Day 1 & 2 : Nuremburg / Nürnberg

After 12 hours on a plane with very little sleep, I finally arrived in Munich at 5.30am.  Customs was very smooth and quick – efficient Germans! :)  Had to wait at the airport for a couple hours for the bus, as the plan was to head straight into Nuremburg for 2 nights, before going back to Munich airport on Saturday morning to meet with Frank for our road trip to Salzburg and Fussen. 

The bus ride from Munich Airport to Nuremburg was painless, and surprisingly, I was the only passenger on board the bus throughout the entire 2hr 10 min journey – my personal limo! Much better than having to take a train, as that would involved a number of changes, and more costly.

Upon arrival in Nuremburg, I had some trouble with finding the hostel as was given wrong directions by 3 different people, that led me walking around for about 35 minutes.  When I finally found the hostel, guess what, A&O hostel was literally just beside the bus terminal, less than 1 min walk away!!!

So what is interesting about Nuremburg that I chose this as my 1st stop?  Besides being a Mediaeval Town, this town contains rich German history.  It was here that the fanatical party rallies were held, the boycott of Jewish business began, and the infamous Nuremberg Laws outlawing German citizenship for Jewish people were enacted.  This city was also chosen as the site of the war crimes tribunal (Nuremberg Trials). 

 

Old Town :

Nuremberg's old town is divided by the river Pegnitz. The northern half is called Sebalder Alstadt, the southern Lorenzer Altstadt. The architecture of the buildings lining the old town are filled with quaint low buildings, with the river adding a pleasant touch.  Even the police station was housed in a really fancy medieval building!

A few famous churches – St. Lorenz, Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady), St. Sebaldus.  Unfortunately, the famous “Beautiful Fountain” located near Frauenkirche was under restoration. 

Nuremburg is also famous for the Christkindlesmarkt (Christmas Market).  Of course the Christkindlesmarkt wasn’t on this time of the year, but the timing of my trip coincided with Altstadtfest, thus the Hauptmarkt, Hans-Sachs Platz and Schutt Island were filled with different gastronomy market, restaurants and beer gardens.  I am guessing that Alstadtfest is a smaller scale of the Munich Octoberfest, which I will probably see or experience next week when I am in Munich. 

 

The Way of Human Rights is also located within the Old Town – a monumental outdoor sculpture, containing close to 30 pillars, each 8m high and engraved with a different article of Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  The sculpture is part of Nuremburg’s effort to become a city championing human rights & move away from its dark past of being Hitler’s favourite city.

And with any medieval town, there must also be a castle!  Located at the North Western section of the Old Town, part of the grounds had been converted to a hostel, with other parts open to public and a small section only accessible via a guided tour.  One can also get a good view of the city from here.

Documentation Centre & Nazi Party Rally grounds :

The Documentation Centre is located about 30 mins walk from the Old Town, and focuses on the history of the Nazi party rallies where mass gatherings were used by National Socialists propaganda for demonstrating to Germany the model of the “perfect national community”. 

It also showcases the rise of Hitler as well as short films from the rally grounds where supporters are hailing the dictator and also the subsequent & significant Nuremberg trials. 

All the write up in the centre are in German, but they had very good audio guides available for free, which can be collected at the ticket counter.  The audio guide provided detailed information of every panel on display, along with English translations of films shown. 

Some of these films showcases scenes from the Old Town, which made me look at the Town differently when I walked through it the next time round.

I visited the Documentation Centre with Regina, a very lovely German lady in her 50s, whom I met in my dorm and was in Nuremberg for a course.  While touring the Centre, she shared some of her personal stories of that time, and spoke about how the turn of events impacted her and her family and how her parents had to give up everything they had for the family’s safety.

It was really hard to understand how one person like Hitler can grow into and wield so much power back at that time. 

Food :

Food wise, the typical German fair is available.  The town is also famous for the Nuremburg sausages, which can be easily found at different kiosks lining the streets. 

Alternatively, one can also get it from “Bratwursthausle Nurnberg”, with over 100 year history.  What makes The Nuremburg sausages different from the usual German sausages, is that they are smaller and thinner, and are flavourful as they are generally covered with more herbs.

 

Overview of Nuremberg:

Definitely worth a trip here.  One could easily cover the town via a day trip from Munich, but I preferred to take it a little more relaxed and would recommend spending at least a night in Nuremburg. 

Staying at A&O Hostel was also perfect, as it was a 5 mins walk into the Old Town, and literally next to the bus terminal and a stone throw away from the train terminal.  Very clean rooms too!