Nuremberg

Nuremberg (German: Nürnberg) is a city in Bavaria, Germany. It is the largest town in Franconia, a region in the north of Bavaria and is located approximately two hours north of Munich.

Understand

When one thinks of Nuremberg, they usually think of the Nazi Party Rally Grounds, Gingerbread, Toys, or Christmas.

Get in

By plane

Nuremberg has an airport and a train station. Air Berlin runs a lot of their flights from Nuremberg. Getting from the airport to the city is no problem, they are connected by the underground system (U2).

By train

You will probably find yourself arriving by train. The train station itself is located right next to the old city, which is a stroll away.

Get around

The old town is best explored on foot. If you want to get from one part of the old town to another by car or public transport, you will often have to leave the old town and reenter it at a different gate.

By public transport

Nuremberg has two subway, six tramway and numerous bus lines. The subway lines stop both at the main station (Hauptbahnhof) and at the station Plärrer. Each tramway line goes to one of these stations. Subway line 1 connects Nuremberg with its neighbour city Fürth, line 2 goes to the airport.

A single ticket valid in Nuremberg and Fürth costs € 1.80, for short distances € 1.40. A day ticket costs € 3.60 for a single adult (TagesTicket Solo) or € 6.20 for two adults and up to four youths (TagesTicket Plus).

More information can be found on the website of the public transport authority =>.

See

Old Town

Nuremberg's old town is divided by the river Pegnitz. The northern half is called Sebalder Alstadt, the southern Lorenzer Altstadt.

• Castle, 24 46 59-0, Every day Apr-Sep 9AM-6PM, Oct-Mar 10AM-4PM. The castle dominates the north-western corner of Nuremberg's old town. In the west (on the right, when coming from the city) the castle starts with Luginsland tower. Between it and the five-cornered tower is the Kaiserstallung. It was built in 1495 in only one year and served originally as storehouse for grain. Today it is used as youth hostel. The five-cornered tower was constructed before 1050 and is the oldest building of the castle and city. Further east are the entry to the castle garden and the castle gate. Through the castle gate one gets to the Freiung, where you can enjoy one of the best views of the old town. If you want to look further you can climb the round tower (Sinwellturm) in the first court of the castle. There you also find the deep well (Tiefer Brunnen). In the main court is the Kemenate on the right and the Palas on the left side. The Palas houses the castle museum, further rooms including the two-storey chapel can be seen on a guided tour. € 6 (Museum, guided tour, Sinwellturm and Tiefer Brunnen. Outside areas free.)

• Originally Nuremberg's city wall had a length of five kilometers and five gates: Laufer, Spittler-, Frauen-, Neu- und Tiergärtner Tor. From the 13th to the 16th century the wall was continuously strengthened and is one of the reasons why the city withstood all attacks during this time. Nearly four kilometers of the wall are still standing. Only on the east side between the main station and Rathenauplatz are large gaps. The city moat, which was never filled with water, still exists in its full wide for about two kilometers. Between Färbertor and Spittlertor (Plärrer) you should avoid the inner side of the wall, as it runs along Nuremberg's red light district.

• In the castle quarter (Burgviertel) numerous old buildings survived the war. The street Fuell with its sand stone houses is a typical merchant's street. The craftsmen lived in timber-framed houses, many of which have been restored in Weissgerbergasse. More timber-framed houses can be seen in Obere and Untere Kraemersgasse. In Untere Kraemersgasse 16 you can often look into the tiny courtyard.

• Albrecht Dürer's House Albrecht-Dürer-Straße 39, 231- 2568. Every day 10AM-5PM (Th -8PM, closed M Oct, Nov, Jan-Jun). The house in which the painter Albrecht Dürer lived and worked from 1509 until 1528. Representative of a wealthy house of that period. Exhibition about life in the house and the way Dürer worked € 0.50 (valid in all municipal museums)

• St Sebald Church (Sebalduskirche) was built from the 13th to 15th century. In the center of the church is the grave of the city saint, depicting scenes of his life.

• St Lawrence Church (Lorenzkirche) was built from the 13th to 15th century. Among its many treasures are the Tabernacel by Adam Kraft and the Greeting Angels by Veit Stoss.

Suburbs

• St. John, the old suburb west of the old town, is best seen on a 30-minute walk from Tiergärtnertor to Hallertor. Still within the walls, the house opposite Dürerhaus is called the house of Pilate. It is the start of the way to St. Johns church, with stations of the cross made by Veit Stoss. We follow this way through the gate, across the main street and turn left. At the next street (Burgschmietstrasse) we turn right and follow it until it joins Johannisstrasse which leads us along a few remaining timber-framed houses to St. John's cemetery. Many famous citizen of Nuremberg are buried here. After visiting the cemetery we turn right into Lindengasse, then left into the small alley called Riesenschritt. Here are the entrances to some restored baroque gardens. These small gardens are called Hesperidengaerten. At the lower end of Risenschritt we can wander through the romantic lanes of Gross- and Kleinweidenmuehle. Finally we walk through the park along the river back into the city.

• The former Nazi Party Rally Grounds (German:Reichsparteitagsgelände) Documentation Centre, Bayernstraße 110 (tramway #9 (from main station) or #6 (from Plärrer) or bus #36 (from Hauptmarkt) to Doku-Zentrum), 231- 5666. M-Fr 9AM-6PM, Sa/Su 10AM-6PM. Soon after they came to power in 1933 the Nazis designated Nuremberg as place for their annual party rallies. To demonstrate their power they planned a set of gigantic buildings. Only a fraction of these were actually built. Topics shown in the documentation centre are: How the Nazis rose to power. The organization of the party rallies - how the Nazis fascinated the masses. How the party rallies are connected to the Nazi crimes against minorities and to the world war. € 5 (For the documentation centre. Valid in all municipal museums.). The audio guide is highly recommended for non-German speakers (and Germans as well).

: The actual rally grounds cover a large area, if you want to tour the area plan to spent one or two hours. It is advisable to start with a visit of the documentation centre.

• Zoo (German:Tiergarten). Am Tiergarten 30 (tramway #5 (from main station) to Tiergarten), 54546. Every Day, Summer 8AM-7.30PM, Winter 9AM-5PM. The zoo is set in old quarries in the large forest at the eastern edge of the city. € 6.50, Families € 15

• Kraftshof Village Church, Kraftshof (tramway #9 (from main station) or #4 (from Plärrer) to Thon. Change there to bus #31). In the middle ages only towns had the right to build a wall, villages were unprotected against raiding troops. Therefore many villages built walls around the church yard. Kraftshof is a good example. From Kraftshof it is a 30 minutes stroll to Neunhof.

• Neunhof Manor (German: Schloss Neunhof), Neunhofer Hauptstraße (tramway #9 (from main station) or #4 (from Plärrer) to Thon. Change there to bus #31). Easter-Sept Sa, Su 10AM-5PM (closed during winter). Nuremberg's patricians had numerous manor houses in the surrounding villages. This is a good example, built in the 16th century. Adjoining is a small baroque garden.

Museums

• Gemanisches Nationalmuseum, Kartäusergasse 1,13310. Tu, Th-Su 10AM-6PM, W 10AM-9PM. One of the largest museum of art and crafts in the German-speaking countries. 4EUR (€ 5 during major exhibitions. W from 6PM free.)
• Toy Museum (German: Spielzeugmuseum), Karlstraße 13-15, 231 - 3260. Tu-F 10AM-5PM, Sa/Su 10AM-6PM (every day during Christikindlesmarkt and toy fair). Nuremberg was on of the centres of the German toy industry. The exhibition shows wooden and metal toys, dolls and doll houses, model railways and modern toys. € 5 (valid in all municipal museums)
• Verkehrsmuseum, Lessingstraße 6 (subway #2, stop Opernhaus), 230 880. Tu-Su 9AM-5PM. This museum contains two collection the DB Museum (museum of the national railway) and the Museum for Communication. The railway museum displays the development of railways in Germany from the beginnings in 1835 to today. It has a collection of historic stock and a large model railroad. Its children's areas makes it a good place to visit for families. The museum for communication displays the history of mail and telecommunications. &euro 3
• New Museum, Klarissenplatz, 240 200. Tu-Fr 10AM-8PM, Sa/Su 10AM-6PM. Museum showing art and design from 1945 to today. € 3.50 (Su free)
• Fembohaus Citymuseum, Burgstraße 15, 231-2595. Tu-F 10AM-5PM, Sa/Su 10AM-6PM.A merchant's house built about 1600. Exhibition about the history of the city. € 5 (valid in all municipal museums)
• Museum Industrial Culture, Äußere Sulzbacher Straße 62 (tramway #8 from main station, direction Erlenstegen, stop Tafelwerk), 231-3875. Exhibition about the industrial revolution, along a museum street you see how living conditions, social life and technology developed during the 19th century. € 5 (valid in all municipal museums, during special exhibitions a higher fee may be charged)

Do

Events

• Volksfest: Like a small Oktoberfest, runs twice a year

• Rock im Park: An MTV rock concert, run yearly at the same time as Rock Am Ring

• Bardentreffen: On the first weekend in the bavarian summer vacations (End of July) you can listen to more than 50 folk bands from all over the world on seven stages in the old town. For free.

• Christkindlesmarkt: Famous Christmas market held every year from Friday before the first advent Sunday to December 23. On weekends it is often overcrowded.

Buy

Nuremberg's main shopping district ist the Lorenzer Altstadt, the part of the old town south of river Pegnitz. There are three shopping streets running from the white tower (Weißer Turm) to the vicinity of St Lawrence church (Lorenzkirche): The cheapest stores can be found in Breite Gasse, in Karolinenstrasse you find mid-priced stores and Kaisserstraße, next to the river, offers luxury goods. At their eastern end the three streets are connected by the street Königsstraße, which runs from the main station via St Lawrence church to the main market place. The biggest department stores, Karstadt and Kaufhof, are located here.

The shopping streets and centres outside the old town have less to offer. Only visit them if you are looking for a specific shop.

Souvenirs

Ginger bread (Lebkuchen): Several large manufacturers and a number of small bakeries produce these. The best quality is called Elisenlebkuchen. The large manufactures sell packages labeled Bruch(broken), but they usually don't contain broken ginger bread, its just a trick: You get them cheaper, but you can hardly use a package labeled broken as a gift.

Eat

Bratwurst (roasted sausage): Within the city you get Nuernberger Bratwuerste, in the surrounding area Fraenkische Bratwuerste. Nuernberger are only about half the size, but contain more spices than Fraenkische. Consequently one typically eats three Fraenkische or six Nuernberger. In restaurants Bratwuerste are served with Sauerkraut or potato salad. On the street you can also buy two or three sausages in a roll. But be careful to get "real" Nuernberger and not "foreign" Thueringer Bratwuerste.

Budget

Many food stalls and fast food restaurants can be found along Königstraße leading from the main station into the old town.

Mid-range

• Historische Bratwurstküche - Zum Guldenen Stern, Zirkelschmiedsgasse 26, 2059288. Restaurant specialized on roasted sausages in an old timber-framed house. € 5.90 (for six sausages)
• Bratwursthäusle, Rathausplatz 1, 227695. M-Sa 10AM-11.30PM Restaurant specialized on roasted sausages. € 5.50 (for six sausages)
• Heilig Geist Spital, Spitalgasse 16, 221761. Mainly local cuisine. Historic dining room situated over the river Pegnitz.
• Tucher Bräu am Opernhaus, Am Kartäusertor 1 (subway #2, stop Opernhaus), 204649. M-F 5PM-12PM, Sa 3PM-12PM, Su 11AM-12PM. Local cuisine. Beergarden on the city wall.

Splurge

Drink

• Blauer Adler (Blue Eagle): - A good, albeit relatively expensive, cocktail bar. It is attached to the west of the main train station (Hauptbahnhof).
• Cubano: - Another good cocktail bar in Innere Laufer Gasse (northeast of the town hall).
• The Barfüßer is a lively German-style pub, where you can have a keg delivered to your table and pour your own drinks as you go. Hearty Franconian food is on the menu.

Sleep

There are two hostels:

• DJH (YHA/HI), Burg 2 (situated in the former castle stables to the north of the old city), +49 911 230-9360 (jhnuernberg@djh-bayern.de, +49 911 23093611), =>. Note that DJH/YHA/HI membership is required (or an extra fee is paid) and, as in all YHA hostels in Bavaria, persons over 27 years of age are only admitted if the hostel is not full. Closed: 24/12/2006 to 26/12/2006. B&B from €18.90; half board from €23.20; full board from €26.50 (linen included in price).

• Lette'm Sleep, Frauntormauer 42 (near the town wall), +49 911 992-81-28 (seeyou@backpackers.de, fax +49 911 992-81-30), =>. Relaxed atmosphere in the center of medieval Nuremberg. Mixed dorms, free tea and coffee, free internet, good location (5-min walk from train station), English spoken. €11 - 20 (dorm, linen €3), €44 - 52 (twin, double).

Stay safe

According to the state police, it has the lowest crime rate of the cities with more than 400,000 inhabitants.

Get out

• Fürth - Nuremberg's neighbouring city
• Erlangen - University town
• Munich - Capital of Bavaria

External links

• Nuremberg Online - official municipal portal
• VGN - Public transport for Greater Nuremberg

This text of this article is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 1.0. It has been slightly modified to fit the general design of this website. The authors of this document are Aidan Boreham, Andrew Haggard, Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel, J\u00FCrgen A. Erhard, Wikitravel user Miknon, Andrew Burns and the following WikiTravel users: Brendio, Cjensen, Huttite, JensANDMarian, Kingjeff, Nzpcmad, Pjamescowie. The original version of this article can be seen at http://wikitravel.org/en/Nuremberg.