Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [306]
In the northwest, the region’s wine-growers produce some exceptional whites sold in a distinctive teardrop-shaped bottle, the Bocksbeutel. For outdoor enthusiasts, the Altmühltal Nature Park offers wonderful hiking, biking and canoeing. But it is Franconia’s old royalty and incredible cities – Nuremberg, Bamberg and Würzburg (for the latter, Click here) – that draw the biggest crowds.
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NUREMBERG
0911 / pop 500,000
Nuremberg (Nürnberg), Bavaria’s second-largest city and the unofficial capital of Franconia, is an energetic place where the nightlife is intense and the beer is as dark as coffee. As one of Bavaria’s biggest draws it is alive with visitors year-round, but especially during the spectacular Christmas market.
For centuries Nuremberg was the undeclared capital of the Holy Roman Empire and the preferred residence of most German kings, who kept their crown jewels here. Rich and stuffed with architectural wonders, it was also a magnet for famous artists, though the most famous of all, Albrecht Dürer, was actually born here. ‘Nuremberg shines throughout Germany like a sun among the moon and stars,’ gushed Martin Luther. By the 19th century the city had become a powerhouse in Germany’s industrial revolution.
The Nazis saw in Nuremberg a perfect stage for their activities. It was here that the fanatical party rallies were held, the boycott of Jewish businesses began and the infamous Nuremberg Laws outlawing Jewish citizenship were enacted. On 2 January 1945, Allied bombers reduced the city to landfill, killing 6000 people in the process.
After WWII the city was chosen as the site of the War Crimes Tribunal, now known as the Nuremberg Trials. Later, the painstaking reconstruction – using the original stone – of almost all the city’s main buildings, including the castle and old churches in the Altstadt, returned the city to some of its former glory.
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Orientation
Most major sights are within the Altstadt. The Hauptbahnhof is just outside the old city walls to the southeast. From here, pedestrian Königstrasse runs to the city centre, where the shallow Pegnitz River flows from east to west.
About 4km southeast of the centre is the Reichsparteitagsgelände, the Nazi rally grounds also known as Luitpoldhain. The courthouse where the Nuremberg Trials were held is around 2km from the centre of the Altstadt.
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Information
BOOKSHOPS
Freytag & Berndt ( 202 9709; Königstrasse 85) Huge range of maps and guides including souvenir 3-D plans of Nuremberg (€3.50).
Schmitt & Hahn ( 214 6711; Hauptbahnhof; 5.30am-11pm Mon-Fri, 6.30am-11pm Sat, 7am-11pm Sun) Full selection of international press and a decent section of English-language paperbacks.
INTERNET ACCESS
Flat-s ( 815 7521; Hauptbahnhof, upper level; per 15min €1; 24hr) Web access upstairs at the train station.
LAUNDRY
SB Waschsalon ( 598 5925; Tafelfeldstrasse 42; per load €4.50; 7am-11pm) Situated 700m southwest of the Hauptbahnhof.
Schnell und Sauber ( 180 9400; Sulzbacher Strasse 86; per load €4.50; 6am-midnight) Take tram 8 to Deichslerstrasse.
MEDICAL SERVICES & EMERGENCY
Ambulance ( 192 22)
Ärztliches Bereitschaftsdienstzentrum ( 01805-191 212; Bahnhofstrasse 11a) Medical centre.
Unfallklinik Dr Erler ( 272 80; Kontumazgarten 4-18) Medical centre.
MONEY
Commerzbank (Königstrasse 21)
Hypovereinsbank (Lorenzerplatz 21)
ReiseBank (Hauptbahnhof)
POST
Main post office (Bahnhofplatz 1)
TOURIST INFORMATION
Tourist offices ( 233 60; www.tourismus.nuernberg.de) Königstrasse (Königstrasse 93; 9am-7pm Mon-Sat, 10am-4pm Sun); Hauptmarkt (Hauptmarkt 18; 9am-6pm Mon-Sat, 10am-4pm Sun May-Sep) Staff sell the Nürnberg + Fürth Card (