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Hello again, long time not seen. Yes, business caught my
time but today I'm back for you and we make a trip to Nürnberg. A lot
of nice places in Bavaria you've seen till yet, from the west to the east in
short let me remind you for example Kempten,
Kaufbeuren, Füssen,
Garmisch, München,
Bamberg, Coburg,
Würzburg and some more.
But on some trips to Franconia we've always missed the capital there and so
your Munich airportshuttle will hit that nice town just now.
Nuernberg is nearly secret located, not even driving the
main highways to the north or east you can see some parts of that town. But
your airport-shuttle-munich (that's me) will find it. From Munich airport Franz-Josef-Strauss
we have exactly 151 km/ about 100 miles to Nuernberg main-train-station.
We will need a little bit more than one hour for the drive
if not the highway is jammed or filled up with a lot of tourists. Reaching
the main train station, you can see an old fassade but in the inside they just
try to build for the new time. And because the station is located direct in
view of the old town walls it is a good combination to connect history and
our time.
Hungry? Ok, let's have a special taste, original Nuernberg
sausages. Nice looking, aren't they? There is an old rumour that the citizens
of Nuernberg had made them so little so it was possible to push them through
a key hole to prisoners. Right side you see one old castle lock.
 
Look at these huge walls and tower. Through that gate we
will walk in old Nuernberg down town. But one hint in case you are here on
sunday or holidays, when the shops are normally closed. If you maybe need batteries
or a film for your camera, buy it at main train station. In down town you will
hardly find a shop with that supply.
This guy shows you a bell, does he mean, it's time to go
home or in church? A question he'll never will answer.
Maybe you can ask in the "little brewery" you
can see below at the next picture. A curious name for that big building, I
think.
In former times that was the tax hall of Nuernberg (in German
Maut-Halle - this old word you will find actually in Austria and Italy at the
highways to pay "Maut"). Regarding the building these old times must
have a lot of money for the town pulled (or pressed) from traders (and tourists
? smile).
This man does not show you the bill which take the shoes
from him ( :-), he is the name patron of that "little brewery" named
"Barfüßer" = without shoes. That was a monks group in
older times and he has the beer document in his hands. Always the same with
these males, no shoes at the feet but drinking in mind - I guess some of you
would like to have a time-back trip if you see the beer prices now.
Here you have a view back in time to the marvellous years
between 1050 - 1487 - the German emperors castle (and pallace in same). Nearly
four centuries the big politics were made here and great artists like Duerer
(painter), Henlein (clockmaker), Behaim (worldball maker) and others were living
in Nuernberg.
The great years are gone but not the kind how people in
Nuernberg understand to bake and cook. The Nuernberg cakes named gingerbread
are known all over the world and till today they deliver every where by post.
Here you see one store ..., hey, stop, not to much, you will not catch the
other good food they offer in town here.
By the way, I just remember another historical moment. The
first train in Germany was running from Nuernberg to Fuerth (next town, by
car 10 minutes) in the year 1835. In that year Nuernberg belongs to Bavaria.
But be careful, don't tell a Franconian he is a Bavarian. They don't like that
(but don't be afraid, nobody will kill you about saying - grin). This old "hate-love"
between tribes I'll explain the next two sentences, ok?
Here you can see the "meat-bridge", from that
bridge the citizens of Nuernberg tried to smash the Bavarian Generalgovernor
in 1809 into the river as the Austrian army was in near.
For people searching ancestors, you should know, in older
times Nuernberg belongs to Prussia but after the French wars under Napoleon
it was hit to the kingdom of Bavaria. But the bavarian kings had empty pockets
and they filled them by pressing people and tax from Nuernberg. Do you understand
that they didn't like the new owner ?
Some of these old views are marvellous like here the "Holy
Ghost Hospital" in former times. But you should know, the most of the
old looking buildings in town were reconstructed after the Second World War.
Nuernberg was nearly to 90 percent destroyed by the allied bombs.
One main reason of this was the name of the town under the
nationalsocialist goverment - town of the "empire party days" - in
German "Stadt der Reichsparteitage".
These crazy guys thought to connect with or to the great
times of the former German empire (in the Middle Ages) because at the "Emperors
Castle", left picture again, the old and famous "Empire Treasures"
were kept. So Nuernberg not only got this "big" name they also build
like crazy.
This is the "Kolosseum", planned and build in
loan to the Roman Colosseum in Roma. The Nazis always were thinking, what these
Italian had made we could better. So the building was planned for 50 000 people
and they build it for eternity. It was so solid that destroying with explosives
was senseless and in other ways the price would be over 20 millions of marks.
So you can see still today a part of these dark years in
German history. The house is now rented in parts and not used by goverment.
The area around is relaxing area and very interesting to visit.
Looking at this tower middle in town you should know, this
was only ! a nice lodge of a family named Nassauer. I guess they took the idea
of the building construction from Italy, there you can see similar buildings.
Toy- and clock-collectors know that Nuernberg was former
a big town of good handmade articles. Each year they had a big fair in town
for toys and within the year you can visit some museums of toys. A amazing
and famous clock you can see at the Frauenkirche on main place.
Just contrary of the "female church" there is
the "beauty fountain". This masterpiece exists since 1385, in some
centuries a little bit renewed and restored. The fence around is to keep away
thiefes (or the town mayors). Why the town mayors? Oh, these guys can be sometimes
worser than thiefes, especially in Nuernberg. There is another nice fountain
in town, the "Neptuns Fountain" - if you see it, that's not an original,
only a copy. The original the town mayors had sold to the Russian Emperor in
1797 because they ran out of money.
Last not least a view at the old "Zeughaus" in
Nuernberg. Those of yours familiar with some old German word or slang please
do not think "zeug" is the same like "cloth". In former
times "zeug" meant the nice tools for making nice neighbourhoods
- stuff like swords, bullets, powder and other handsome instruments to show
the neighbour who is right - smile.
Before we leave back to Munich or Munich airport maybee
one hour a good meeting. How to handle that my picture shows you.
I hope the trip today was again to enjoy. You know, if you
ever come to Bavaria and need a transport please give me a call or mail and
your airport-shuttle-munich will pick you up. Either we go to nice Franconia
or we drive to the dream castle in the Allgaeu. In Nuernberg you see much of
the old German history but romantic you have maybe more in Neuschwanstein.
Script and pictures by J.W.Lohfink, for any
mistakes in spell or grammar I apologize as a precaution, corrections, questions
or comments please mail to me.
>>
German version
And last but not least, if you like to search on my page
more or in the internet,
then you'll find at the bottom the marvellous search-help
by Google.
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