The forecast in the Viking Daily newsletter was for 58-81° F and cloudy.
At 8:30, the Viking Skadi arrived at Nürnberg.
At 8:30, all passengers departed by bus for the (included) shore excursion for sightseeing in the historic city and some free time. (Apparently, the two optional excursions were not available.)
“Nuremberg Through History
“A City of Extremes, from Toy-Making to Nazi Rallies
“Tour one of Germany’s most renowned and intriguing cities on this included excursion. You will meet your guide at your ship, then drive to the Old Town, where you can delve into Nuremberg’s complex past. This medieval city is still surrounded by 13th-century walls, with many gates and watchtowers fully intact. It grew into a toy-making capital of Europe where craftsmen also shaped metal into inspiring sculpture and carved wood and other materials into decorative crafts. After you see the grounds where Nazi rallies were staged and pass the Palace of Justice, you will admire the Imperial Palace, one of Europe’s most formidable fortresses. Then, stroll down the castle hill past half-timbered houses and browse the stalls at the Market Square. One of Europe’s most celebrated, it is famous for its gingerbread and its Gothic Schoner Brunnen, or Beautiful Fountain. There’ll be time to explore on your own here.”
The Reichsparteitagsgelände
Zeppelinfeld (Nazi Party Rally Grounds Zeppelin Field) covered about 11 square kilometers in the southeast of Nürnberg. The grounds
included the Luitpoldarena (deployment area), the Deutsche Stadion (stadium never
really built), the Kongresshalle (unfinished), and Zeppelinfeld (another
deployment area).
Hitler’s architect Albert Speer made plans for the
world’s largest stadium, called the Deutsches Stadion (German Stadium), which was to be located on the rally grounds. Modeled
after the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens (but greatly inflated), it would have
offered 405,000 seats in a horseshoe shape. Hitler laid the cornerstone in
1937, and it was intended to be finished for the party congress in 1945. In
1938, construction began with the excavation, and only the foundations were
built. However, its construction was interrupted by the outbreak of WWII and
was never finished. It was stopped in 1939, but during the entire war, the
casting pit had to be kept dry from entering groundwater. After the war, the
northern half of the pit filled up with groundwater and is today called
Silbersee (Silver Lake); the southern half was used to deposit debris from destroyed
buildings of downtown Nürnberg.
The Kongresshalle (Congress Hall) on the Reichsparteitagsgelände Zeppelinfeld (Nazi Party
Rally Grounds Zeppelin Field) is the largest preserved Nazi monumental
building. It was intended to serve as a congress center for the party with a
self-supporting roof and 50,000 seats. It marked the entrance to the rally
grounds and on the shore of the Dutzendteich (Dozen Pond). The building reached
a height of 39 m (128 ft), although a height of 70 m was planned, and a
diameter of 250 m (820 ft). The design (especially the outer façade) was
inspired by the Colosseum in Rome. The foundation stone was laid in 1935, but
the building remained unfinished and without a roof.
The Ehrentribune (Tribune of Honor) was the main grandstand of the
Reichsparteitagsgelände Zeppelinfeld, which could seat 500 dignitaries. It was
the first permanent structure built by the Nazis in Nürnberg. It was connected
by a wide granite path to the Ehrenhalle (Hall of Honor), which had been built
in 1930, during the Weimar Republic before the Hitler era.
From 1500, the walls were redesigned for updated defensive procedures. Old towers were rebuilt or demolished, and bastions were built. In 1527, the Küblerzwinger (also called Dürerbastei) was built in the northeast and the Tucherzwinger in the southwest, each as a round bastion. In 1538-45, the castle bastions (Vestnertor-, Great and Lower Bastion) were built in the north and west of the castle. In 1556-64, the four gate towers were encased and given their present-day impressive appearance: the Laufertorturm in the northeast, the Frauentorturn in the southeast, the Spittlertorturm in the southwest, and the Neutorturm in the northwest.
Even though it has been heavily restored or rebuilt in parts, the city wall has been almost completely preserved and still surrounds the Old Town. At the end of WWII, there were still 88 towers; today there are 71.
The Frauentorturm (Women’s Gate Tower) on the southeast corner of the city wall was
rebuilt to its present form in 1558 to guard the Frauentor (Women’s Gate). It
is unique due to its arched windows and round top window.
The Staatstheater
Nürnberg (State Theater Nürnberg) theater company is one of
four Bavarian state theaters and shows operas, plays, Ballets, and concerts. Its
main venue is the Opernhaus Nürnberg (Opera House Nürnberg), one of the largest theaters in Germany and
considered among the most beautiful. It was built in 1903-05 in Art Nouveau
style.
The Justizpalast (Palace of Justice) is a complex of buildings near the Nürnberg city center. It was constructed in 1909-16. Having survived WWII air raids on Nürnberg as well as liberation battles, it was occupied by the Allied Forces in April 1945. It became infamously well-known as the site of the Nürnberg Trials, a series of military tribunals against major war criminals of the Third Reich in 1945-49. The complex included the prison that detained the prominent executives of Nazi Germany who were accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Already in 1952, the Palace of Justice, as well as
the former prison, were returned to the control of the Nürnberg city
authorities to be once again used for their originally intended purpose as a city
courthouse.
Johannisfriedhof (St. John’s Cemetery), also known as Rosenfriedhof (Rose Cemetery) for
its numerous decorative rose bushes, is one of the most notable burial grounds
in Europe. Famous citizens of Nürnberg including the poet Hans Sachs, sculptors
Adam Kraft and Veit Stoß, and painter Albrecht Dürer are buried there. The 13th-century
Johanniskirche (St. John’s Church) is in the center of the burial place that originally
used its churchyard. After hygienic conditions in the churchyards within the
city walls had become intolerable by the end of the 15th century, the Nürnberg Town
Council issued an order prohibiting any more burials within the Old Town walls.
St. John’s Cemetery, located west of the city wall, underwent significant
expansion from the 16th to 19th centuries. The church and its cemetery
fortunately survived WWII bombing raids. Bronze tablets on the
weather-sensitive sandstone grave tablets, made in the 16th and early 17th centuries,
are engraved with epitaphs and coats of arms.
The Nürnberger
Burg (Nuremberg Castle), in the northwest corner of the
Old Town, is a group of medieval fortified buildings on a sandstone ridge
dominating the historical center of Nürnberg. The castle, together with the
city walls, is considered to be one of Europe’s most formidable medieval fortifications.
It represented the power and importance of the Holy Roman Empire and the
prominent role of the Imperial City of Nürnberg. In the Middle Ages, German
kings (respectively Holy Roman Emperors) did not have a capital but voyaged
from one of their castles (imperial castles) to the next. Thus, the castle at Nürnberg
became an important imperial castle, and in the following centuries, all German
kings and emperors stayed at the castle, most of them on several occasions. It
was the scene of many imperial meetings from the 11th to the 16th century.
Nürnberg: diagram scanned from “Imperial Castle Nuremberg” brochure from Bayrische Schlösserverwaltung (Bavarian Castles Administration) with legend: 1 = Inner Courtyard, 2 = Palas, 3 = Bower, 4 = Inner Castle Gate, 5 = Imperial Chapel, 6 = Heathens’ Tower, 7 = Forecourt, 8 = Deep Well, 9 = Sinwell Tower, 10 = Secretarial Building, 11 = Heavenly Stables, 12 = Sanctuary, 13 = Wallburgis Chapel, 14 = Vestner Gate, 15 = Pentagonal Tower, 16 = Imperial Stables, 17 = Lugisland [Tower].
Although the entire complex is often referred to as
the Kaiserburg (Imperial Castle), the Kaiserburg is only one part of the vast complex. The
Nürnberg Castle complex comprises three sections (or three castles): the
Kaiserburg (Imperial Castle), including the Palas, the Imperial Chapel, and Heathens’
Tower, to the west; the remains of the former Burggrafenburg (Burgrave’s castle)
in the middle; and the Reichsstädtische Bauten (buildings erected by the
Imperial City), including the Imperial Stables and Luginsland Tower, to the northeast.
The castle lost its importance after the Thirty-Years’ Was (1618-48). In the 19th century, with its general interest in the medieval period, some modifications were added. During the Nazi period, in preparation for the Nürnberg Party Rally in 1936, it was “returned to its original state.” A few years later, during WWII and its air raids in 1944/45, a large part of the castle was laid in ruins. It took some 30 years to complete the rebuilding and restoration to its present state.
The Fünfeckturm (Pentagonal Tower) of the east side of the Nürnberger Burg is the oldest
surviving part of the castle, dating back to the 11th century Salian era in
1040. It was the keep of the Burggrafenburg. A century later Friedrich Barbarosa
decided to extend the castle to the west, using the Salian buildings as the
first line of defense. Remaining from that period are several structures
characteristic of the Hohenzollerns. At the extreme east end is the 14th-century
Luginslandturm (Luginsland Tower), which was erected by the city council to protect Nürnberg
from the ambitions Hohenzollern family, who had acquired the old Salian part of
the castle and aimed to take control over local affairs. This high tower was built
in 1377 to overwatch the castle interior and still has the original 4-corners-style top. At the end of the 15th
century (1495), local authorities joined their Luginslandturm to the formerly
hostile Fünfeckturm by building the vast Kaiserstallung (Imperial Stables), which served as the town’s granary, with the ground
floor used as stables during the imperil era.
We entered the castle through the Vestnertor gate on the north side.
We emerged from the tunnel near the Sinwellturm.
The Sinwellturm (Sinwell Tower or Round Tower) is a historical round tower in a
distinctive part of the Nürnberger Burg. The tower is named for its cylindrical
shape; in medieval Middle High German, “sinwell” roughly means “huge round.”
The tower was built in the second half of the 13th century on a particularly high
rock in the eastern area of the castle. During renovation work in the 1560s,
the pointed top with four oriels (bay windows) was replaced by an additional
story and a tent roof with an integrated pointed Renaissance top. The tower was
a dungeon and served both defensive and status purposes. Its height allowed early detection of an
approaching enemy, and its massive shape also served as an optical deterrent.
In the middle of the Vorhof (Forecourt) is the Brunnenhaus (Well House)
with the Tiefer Brunnen (Deep Well). Although the earliest mention of the “Triefer Brunnen” was
in the 14th century, the well is doubtlessly older. Its age is estimated at the
time the castle was first built in the 11th and 12th centuries. It may have
been one of the first buildings in the Nürnberg Castle, since a fortress without
its own protected water source was unthinkable, especially in case of a siege.
Medieval workers dug deeper and deeper into an underground niche in the natural
rock, removing layers of clay and sandstone, until the well was 53 m deep (not
counting the parapet, which was built in the 16th century) and an average of 2
m wide. It is 50 m (164 ft) down to the water, which is another 3 m (10 ft)
deep. The well is now covered by a small two-story half-timbered house, the
lower stone walls of the building date from 1563, according to an inscription. The
ground floor was completely renewed in 1951.
The Badehaus (Bath House) is a small annex built onto the Brunnenhaus in 1564. It was
used as a bathroom and changing room.
The Kaiserkapelle (Imperial Chapel), in Romanesque style, was built under Friedrich Barbarossa around 1200 and is therefore one of the oldest parts of the castle still in existence. The double chapel has a high and airy upper level reserved for the use of emperor, the imperial family, and other high nobility, while the courtiers were confined to the squat and heavy lower tier. In a most unusual architectural arrangement, the bizarrely named Heidenturm (Heathens’ Tower) was built over the chapel’s chancel (altar). The name of the tower comes from the supposedly “pagan” content of the heavily weathered Romanesque figures.
The Inneres Tor (Inner Gate) leads to the Innerer Burghof (Inner Courtyard), surrounded by the Palas, the Imperial Chapel, and the Kemenate (Women’s Quarters).
10:02 AM - Nürnberg: sign, in German and English for "Kaiserburg und Burggrafenburg / Imperial Castle and Burgrave's Castle"; English text reads:
9:51 AM - Nürnberg: ramp leading down to exit gate (for which we were not ready), with half-timbered houses.
The Tiergärtnertor (Zoo Gate) is a gate and a remnant of the city wall. The name of the gate
comes from a former game preserve of the Burgrave near the moat around the city
wall. The gate lies south of the Kaiserburg and northwest of the Tiergärtnertorplatz
square. The gate is surrounded by an ensemble of half-timbered and sandstone
houses including the Albrecht-Dürer-Haus and the Pilatushaus. The gate consists of a square gate
tower, the Tiergärtnertorturn, its lower part from the late 13th century, which originally had a barbican
in front of it. It was Nürnberg’s main gate to the northwest. Two upper stories
with polygonal oriels were added in 1516. In the middle of the 16th century,
the original gate was walled shut because vehicles had become larger and the
gate was too narrow. In 1545, a second, larger gate was built directly next to
the old gate.
The Albrecht-Dürer-Haus is the massive, half-timbered where the versatile painter, engraver,
scientist, writer, traveler, and politician lived and worked from 1509 until his
death in 1528. It is located in the extreme northwest of the Old Town, near the
Kaiserburg section of the Nürnberg Castle and the Tiergärtnertor. It has five
stories: the bottom two of sandstone and the upper stories half-timbered. The
entire structure is topped by a half-hip roof. Built around 1420, it is one of the
few original medieval houses still standing in the city and is the only
surviving 15th-century artist’s house in northern Europe. In 1501, the house
was remodeled, adding small windows to the roof. Since 1871, the house has been
a museum dedicated to Dürer’s life and works, including a fully functioning
painting and drawing workshop from the artist’s time. In a restoration of 1909,
the large dormer on the east-facing roof was replaced. In 1944, the house
suffered significant damage from Allied bombing, It was rebuilt in 1949 but did
not reopen as a museum until 1971, for Dürer’s 500th birthday.
Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) was a German painter, printmaker, and theorist of the German
Renaissance. Born in Nürnberg, he established his reputation and influence
across Europe in his twenties and from 1512 was patronized by Emperor
Maximilian I. His vast body of work includes engravings (his preferred technique
in his later prints), portraits and self-portraits, watercolors, and theoretical
books. His introduction of classical motifs into Northern European art, through
his knowledge of Italian artists (he was in contact with the major Italian
artists of his time, including Raphael and Leonardo da Vinci) and German
humanists, secured his reputation as one of the most important figures of the
Northern Renaissance.
The Pilatushaus (or Haus zum geharnischten Mann
[House of the Armored Man]) is on the Tiergärtnertorplatz below the Castle. It
is one of the few remaining houses from the late Gothic. It was built in 1489
and belonged to an armor maker, one of those who made equipment for jousting
tournaments and armor for war for aristocrats. The name Pilatushaus (Pilate’s House)
has been in use since the 17th century, when the building was the starting
point for the sculptor Adam Kraft’s Stations of the Cross that led to the
Johannishof graveyard. The building has seven floors. The ground floor is made
of sandstone. Above it are three house floors and three attics in half-timbered
style. A statue on the corner, between the ground floor and the next, is of St.
George as a dragon slayer, the patron saint of knights and armor makers and
thus the guild saint of the original owner of the house.
The Sebalduskirche (St. Sebaldus Church) is Nürnberg’s oldest and one of its most important
church (along with the Frauenkirche and Lorenzkirche). Construction began in
1225 and was completed in 1230-73 in the Transitional style (between Romanesque
and Gothic), with choirs on each end and twin towers on the west. In the 14th century,
the east choir was replaced by a soaring Gothic hall-choir, the steeples were
made higher, and two side naves were added. The two Gothic towers were completed
in the 15th century. It is located on the Albrecht-Dürer Platz, in front of the
Altes Rathaus (Old City Hall). It takes its name from Sebaldus, an 8th-century hermit
and missionary and the patron saint of Nürnberg. Since the Reformation, it has
been a Lutheran church. The church suffered serious damage in WWII and was
subsequently restored.
The Altes Rathaus (Old City Hall), just east of the choir of the Sebalduskirche, is an
imposing Renaissance building. Nürnberg did not have a city hall until the 14th
century. Instead, the city council met in the house of the cloth makers. It was
only when the Lorenz and Sebald halves of the city were united and connected by
a common wall that the council acquired property to build a Rathaus.
Among the sculptures on the three Baroque portals. Originally
created in 1617, are figures modeled on the animals mentioned in the Book of
Daniel in the Old Testament, where they represented the world powers of the
time: on the portal to the left of the main entrance are the lion with eagle
wings and the bear; on the portal to the right of the min entrance are the
leopard with four bird wings and four heads and the mysterious beast with ten
horns. Over the middle portal, the main entrance, is the coat of arms of the
Holy Roman Empire with the Reichsadler (empire eagle).
Next, we headed toward the Hauptmarkt (Main Market square).
One of the main features of the Hauptmarkt is the Schöne Brunnen (Beautiful Fountain).
This main altar, commissioned by the Tucher family, stood
until 1487 as main altar in the Augustinerkirche St. Veit in Nürnberg. The Tucher Altar, in oil and
tempera on wood, is the most important work of Tafelmalerei of the time before
Albrecht Dürer. Tafelmalerei (Table Painting) is the pictorial
representation on flat, solid material such as wood, clay, metal, ivory.
The relief over the entrance to the vestibule shows
Christ carrying the cross outside of Jerusalem at the top and the placing of Christ
in the tomb at the bottom.
11:01 AM - Nürnberg: Frauenkirche - west façade.
Then we headed toward the Lorenzkirche, passing over the Pegnitz River near the Heilig-Geist-Spital, where we would go for lunch.
The Heilig-Geist-Spital (Holy Spirit Hospital), in Gothic style, stands in the center of the Old
Town, on an islet in the Pegnitz with two graceful arches spanning the water.
Founded in 1332, it is one of the largest hospitals built in the Middle Ages,
when it was used as a hospital and nursing home. In 1424-1796, its chapel was
the repository of the Imperil Regalia, the crown jewels of the Holy Roman
Empire. The wing that spans the river was built during extension works in
1488-1527. On its east side in a large, three-story bay window with a half-timbered
upper floor and a pointed roof. Lepers were kept at some distance from other patients,
in a separate half-timbered building. The Heilig-Geist-Spital now houses an old
folks’ home and a restaurant. The entrance to the building is on the north side
of the river.
Still on our way to the Lorenzkirche, following the pedestrianized Königstraße (King Street) south from the Heilig-Geist-Spital, we met two more friends from Leavenworth, KS: John's wife Sue and Marilyn.
Then we came to the Lorenzkirche.
The Lorenzkirche (St. Lawrence Church) is a medieval church located on the Lorenzer Platz
(St. Lawrence Square). The church was badly damaged in WWII and later restored.
It is one of the most important Lutheran churches in Bavaria.
At the entrance was a sign suggesting a donation of €2 for admission.
The third pane from the right in the bottom row is
the Kreß coat of arms. The man in the red robe with a white beard and white cap
[looking somewhat like Santa Claus?], but with a white sword in his mouth. He
has a red shield with a white sword diagonally across it. At the bottom left is
the coat of arms for his wife’s Vorchtel family, a gold shield with a red
chevron. Ulrich Kreß (died 1410) and his wife Barbara Vorchtel are a very
likely match to this combination of coats of arms.
In the third row, the second pane from the right has the coat of arms of the Behaim family, with the smaller coat of arms for the wife, of the Volckamer family, which has its own Volckamer Window in the choir (apse). Three other panes in this row show the date “1504,” and the Behaim pane was also created in that year.
The Schöne Madonna (Beautiful Madonna) is the oldest work of art in the Lorenzkirche (ca.
1280), from the parish church that had previously stood here.
The Katharinenaltar (St. Catharine’s Altar) was made by Michael Wohlgemut (master of the
workshop where Albrecht Dürer served as an apprentice) in 1495. The middle
shrine shows St. Levinius, St. Catherine, and St. Helena, The wings of the altar
show scenes from the life of St. Catherine.
The Rochus Altar (St. Roch’s or Roque’s Altar) was donated by the Imhoff family.
Motivation for the donation was probably an outbreak of the plague in 1483/84.
The main figure of Rochus is lifting his robe and pointing to the plague boil
on his leg and is promised healing by an angel. St. Sebastian, another saint
whose help was sought by plague victims, can also be seen in the painting on
the altar table. Noteworthy is the preservation of the original paint on the
figures. The legend of St. Rochus is told on the wings of the triptych.
The Engelsgruß (Angel’s Greeting) in the main nave, suspended from the ceiling above the
altar, is the church’s bast-known work of art. The work of Veit Stoß (1517-18),
commissioned by patrician family Tucher, shows the Archangel Gabriel announcing
the coming birth of Christ to the Virgin Mary. It is a superb,
larger-than-life, polychromed wood group sculpture of the Annunciation. Several
small angels, some playing musical instruments, surrounding Mary and Gabriel
convey the great joy imparted to believers from the Annunciation. It is set in
an oval garland of 50 roses and rosary beads and has five small roundels
illustrating the mysteries of this cult.
Veit Stoß was also the creator of the crucifix within the main altar and the
magnificent statue of the Archangel Michael standing by the second pillar from
the front on the left side of the main nave.
The graceful 15th-century Tabernacle (German: Sakramentenhaus),
around 20 m high and 3.4 m wide, is the work of Adam Kraft. As its name
implies, the tabernacle was originally used as a repository for consecrated
hosts. In the detailed contract with the artist, which is still preserved
today, the donor Hans Imhoff IV stipulated that the Passion of Christ be
depicted on the Tabernacle; those scenes appear above the cabinet of actual
repository. The tabernacle, created between 1493 and 1496, is regarded as Kraft’s
master work. It consists of sandstone that Kraft assembled in several layers
over one another. Despite the Reformation and the fact that this is still a
Lutheran church, the altars and the tabernacle remained untouched. During
Allied bombing in WWII, the lower part of the structure was surrounded by a protective
wall, but the upper third was destroyed; after the war skilled workers
recreated this part from old works of art and photos.
There are also several Gothic altars and some
magnificent 15th-century stained-glass windows (1493-95) by Adam Kraft. The pillars
of the nave are adorned with a number of fascinating statues of the Apostles,
dating from the late 14th century.
The Dreikönigsaltar (Three Kings’ Altar), from around 1460, by Hans Pleydenwurf bears
influence from the Netherlands. On its left is the Annunciation and the
Nativity; on the right are the Flight to
Egypt and the Slaying of the Children in Bethlehem. The middle panel of the triptych
shows the adoration of the Magi. In the background, there is a procession of
people on horseback who have come from a gateway in a medieval wall, and farther
in the distance is a detailed landscape with mountains, a castle, a city, and a
body of water.
11:29 AM - Nürnberg: Lorenzkirche - St. Anne's Altar of left around ambulatory in choir (apse).
St. Anne’s Altar (Annenaltar) by Hans Süß von Kulmbach and his workshop (around 1510). It
shown Mary, with the baby Jesus, and St. Anne (Mary’s mother). On the wings
(work carried out by Hans Süß von Kulmbach, Dürer’s pupil), their husbands
Joseph and Joachim can be seen. The predella displays two beautiful Gothic
relic chests (reliquaries).
St. John’s Altar (Johannes-Altar), from 1420, originally stood on the threshold of the
choir (apse). Two figures of the traitor Judas can be seen in the group of
disciples at the Last Supper. (The Judas in front on the left originates from
the 19th century.) Above the Last Supper are figures of John the Baptist on the
left and John the Apostle on the right. At the top is Christ.
The Deocarus Altar (Deocar-Altar), from 1316 and 1437, is the oldest in the church. The
most important figures in the two carvings in the center are in the middle
(Christ above, Deocar below), and three Apostles are on each side. On the left
wing are paintings of the Transfiguration and Peter trying to walk on water,
and on the right wing are the Resurrection and the Last Supper. The silver
casket which served as a reliquary was formerly in the predella, where it was
later replaced by a painting of the deceased Deocar in repose. To the left of
the predella are scenes of Karl der Große [Charlemagne] going to confession with
St. Deocar) and of the death of Deocar, and to the right are scenes of Ludwig
der Bayer [Ludwig the Bavarian] donating the reliquary of St. Deocar to the
city of Nürnberg and of pilgrims praying before it; these paintings date to
1437.
Deocar (Latin Deo carus, meaning Beloved by God; German Gottlieb) died before 826.
He was Abbot of the Abbey of Herreiden and today is honored as a saint and
founder and patron of that city in the Diocese of Eichstätt in Bavaria. After
771 he served as chaplain to the court of Charlemagne. In 782/83, he was named Abbot
of Herreiden. When Charlemagne was crowned Emperor in 800, he entrusted Deocar
with the important office of Königsboten (Royal Messenger). When Deocar died,
he was buried in the abbey church of Herreiden. In his struggle for the
imperial title, the later Emperor Ludwig the Bavarian conquered Herreiden in
1316 with the help of Nürnberg and therefore gave that city some relics of
Deocar, which came to be venerated there in a silver reliquary in the Lorenzkirche
on an altar made in 1437. St. Deocar went on to become one of the patrons of Nürnberg,
and an important pilgrimage developed, the proceeds of which largely financed
the construction of the church’s late Gothic hall choir. With the Reformation, interest
in the veneration of the saint died out, but the altar and reliquary were
preserved. In 1811, the silver reliquary was appropriated by the Kingdom of
Bavaria and was melted down for its material value. The relics originally stored
there were transferred to Eichstätt.
At this point, we had time to revisit some important parts of the church we had seen before. Our photos at this time are now integrated with earlier photos of the same subjects.
At the left rear of the nave, MT saw a stained glass window she thought was medieval (due to the vivid reds and blues), but Don thought it and a similar one nearby looked quite modern.
Then we left the Lorenzkirche by a side door on the south, onto the Lorenzer Platz (Lawrence Square).
The construction of well-fortified Turmhäuser (tower houses) or Wohntürme (residential towers) came in the 13th century from northern Italian cities to the German imperial cities trading with them. These structures were widespread in the rather weakly fortified trading centers to protect goods from raids and also as status symbols of aristocratic families. Around 1430, around 65 are said to have existed in Nürnberg, of which the Nassauer Haus is the only one that has survived.
Nothing is known of the original owners during the time when the burgraves ruled the city. In the 15th and 16th centuries, it came into possession of some wealthy families who donated some of the altars and stained-glass windows in the Lorenzkirche: the Haller family in 1450-1581 (a member of the Imhof lived there around 1556) and the Schlüsselfelder family who acquired it in 1581. The latter made it their Nürnberg headquarters, and their coat of arms is on a late Baroque sandstone tablet under the Gothic oriel (bay window). After that family died out in 1709, the building went into the possession of the Schlüsselfeldersches Familienstiftung (Schlüsselfelder Family Foundation).
The cellar and the two lower floors are dated from the 13th century. Around the 16th century, the vaults of the cellar and the ground floor were raised. The hall-like cellar is now used as an inn. The two upper floors, which are clearly distinguished from the finely structured walls of the lower floors by their regular ashlar masonry with a reddish tint, are from the 15th century. The original tower was likely free-standing, towering above the low wooden houses in the area. At least the penultimate floor can be attributed to a renovation around 1422, and the top floor with its coat of arms frieze and the three pointed corner turrets is from a renovation round 1433. The tower is topped with a pyramid-shaped hipped roof. The most important external change was the adding of arched openings on the ground floor in 1836, one of which was enlarged to become a door around 1900.
The tower was badly damaged by Allied bombing in 1945. The roof and the top floor were largely destroyed (the left turret is still the original), and the upper floors were burned out. Reconstruction took place in 1950-54, on behalf of the Schlüsselfelder Family Foundation, which is the owner to this day.
The Viking Daily newsletter had said to meet our Program Director Joey back at the Beautiful Fountain (Schöne Brunnen) at 12:15, so he could lead us to the Heilig-Geist-Spital for lunch. Once back at the Hauptmarkt square, however, we chose instead to stay in front of the Frauenkirche to see the Männleinlaufen that would start at noon.
MT took a 2-minute video of the Männleinlaufen with her iPhone, but when Don tried to download it to this Blog post, he was informed that the file size (222 MB) exceeds the maximum allowed for the Blogger. In her video, one can see that, shortly after the bell starts ringing, the drummer starts beating his drum. Then the two men with trumpets briefly raise their long horns. While the drummer is still drumming, the man in the window just to his left raises his right hand to ring a small bell, and the man in the window at the far left raises his left arm. Only after that do the seven electors begin to circle the Emperor. MT's video ends after their first circuit. We must rely here on Don's series of still photos, which includes the second circuit.
Since the Männleinlaufen lasted a much shorter time than we had expected, we still had time to meet Joey and all of the Viking tour groups at the Schöne Brunnen by 12:15.
Then, our whole group went to the restaurant at the Heilig-Geist-Spital for lunch.
The recipe was first set down officially by the City Council of the Imperial City of Nürnberg in 1313, under the name “sweinen lentpraten” (pork loin sausages). However, the name Nürnberger Bratwurst was first documented in 1567. There are many stories about the origin of this sausage. According to one legend, resourceful Nürnberg restauranteurs wanted to be able to serve their guests even after curfew. That is why they invented sausages that could fit through a keyhole. Another legend says that people provided their relatives with thin sausages in the dungeon prisons. According to another story, the butchers of the time reduced the size of the sausage in order to save on taxes.
MT 1:31 PM - Nürnberg: Don with modern sculpture of Narrenschiff; side with Eve and Cain, with green-topped tower of Altes Rathaus in distant background.
The statue located in the pedestrianized square at
the former location of Plobenhofstraße 1-3 is called Narrenschiffbrunnen (Ship of
Fools Fountain). This is a dry-installed fountain sculpture created by the sculptor
Jürgen Weber in 1987. The statue is passed on Albrecht Dürer’s woodcut, which was
originally intended as an illustration for Sebastian Brandt’s 1497 book of satirical
narrative verse, “Das Narrenschiff” (Ship of Fools). The original was directed
at mankind’s follies and stupidities and how they posed a threat to
civilization. The inscriptions around the edge of the ship on the sculpture
contain text condemning environmental destruction, war, and violence. The
bronze sculpture, which stands 3.6 m tall, depicts a ship, shaped like a
nutshell with two fools’ masks at front and rear, as a symbol for a planet on
the verge of extinction. Inside the ship are seven people, a skeleton, and a
dog. Figures on one side depict the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise,
brought into despair by a laughing Death, with Cain, still a child but with a knife
in his hand; behind them is the Tree of Wisdom, already withered but serving as
a mast. On the other side are three figures: a choleric muscular man with a
club, standing for violence; a handyman with a wrench, representing a realist
from the present time; and a limp mocker for resignation, who empties his cup. The
fountain is still empty, although the donor Klutentreter offered to pay for the
plumbing that would have had water spilling over the sides of the ship.
Woodcut of Narrenschiff (Ship of Fools) attributed to Albrecht Dürer; text in top part for “Das Narren schyff”; text at top of lower part says “Ad Narrogoniam” (To Narragonium), the fools in the ship sing “Gaudeamus onmes” (let us all rejoice) and sou to the ship behind them “har noch!” (After [us]!); text below the bottom part says “zuo schyff zuo schyff brooder: eß gat, eß gat” (to ship, to ship brothers, it goes, it goes)_ (Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=196433).
The Spitalkirche (Hospital Church), or Heilig-Geist-Spitalkirche (Holy Spirit Hospital
Church) or Stiftskirche zum Heiligen Geist (Collegiate Church of the Holy
Spirit), is a three-nave basilica in the style of the mendicant orders, since
the hospital was owned by the city but looked after by the Franciscans. It was
among the first buildings of the Heilig-Geist-Spital built between 1332 and
1339. From 1424 to 1796, the imperial regalia (imperial crown, orb, scepter,
ceremonial sword, and holy lance) were kept in the Spitalkirche after King
Sigismund entrusted them to the city of Nürnberg for safekeeping in 1423.
Before each imperial coronation, they were taken to Frankfurt and then returned
here. In 1557, the church’s western wall and the tower were rebuilt. The north
wall was renovated in 1925-26.
The Weinstadel (Wine Warehouse) is a medieval and imperial city-era building and one of
the most famous monuments in the northern (Sebald) part of Nürnberg’s Old Town.
It is located on Maxplatz (No. 8), north of the Pegnitz at the Maxbrücke,
across from the Trödelmarktinsel (Flea Market Island). The 48-meter-long building
is the largest Fachwerkbau (half-timbered building) in Germany. Above the sandstone
ground floor are two half-timbered stories. On top of that is a saddle roof
with three floors. On the front side, facing the Pegnitz is a wooden gallery,
equipped with metal gargoyles. On the east side there is a striking roof bay window
from 1448, the oldest roof bay window in Nürnberg.
The Wasserturm (Water Tower), on the north bank of the Pegnitz, is a tower of the city
wall. It is connected to the first upper story on the east side of the
Weinsadel by a bridge-like half-timbered structure and, on the other side, to a
covered bridge over the Pegnitz. It is connected to the Trödelmarktinsel by a
two-arch sandstone bridge that is covered by half-timbered walls and a saddle
roof. The square tower was erected in 1320-25. Originally, the square
Wasserturm protected the Pegnitz, but lost that function with the construction
of the last city fortifications in 1400 and was then used as a prison. Today,
it is used as a dormitory for university students, along with the Weinstadel.
The Maxbrücke (Max Bridge) is an arch bridge over the Pegnitz. The three-bay sandstone
cuboid bridge has tracery panels made of cast iron and is considered the oldest
stone bridge in the city. It is located between the Trödelmarktinsel on the
east and the Kettensteg (Chain Bridge) pedestrian bridge on the west. It was
completed in 1457 and at that time was called the Steinerne Brücke (Stone
Bridge). In honor of the Bavarian King Maximilian I Joseph, it was renamed Maxbrücke
in 1810. The square on the north side of the bridge was given its current name Maxplatz
for the same reason.
The Henkersteg (Executioner’s or Hangman’s Bridge), also called Langer Steg (Long
Bridge) is a wooden footbridge over the Pegnitz. It was built in 1457 for
pedestrians near the penultimate city wall. Floods in 1595 caused the Henkersteg
to collapse. After the flood, three city wall arches from the penultimate city
fortifications were torn down and the Henkersteg was rebuilt farther west as a
covered wooden bridge. It got its name from the Henkerturm (Executioner’s or
Hangman’s Tower), the former apartment of the imperial city executioner on the Sauermarkt
(today Flea Market). It begins with the Henkerturm and connects the Trödelmarktinsel
with the Lorenz district on the south side of the river. The footbridge was
renewed or rebuilt in 1657, 1671, 1761, and 1776. After severe damage during
WWII, it was reconstructed in 1954.
The Henkerturm (Executioner’s or Hangman’s Tower), a wall tower of the penultimate city
fortifications, stands at the western end of the Trödelmarktinsel and is
connected with the Wasserturm on the north bank of the Pegnitz by the Maxbrücke
and to the south bank by the Henkersteg. The tower, which is rounded on its
west side, was built in 1320-25 as part of the bridging of the Pegnitz. The
city’s executioner resided there.
NOTE: In 1975-76, while Don and MT were studying at
the Erlangen campus of University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Don visited the branch
of the university library in Nürnberg and thinks he remembers eating lunch in
the cafeteria in the Weinstadel. Ten years later, Don had taken up the hobby of
woodcarving and made a relief carving of the scene from the Weinstadel to the
Henkersteg, our favorite scene from Nürnberg.
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