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GERMANY | Franken, Germany Travel Guide
Thursday, April 18, 2024
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Nürnberg's Kaisersburg and Dürer-Museum Area
Kaisersburg
The Kaiserburg is a highlight of any visit to Nürnberg. It is in this mighty fortress that the Emperor stayed while in town. Construction of the castle started in 1167. The Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation had no permanent capital and the emperor had to move around with his entourage from palace to palace. Between 1050 and 1571, every emperor visited Nürnberg. In total some 300 imperial visits took place and several imperial parliaments met here. Karl IV visited 40 times and Ludwig the Bavarian 70 times.
It is a steep walk up from the old town to the castle. The ticket office recently moved to the deepest inner courtyard next to the Kaiserburgmuseum (Imperial Castle and Kaiserburg Museum), Auf der Burg 13. This subsidiary of the German National Museum is a good place to spend time while waiting for the guided tour of the Castle. The museum focuses on military history and practices during the Middle Ages and it has a fine collection of armor and weapons. The interior of the castle can only be seen on a guided tour – sometimes available in English. During the tour, the palace is seen with the double chapel, the imperial reception rooms and apartments. The tour ends with a demonstration of the Tiefer Brunnen (deep well) – a 53-m (174-foot) well cut out of solid rock. It is worth climbing the mighty round Sinwell Tower for fantastic views of Nürnberg’s old town.
Dürer-Museum Area
The Tiergärtnerplatz, directly below the castle, is one of the loveliest medieval squares in Nürnberg. A tourist magnet and a meeting place for young people in the early evenings, it is framed by several half-timbered houses and the former town defenses. The lower, smaller gate is from the 13th century, but the wider gate had to be added in the 16th century to allow the increasingly larger carts to pass through. It is possible to walk from here to Neutor on the sentries walk. The walk is closed during winter, but the walls can also be admired from roads inside and outside the old town.
Albrecht-Dürer-Haus (Albrecht Dürer’s House), Albrecht-Dürer-S traße 39, is a museum dedicated to the great Early Renaissance artist who lived and worked here from 1509 up to his death in 1528. The house miraculously survived the carnage of 1945. The museum is furnished mostly as it was in the time of Dürer and demonstrations of some of the printing techniques Dürer introduced are held in the upper floor studio. Some Dürer drawings are on display but, for his greatest works, visit the German National Museum.
The Historischer Kunstbunker im Burgberg (World War II Art Bunker), Obere Schmiedgasse 52, is where much of Nürnberg’s art was stored during World War II. In these medieval cellars cut out of rock 24 m (78 feet) underneath the castle, the art was safe from air raids and fires.
The most impressive part of the town defenses is the section from the castle to Spittlertor. The defenses over the River Pegnitz can be seen from Hallertorbrücke outside the old town, or more interestingly from a hanging bridge on the inside of the walls. The area at Maxbrücke and the Henkersteg that leads to a small island in the river is particularly picturesque.
Last updated September 22, 2011
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