Nuremberg ( ) is a
city in the
German state of
Bavaria, in the
administrative region of
Middle Franconia. It is situated on the
Pegnitz river and the
Rhine-Main-Danube Canal and is
Franconia's largest city. It is located about 170 kilometres north of
Munich, at 49.27° N 11.5° E. The population (as of January 2006) is 500,132. Nuremberg and its closest suburbs make up an
urban area of 1,020,000 (2001) habitants.
History
Middle Ages
thumb|left|Old fortifications of NurembergFrom 1050 to 1571, the city expanded and rose dramatically in importance due to its location on key trade routes. It is often referred to as having been the 'unofficial
capital' of the
Holy Roman Empire, particularly because
Reichstage (Imperial Diets) and courts met at
Nuremberg Castle. The
Diets of Nuremberg were an important part of the administrative structure of the empire. In 1219 Nuremberg became an
Imperial Free City under
Emperor Frederick II. Nuremberg soon became, with
Augsburg, one of the two great trade centers on the route from
Italy to Northern Europe.
In 1298, the
Jews of the town were accused of having
desecrated the
host and 698 were slain in one of the many
Rintfleisch Massacres. Behind the massacre in 1298 was also the desire to combine the northern and southern parts of the city, which were divided by the
Pegnitz River. Jews had been settled in that flood-prone area, but as the city leaders realized, this center of town was crucial to its future development. Hence, the Jewish population had to be removed. This area is now the place of the City Market, Frauenkirche and Rathaus (
City Hall).
Early modern age
thumb|left|195px|Nuremberg in 1493
(from the Nuremberg Chronicle).thumb|left|110px|De revolutionibus, 1543thumb|right|115px|Jews being exiled from Nuremberg, 1670.The cultural flowering of Nuremberg, in the 15th and 16th centuries, made it the center of the German Renaissance.
In 1525, Nuremberg accepted the
Protestant Reformation, and in 1532, the religious
Peace of Nuremberg, by which the
Lutherans gained important concessions, was signed there. In 1632 during the
Thirty Years' War, the city, occupied by the forces of
Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden, was
besieged by the army of Imperial general
Albrecht von Wallenstein. The city declined after the war and recovered its importance only in the nineteenth century, when it grew as an industrial center.
At the beginning of the nineteenth century Nuremberg was practically bankrupt. In 1806 with the
Holy Roman Empire formally being dissolved, Nuremberg passed to Bavaria. The Bavarian state took over the city's debts and guaranteed their amortization.
The
first German railway, from Nuremberg to nearby
Fürth, was opened in 1835.
Nazi era
thumb|right|125px|Nuremberg party rally 1935Nuremberg held great significance during the
Nazi Germany era. Because of the city's relevance to the
Holy Roman Empire and its position in the centre of Germany, the
Nazi Party chose the city to be the site of huge Nazi Party conventions–the
Nuremberg rallies. The rallies were held annually from 1927 to 1938 in Nuremberg. After
Adolf Hitler's rise to power in 1933 the Nuremberg rallies became huge state
propaganda events, a center of Nazi ideals. At the 1935 rally, Hitler specifically ordered the
Reichstag to convene at Nuremberg to pass the anti-Semitic
Nuremberg Laws which revoked German
citizenship for all
Jews. A number of premises were constructed solely for these assemblies, some of which were not finished. Today many examples of
Nazi architecture can still be seen in the city. The city was also the home of the Nazi
propagandist Julius Streicher, the publisher of
Der Stürmer.
During
World War II, Nuremberg was the headquarters of
Wehrkreis (military district) XIII, and an important site for military production, including airplanes, submarines, and tank engines. A subcamp of
Flossenbürg concentration camp was located here. Extensive use was made of
slave labour. The city was severely damaged in
Allied strategic bombing from
1943-
1945. On January 2,
1945, the
medieval city centre was systematically bombed by the
Royal Air Force and the
U.S. Army Air Forces and about ninety percent of it was destroyed in only one hour, with 1,800 residents killed and roughly 100,000 displaced. In February 1945, additional attacks followed. In total, about 6,000 Nuremberg residents are estimated to have been killed in air raids. Despite this, the city was rebuilt after the war and was to some extent, restored to its pre-war appearance including the reconstruction of some of its medieval buildings.
thumb|right|Defendants in the dock at Nuremberg TrialsNuremberg Trials
Between 1945 and 1946, German officials involved in the
Holocaust and other war crimes were brought before an international tribunal in the
Nuremberg Trials. The
Soviet Union had wanted these trials to take place in Berlin, but Nuremberg was chosen as the site for the trials for specific reasons:
- The Palace of Justice was spacious and largely undamaged (one of the few that had remained largely intact despite extensive Allied bombing of Germany). The already large courtroom was reasonably easily expanded by the removal of the wall at the end opposite the bench, thereby incorporating the adjoining room. A large prison was also part of the complex.
- The city had been the location of the Nazi Party's Nuremberg rallies and the laws stripping Jews of their citizenship were passed there. There was symbolic value in making it the place of Nazi demise.
- As a compromise, it was agreed that Berlin would become the permanent seat of the International Military Tribunal and that the first trial (several were planned) would take place in Nuremberg. Due to the Cold War, subsequent trials never took place.
The same courtroom in Nuremberg was the venue of the
Nuremberg Military Tribunals, organised by the United States as occupying power in the area.
Economy
thumb|right|Hl. Geistspital, Holy Spirit HospitalNuremberg for many people is still associated with its traditional gingerbread (
Lebkuchen) products, sausages, and handmade toys.
Pocket watches —
Nuremberg eggs — were made here in the sixteenth century by
Peter Henlein. In the nineteenth century Nuremberg became the "industrial heart" of
Bavaria with companies such as
Siemens and
MAN establishing a strong base in the city. Nuremberg is still an important industrial center with a strong standing in the markets of Central and Eastern Europe. Items manufactured in the area include electrical equipment, mechanical and optical products, motor vehicles, and printed materials. The city is also strong in the fields of automation, energy, and medical technology. Siemens is still the largest industrial employer in the Nuremberg region but a good third of German market research agencies is also located in the city. The
Nuremberg International Toy Fair is the largest of its kind in the world. The city also hosts several specialist hi-tech fairs every year, attracting experts from every corner of the globe.
Culture
thumb|Towers of [[St. Sebaldus Church|Saint Sebald and the Castle as seen from Saint Lorenz.]]
Nuremberg was an early center of humanism, science, printing, and mechanical invention.
The city contributed much to the science of
astronomy. In 1471 Johannes Mueller of
Königsberg (Bavaria), later called
Regiomontanus, built an astronomical observatory in Nuremberg and published many important astronomical charts. In 1515,
Albrecht Dürer, a native of Nuremberg, mapped the stars of the northern and southern hemispheres, producing the first printed star charts, which had been ordered by
Johannes Stabius. Around 1515 Dürer also published the "Stabiussche Weltkarte", the first perspective drawing of the terrestrial globe. Perhaps most famously, the main part of
Nicolaus Copernicus' work was published in Nuremberg in 1543.
Printers and publishers have a long history in Nuremberg. Many of these publishers worked with well-known artists of the day to produce books that could also be considered works of art. In 1470
Anton Koberger opened Europe's first print shop in Nuremberg. In 1493, he published the
Nuremberg Chronicles, also known as the
World Chronicles (
Schedelsche Weltchronik), an illustrated history of the world from the creation to the present day. It was written in the local Franconian dialect by
Hartmann Schedel and had illustrations by
Michael Wohlgemuth,
Wilhelm Pleydenwurff, and
Albrecht Dürer. Others furthered geographical knowledge and travel by map making. Notable among these was navigator and geographer
Martin Behaim, who made the first world globe.
Sculptors such as
Veit Stoss and
Peter Vischer are also associated with Nuremberg.
Composed of prosperous artisans, the guilds of the
Meistersingers flourished here.
Richard Wagner made their most famous member,
Hans Sachs, the hero of his opera
Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. Baroque composer
Johann Pachelbel was born here and was organist of
St. Sebaldus Church.
Nuremberg is also famous for its Christmas market, which draws well over a million shoppers each year. The market is famous for its handmade ornaments and delicacies.
In addition to the many historical sights there is also a very interesting scene of pop and alternative culture that can be enjoyed at the numerous in-cafes and in-clubs.
Main sights
thumb|View over old Nuremberg from Spittlertor-Towerthumb|right|Dutzendteich and Kongresshalle in the backgroundthumb|The Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) as seen from the HauptmarktThe southern part of the old town, known as Lorenzer Seite, is separated from the north by the river Pegnitz and encircled to the south by the
city walls.
- Nuremberg Castle: the three castles that tower over the city including central burgraves' castle, with Free Reich's buildings to the east, the Imperial castle to the west.
- Heilig-Geist-Spital. In the centre of the city, on the bank of the river Pegnitz, stands the Hospital of the Holy Spirit. Founded in 1332, this is one of the largest hospitals of the Middle Ages. Lepers were kept here at some distance from the other patients. It now houses elderly persons and a restaurant.
- Hauptmarkt, which provides a picturesque setting and famous market for gingerbread. Nuremberg's star attraction is the Gothic Schöner Brunnen (Beautiful Fountain) which was erected around 1385 but subsequently replaced with a replica (the original fountain is kept in the Germanisches Nationalmuseum). The unchanged Renaissance bridge Fleischbrücke crosses the Pegnitz nearby.
- Gothic St Lorenz-Kirche (St. Lorenz church, St. Lorenz), one of the most important buildings in Nuremberg. The main body was built around 1270-1350.
- The church of the former Katharinenkloster is preserved as a ruin, the charterhouse (Kartause) is integrated into the building of the Germanisches Nationalmuseum and the choir of the former Franziskanerkirche is part of a modern building.
- The Walburga Chapel and the Romanesque Doppelkapelle (Chapel with two floors) are part of Nuremberg Castle.
- The Johannisfriedhof is a medieval cemetery, containing many old graves (Albrecht Dürer, Willibald Pirckheimer, and others). The Rochusfriedhof or the Wöhrder Kirchhof are near the Old Town.
- The Tiergarten Nürnberg is a zoo stretching over more than 60 ha in the Nürnberger Reichswald. It is the home of Flocke, an orphan polar bear cub who in 2008 became a major attraction and a figure of a large publicity campaign for Nuremberg's metropolitan region.
- There is also a medieval market just inside the city walls, selling handcrafted goods.
- The Nuremberg Ring (now welded within an iron fence) is said to bring good luck to those that touch it.
Transport
The city's location next to numerous highways, railways, and a waterway has contributed to its rising importance for trade with Eastern Europe.
Motorways
Nuremberg is conveniently located at the junction of several important Autobahn routes. The
A3 (
Netherlands-Frankfurt-
Würzburg-Vienna) passes in a south-easterly direction along the north-east of the city. The
A9 (
Berlin-
Munich) passes in a north-south direction on the east of the city. The
A6 (
France-Saarbrücken-Prague) passes in an east-west direction to the south of the city. Finally, the
A73 begins in the south-east of Nuremberg and travels north-west through the city before continuing towards
Fürth and
Bamberg.
Railways
thumb|left|Class 101 locomotive at Nuremberg HauptbahnhofNürnberg Hauptbahnhof is a stop for
IC and
ICE trains on the German long-distance railway network. The Nuremberg–
Ingolstadt–
Munich High-Speed line with 300 km/h operation opened May 28, 2006, and was fully integrated into the rail schedule on December 10, 2006. Travel times to Munich have been reduced to as little as one hour.
Airport
Nuremberg Airport has flights to major German cities and many European destinations, as well as connecting flights worldwide, for example via
Frankfurt or
Vienna.
Air Berlin uses
Nuremberg Airport as the airline's hub, especially in the winter season.
City and regional transport
thumb|Nuremberg U-Bahn trainThe first segment of the
Nuremberg U-Bahn metro system was opened in 1972. The system, along with
trams and
buses, are operated by the (
Verkehrsaktiengesellschaft Nürnberg or Nuremberg Transport Corporation), itself a member of the (
Verkehrsverbund Großraum Nürnberg or Greater Nuremberg Transport Network). There is also a
Nuremberg S-Bahn suburban metro railway and a regional train network, both centred on
Nuremberg Central Station.
Since 2008, Nuremberg has had the first U-Bahn in Germany (U3) that works without driver. It also is the first subway system worldwide in which both driver-operated trains and computer-controlled trains share tracks.
Canals
Nuremberg is an important port on the Main-Danube Canal.
Sport
Football
1. FC Nuremberg, known locally as
Der Club, was founded in 1900 and plays in the
Bundesliga. The official colours of the association are red and white, but the traditional colours are red and black. The current president is Franz Schäfer. They play in the
EasyCredit Stadium, which was rebuilt for the
World Cup in 2006 and accommodates 46,780 spectators.
- German Champion: 1920, 1921, 1924, 1925, 1927, 1936, 1948, 1961, 1968
- German Cup: 1935, 1939, 1962, 2007
International relations
Twin towns — Sister cities
Worldwide, Nuremberg is
twinned with the following cities:
- Shenzhen, China since 1997 (For this reason, Shenzhen set its European Contact Agency in Nuremberg)
Partner cities
Apart from the official twin towns (sister cities), there are a number of municipalities with which Nuremberg maintains "cordial relations":
There is also economic co-operation with other regions or towns, such as:
Nuremberg districts
Several old villages now belong to the city of Nuremberg, for example
Großgründlach,
Kraftshof,
Thon, and
Neunhof in the north-west;
Ziegelstein in the north-east,
Altenfurt and
Fischbach in the south-east; and
Katzwang,
Kornburg in the south.
Langwasser is a modern
suburb.
Famous citizens
See also
- Lebkuchen (gingerbread, specialty of Nuremberg)
- Tinsel (invented in Nuremberg)
- Labour Exchange Headquarters ("Arbeitsamt", now "Agentur für Arbeit")
