Places to visit in Nürnberg

The city of Nürnberg was first mentioned in an official document in 1050, when Emperor Henry III published a deed (the Sigena Urkunde). The Imperial Castle (the Kaiserburg) has its origins in those early days and is the city’s emblem.

As one of Nürnberg’s most popular tourist attractions, the Kaiserburg is a major landmark. Overlooking the city from its hilltop position, the castle and its political as well as its military might was the main reason, why the city of Nürnberg was appointed an Imperial City by the Emperor. Its medieval riches are apparent wherever one goes within the city. The castle’s deep well, its amazing Romanesque Double Chapel (providing pews for the Emperor and his entourage as well as the lesser mortals of the court) and the imposing Sinwell Tower are just a few of the highlights on a guided tour of the castle.

Apart from His Imperial Majesty Henry III, the city of Nürnberg has another famous resident, who left his mark on world history. The artist Albrecht Dürer once lived and worked here and his former residence in the heart of the city is now a much loved museum. The artist lived and worked here between 1509 and 1528. Lovingly restored and furnished with period pieces, the museum and workshop allow visitors to gain insight into the great man’s creative mind.

Replica of printing presses as used 500 years ago in some of Albrecht’s most famous copper and wood engravings demonstrate how the art of printing – in particular books – grew in popularity and eventually allowed all of us to enjoy literature and reading. Just across the Dürer House tourists will find the museum’s shop, where excellent and unusual gifts and souvenirs from the city can be bought.

The Old Town, within a short walk of the main train station, is home to the Handwerkerhof, a series of half-timbered houses by the King’s Gate, where modern day artisans are showing off their crafts and sell their artefacts to tourists.

Naturally, Germany’s more recent past is foremost on visitors’ mind, when they come to Nürnberg and no visit would be complete without looking in on various exhibitions that deal with the Nuremberg Trials, conducted after WWII to bring to justice the Nazi henchmen and murderers, who had terrorised Europe. The Nuremberg Stadium and its monumental architecture will stay in visitors’ minds for a long time to come – and sadly not for the role that the stadium played in world sport.

The Lady’s Chapel (Frauenkirche) was erected in approximately 1355 on the orders of Emperor Charles IV, initially as a court chapel. One of its most famous features – among the most popular Nürnberg tourist attractions – is the lovely Männleinlaufen mechanical clock in the tower. Every day at 12 noon the clock’s little gate opens and seven electors come out to bow in front of the Emperor (Männleinlaufen = little men running). Hordes of tourists wait patiently under the clock tower to see this event no matter how horrible the weather might be on the day!

The market square is also home to the beautiful Gothic churches St. Lorenz and St. Sebald, where a number of concerts are being held regularly.

Among Nuremberg’s other attractions is the Germanisches Nationalmuseum, the largest German art and culture museum in the world that show cases Germany’s history right back to the Stone Age. Here visitors can see the oldest globe in the world, paintings by aforementioned Albrecht Dürer, medieval sculptures and artefacts together with more than 650,000 German language books, the largest collection in the world.

Nuremberg tourist attractions are numerous and it takes more than one visit to some of the larger ones to see everything there is to see. The Christkindle Markt – one of Germany’s largest and most famous Christmas Markets – is one the great tourist attractions, luring some 2.5 million visitors to the market every year, where visitors can enjoy gingerbread, mulled wine, fried sausages, locally brewed beer and wine.