April 6, 2018 ~ Nuremburg

April 6, 2018 ~ Nuremburg

Today was a beautiful day without a cloud in the sky.  The air was crisp and cool, but there wasn't much wind.  I was happy to have my sweater and windbreaker on as we boarded the bus for our tour of Nuremburg (or Nurnburg, as the Germans call it).  Located on the Pegnitz River and the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal, the city is a part of Bavaria.  Most of the city has been rebuilt following various fires and wars - often using the same building materials and built to look like the original city, according to Diana (Dee ah nah), our guide for the morning tour.  Diana is a lovely young woman who is a teacher working to teach German to immigrants coming to the city.  She was very articulate about all of the history she shared with us.

Diana, our Nuremberg Guide

We began our tour by bus, visiting the industrial areas of Nuremberg and passing by several remnants of Nazi Germany.  According to Wikipedia, Nuremberg's position in the middle of Germany led to its choice as the site of large Nazi Party conventions, known as the Nuremberg Rallies held in 1927, 1929, and yearly from 1933 through 1938.  Adolf Hitler's rise to power led to the rallies evolution into major Nazi propaganda events.  Leni Riefenstahl, a documentarian, filmed the 1934 rally.  Many of her films are featured in documentaries about the rise of Nazi Germany.

We also drove past the courthouse where the Nuremberg war crimes trials were held.  Diana spoke about the famous "courtroom six" where the German leaders were tried and found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Eventually we arrived in the walled city of Nuremberg, where our coach left us.  Diana led us on a brief tour.

 

We walked along the walls of the old city as Diana talked to us about the fortifications and the meetings that had been held in the castle.  We then walked through the gate and into the old town.

Timber frame houses on the square

   

 Home of the artist Albrecht Durer

Albrecht Durer was a painter, printmaker, and theorist of the German Renaissance, according to Wikipedia.  He was born in Nuremberg and established himself across Europe by making high-quality woodcut prints.  He was acquainted with the major Italian artists of the Renaissance,
including Raphael, Bellini, and da Vinci.

Sculptures ornamenting the houses are less common in Nuremburg, but every now and then we did see them.

Time for a bit of history:

The first mention of the city of Nuremberg was in 1050, as the location of an Imperial castle in an area that was to become part of Bavaria.  It has been referred to as the "unofficial capital" of the Holy Roman Empire because the Imperial Diet and courts met at Nuremberg Castle, and these diets were an important part of the administrative structure of the empire. 

There is also a history of Jewish persecution at Nuremberg.  In 1298 the town's Jews were accused of desecrating the hots resulted in the killing of 698 of them.  In 1349 a pogrom was issued against the Jews.  Many were burned at the stake or expelled.  A marketplace was built over the former Jewish quarter in Nuremberg.

St. Lorenz Church

St. Lorenz Church (The Lorenzkirche) is a Gothic church in Nuremberg that was built about 1250 with additions through 1477.  The church was severely damaged during World War II and was rebuilt from the same plans, using many of the same building materials.  Built as a Catholic Church originally, during the reformation, it became a Protestant (Lutheran) Church.  While other Catholic churches were destroyed, this one remained in tact due to the fact that the patron saint of Nuremberg was buried within the church.

The altar decorated with a white and yellow drapery

I loved the arches and stained glass in this church - maybe because it was a sunny day!

The ornamentation everywhere was magnificent

The altar - I loved the glint of the sunlight on the cross

The tall candle in the picture above had this bouquet in front of it

The organ

The pipes were quite beautiful -- wish we could have heard a concert!

   

The photo on the left shows what was left after the bombing in World War II.  The poem on the right says it all.

Lebkuchen is a "gingerbread" cookie that is well known in Nuremburg.  Usually made and eaten at Christmas time, the ship has them in the 24 hour coffee/tea station.














After spending time in the church, we walked past the city hall, the Rathaus.  Three doorways, each decorated with sculpture above the door frame greeted us.

   


As we turned the corner to the town square, we noticed families and bridal couples waiting for their turn to go into the Rathouse and get married in their "civil ceremony."  The civil ceremony is required in Germany; the church ceremony is optional.

                        

 

                             

 As our guided tour came to an end, we were reminded to try Nuremburg's famous grilled sausages, so we ducked into a restaurant for a bit of a snack before heading back to the ship.

Zum Spiessgesellin (To Skewer)

                 

We asked our waiter for an order of 9 sausages with potato salad and indicated that we would share them.  He brought out two plates, each with a hearty helping of potato salad and 5 sausages (I had eaten one of mine before I remembered to take a photo).  Our waiter smiled broadly and said, "A gift from the chef!"  The sausages were delicious -- not heavy like many German sausages can be.  A lovely end to a cool, but lovely day.

So ended our day in Nuremburg.  Were I to return, I would definitely book a World War II tour in order to be able to see more of that era in Germany's history.

Tomorrow we leave the Rhine-Main-Daube Canal and begin our journey down the Danube with our first stop in Regensburg, whose claim to fame is that it was untouched by World War II and its medieval town center is fully intact - hence its designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.