Nuremberg has strong historical ties to the Nazis - it was there that Hitler found refuge and support in the early days of the party and, as his power grew, Nuremberg became the Mecca of National Socialism, hosting annual party rallies, being dubbed the "most German of German cities." The grounds where these rallies were held have been preserved in their partially completed state and the remnants serve as an eerie reminder of that time.
The city also has a very beautiful Altstadt which features many restored buildings and a pretty neat castle and fortifications. The level of preservation/restoration gives Nuremberg a more historic feel than either Munich or Augsburg, as you will soon see in the pictures.
Before I get into the show and tell portion, a quick note: I took over 200 pictures in Nuremberg so obviously I'm going to have to pare that down a bit and split this up into more bite-sized pieces, otherwise it will take me two days to write this post and you will be scrolling until your wrist falls off.
With that said, I'm going to start things off with the castle - Kaiserburg Nürnberg (Imperial Castle Nuremberg). Sadly, I skipped the Castle tour (it was an hour and a half and I wanted to make sure I had time to see other stuff) so my knowledge about the castle is practically nil - I can say that it's beautiful and stands atop a large rock at the top of a hill overlooking the rest of the town. I will post some nice panoramas I took from there at a later point, once I have time to piece them together with the magic of Photoshop.
Without further delay, pictures:
Here we have a map showing the layout of the castle. The castle is positioned at the northwest corner of the Altstadt atop a hill overlooking the city - a pretty good spot for a castle. The text on the bottom is in English if you want to click on the picture and read it.
the castle from the east
This building is supposed to serve as a youth hostel. I was tempted to extend my trip just so that I could stay there.
The battlements - the design is relatively modern, with interlocking fields of fire and walls thick enough to withstand cannon fire. It's hard to tell in this picture but the battlements are pretty tall - at least 50 feet - and there is a dry moat between them and the outer wall.
Another view of the battlements, with the city in the distance
A view from the western side
a garden which has been planted on one of the battlements
looking back towards the castle from the other side of the garden
The castle as seen from the southern side, flying the Bavarian flag.
looking towards the city from there
heading up into the castle courtyard
inside the courtyard
heading back out
That's it for now, bis später!
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