborate facade of the Frauenkirche provides the perfect backdrop, a thousand lights illuminate the square, and red-and-white awnings top some 200 stalls selling wooden toys, Christmas decorations, hand-crafted gifts and festive foods. Traditional, authentic gifts include candle chimes,

foil-winged angels, painted wooden soldier or policeman nutcrackers and “plum people” fashioned from fruit and nuts. Festive eats include lebkuchen, Nuremberg’s spicy gingerbread-like treat, first baked here 600 years ago. What you won’t find are war toys, tinsel, plastic garlands, piped music or carousels.

The Hauptmarkt

Festive feasting

For more seasonal sustenance, head for the world’s largest punchbowl, which holds 9,000 litres of feuerzangenbowle, a traditional drink. It’s named after the tongs used to hold a burning, rum-soaked sugar cone over a mix of red wine and rum punch, so that caramelised sugar drips in.

Then follow your nose to a bratwurst stand, and enjoy two or three in a bun, or dine at what is said to be the oldest sausage kitchen in the world, Zum Guldenen Stern in Zirkelschmiedsgasse, near the White Tower. Try them with sauerkraut, potato salad and a chilled weissbier (wheat beer).

Trial and terror

For many Westerners, three decades in the 20th century define this city’s history. In the Twenties and Thirties it hosted the Nuremberg Rallies, the Nazi party’s displays of power. In the Forties, after the ensuing conflict, it was where the International Military Tribunal’s trial of war criminals took place. In the vast and haunting former Nazi party rally grounds, the Congress Hall — the largest Nazi edifice in Germany, but never completed — now has a Documentation Centre that catalogues their rise to power and its consequences, with audio guides in numerous languages. In the Palace of Justice (memorium-nuremberg.de), a permanent exhibition covers the events leading to the post-war trial, the judicial process and its repercussions, and, when possible, includes a visit to its venue, Courtroom 600.

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