Currently Nuremberg is Germany’s fourteenth largest city. However, in the past it played a significant role in the history of the nation. During the age of the Holy Roman Empire, Nuremberg Castle was once the place where the Reichstag and courts met. Therefore Nuremberg is often referred as the unofficial capital of the empire. Over time, Nuremberg grew as not only a place to convene but also an important trade center, especially on the route from Italy to Northern Europe. On top of everything, in the 14th century under the edict of King Charles IV, Nuremberg was designated as the city where newly-elected kings of Germany must hold their first Reichstag.
Not only an exceptional city, Nuremberg was also the home to some notable people in history. The most famous native to the city is Albrecht Dürer, the first person to produce the printed map of stars – a map he created himself. Not long afterward, he published the first perspective drawing of the terrestrial globe. It was also in Nuremberg where the main part of Nicolaus Copernicus’ work was published.
However, Nuremberg has its own dark chapter in history. Due to its importance in the Holy Roman Empire and geographical location at heart of Germany, the Nazi chose the city to hold huge Nazi conventions – also called the Nuremberg rallies. To the southeast of the Altstadt, the Nazi constructed a massive rally ground with huge artificial lakes and a colossal Kongresshalle – slated to be the congress hall for the Nazi. However, this immense building was never completed. Empty spaces inside this building created a very strange and eerie atmosphere for me.
On January 2, 1945, Nuremberg was decimated by the bombardments of the Allied forces in a successful attempt to weaken the Nazi. Within only one hour, ninety percent of the medieval city center was destroyed and 1,800 people were killed.
When the war has ended, the old city part was rebuilt and carefully restored to its pre-war appearance. Any visitor visiting Nuremberg without learning about its history beforehand, like I did, would never think that this city was once severely damaged during the war. What people can see now is a beautiful and atmospheric Altstadt at the heart of Nuremberg.
