{"id":3919,"date":"2018-10-23T13:24:51","date_gmt":"2018-10-23T17:24:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.explorica.ca\/blog\/?p=3919"},"modified":"2018-10-23T14:24:38","modified_gmt":"2018-10-23T18:24:38","slug":"historical-sites-nuremberg","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.explorica.ca\/blog\/historical-sites-nuremberg","title":{"rendered":"Five historical sites you need to see in Nuremberg"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nuremberg might be known as Bavaria\u2019s second city, but it isn\u2019t one you should miss\u2014especially for those interested in <\/span>World War II history<\/span><\/a>, medieval history, and everything in between. <\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s because the city was a medieval stronghold that became the center of Nazi Germany during World War II. And though 90% of Nuremberg\u2019s city center was destroyed during the war, there are still plenty of opportunities to experience history there.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are five historical experiences you shouldn\u2019t miss in Nuremberg:<\/span><\/p>\n

1 \u2013 Walk the walls<\/span><\/h1>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Nuremberg\u2019s city walls\u2014built between the 12th and the 16th centuries and stretching for about three miles\u2014formed one of the strongest medieval defense systems, along with the castles. <\/span><\/p>\n

The castles<\/span><\/a> \u00a0were built beginning in 1000 AD. They symbolize the importance of the Holy Roman Empire during medieval times, as the Empire\u2019s held his imperial courts in the buildings. He also stayed in the castle when he was in town. The castles faded in importance in the 17th century, but became symbolic of German power during the Nazi era, when they castles were restored.<\/span><\/p>\n

The castle sustained some damage during the bombings in 1944, but it has been rebuilt and restored. Today, you can walk through the grounds and see the imperial museum, artwork from the 17th century, the chapels, and striking views of the old city.<\/span><\/p>\n

2 \u2013 Follow in the footprints of an artist<\/span><\/h1>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Built in 1420 with traditional timber construction, this building was <\/span>the home of Albrecht Durer<\/span><\/a> from 1509-1528. Durer was a woodcut printer and painter who was known for hanging out with famous Italian painters like Raphael and Leonardo da Vinci during the Renaissance. He brought their spirit of innovation and their penchant for anatomical detail north, and preferred the more lucrative printmaking. Today, he\u2019s considered one of the greatest artists of the Northern Renaissance.<\/span><\/p>\n

The house has functioned as a museum since 1871. It was damaged heavily in the 1944 bombing of Nuremberg, and parts of it have been rebuilt. The museum has tours led by an actress who plays Durer\u2019s wife, takes you through everyday life of the 16th-century artist, and also shows you the process of printmaking.<\/span><\/p>\n

3 \u2013 Explore the underground city<\/span><\/h1>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

You would never know it, but Nuremberg has a man-made <\/span>underground tunnel and cellar system<\/span><\/a> covering over six acres. <\/span><\/p>\n

This is how beer was stored before refrigeration\u2014with tons of underground cellars that kept it cool. During World War II, some of Germany\u2019s greatest works of art survived in these bunkers 25 meters below the ground. This wasn\u2019t an approved use of war funds, but it was deemed necessary at the time. <\/span><\/p>\n

The bunkers were also used for protection from bombs during the war. Today, tours are led through the tunnels, including ones that show where beer was and is kept, and where artwork was protected.<\/span><\/p>\n

4 \u2013 See the largest surviving Nazi structure<\/span><\/h1>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

If you haven\u2019t seen <\/span>Triumph of the Will<\/span><\/i><\/a>, the eerie propaganda film set in Nuremberg in 1934, you should definitely give it a look before heading to Nuremberg. The film depicts a Nazi party rally with a crowd of over 700,000, and includes images of soldiers marching and making formations, and speeches from prominent Nazi leaders, including Adolf Hitler.<\/span><\/p>\n

The film is set in the Nazi Rally Grounds, much of which is either unfinished or has been repurposed. Six rallies were held in these four square miles between 1933 and 1938. <\/span><\/p>\n

The most important building to see in the grounds is the unfinished New Congress Hall, which was built in 1935 by Hitler\u2019s architect Albert Speer to look like the Colosseum and acts as the entrance to the rally grounds. The Congress Hall is the largest surviving Nazi structure. Be sure to stop by the Documentation Center, which includes a permanent exhibition about Nazi Germany called \u201cFascination and Terror.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

You\u2019ll also see the Zeppelinfeld, a grandstand that famously <\/span>had the swastika blown off of it on film<\/span><\/a> when the war ended in 1945. If you look closely, you might also see the remains of the foundation of a stadium that was meant to hold 400,000 spectators. To put this in perspectives, Madison Square Garden holds nearly 20,000 spectators, and Michigan Stadium\u2014the largest in the U.S.\u2014holds just over 100,000.<\/span><\/p>\n

5 \u2013 See justice come to life<\/span><\/h1>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Between November 20, 1945 and October 1, 1946, 24 leaders of the Nazi party were tried for crimes against humanity over their involvement in the atrocities of World War II. In the end, 10 were sentenced to hang on October 16, 1946. <\/span><\/p>\n

The <\/span>Nuremberg Trials<\/span><\/a> were significant for being held in the site of the birth of Nazism. The term \u201cgenocide\u201d was used in court for the first time at these trials, and some of the party\u2019s highest-ranking leaders were brought to justice. <\/span><\/p>\n

Hermann Goring, the highest-ranking official to be tried, was sentenced to death, but committed suicide the night before his scheduled execution. Among the other defendants included a radio commentator, Hitler\u2019s Minister of the Interior, \u00a0Minister of Economics, racial theorist, and architect, plus the publisher of an anti-Semitic newspaper.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the War Crimes Trial Museum, you can see the courtroom where these trials were held, in number 600\u2014a courtroom that\u2019s still in use\u2014at the top floor of Nuremberg\u2019s Palace of Justice. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

To learn more about the incredible history of Nuremberg, take a look at our brand new <\/span>Germany: World War II History<\/span><\/a> itinerary.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nuremberg might be known as Bavaria\u2019s second city, but it isn\u2019t one you should miss\u2014especially for those interested in World War II history, medieval history, and everything in between. That\u2019s because the city was a medieval stronghold that became the center of Nazi Germany during World War II. And though 90% of Nuremberg\u2019s city center Read More …<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3921,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,173,63,172],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3919","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-explorica-news","category-parents","category-students","category-teachers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3919","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3919"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3919\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3920,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3919\/revisions\/3920"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3921"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3919"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3919"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3919"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}