This review may well be of particular interest to River Cruisers as it was the final destination of a cruise we did along the Danube in July 2012…

https://solentrichardscruiseblog.wordpress.com/2013/05/28/solent-richard-catches-a-viking-maiden/

Equally, for others, it could be the start point of the same Viking River Cruise on its return journey to Budapest..

With Viking River Cruises the daily excursions are included in the price. However, they do offer, for an additional charge, optional extension excursions to afford greater in depth visits to places of particular individual interest.

On this occasion we joined the optional element at Nuremberg in order that we could visit, in greater detail, the World War II historical sights including The Palace of Justice where the Nazi War Crimes Trials took place.

Such was our excursion that we actually started in the heart of the Nazi party Rally Grounds…

 

…at the Documentation Centre which is housed in The Congress Hall,  the biggest preserved national socialist monumental building in Germany.

It is located on the shore of  Dutzendteich and it marked the entrance of the rally grounds.

The Documentation Museum is housed in the north wing of the unfinished remains of the Congress Hall…

Its permanent exhibition,  “Fascination and Terror,” is concerned with the causes, connections, and consequences of Nazi Germany. Topics that have a direct reference to Nuremberg are especially taken into account. Attached to the museum is an education forum.

East of the Congress Hall and the second structure site  we visited was the grandstand at Zeppelin Field.   With a width of 360 metres it was one of Albert Speer’s  first works for the Nazi party and was based upon the Pergamon Altar.

Our guide went out of his way to give us a most detailed account of what went on at the Zeppelin Field. I would add that while I personally broke away from the group, to climb the ‘Grandstand’, my Viking  voxbox allowed me to here the full briefing even at that distance…

Again, I cannot give enough praise for our informative guide…

 

Our third and final visit of the extended excursion was to The Palace of Justice…

Originally constructed between  1909 to 1916  the building was the location of the Nuremberg Trials that were held in 1945-1949…

The visit to The Palace of Justice completed the World War II historical sights part of our excursion. Our guide had been absolutely amazing and his knowledge and delivery of his subject outstanding. He stayed with us as we then continued to what was the historic old town district of St. Sebald. Dominated by the Imperial Castle this is a vibrant tourist area packed with historic  sites and places of interest.

Our coach dropped us off at the ‘Haupt Market’, which is pretty central to St. Sebald…

…which is dominated by The Frauenkirche (in English, “Church of Our Lady”).  It stands on the eastern side of the main market. An example of brick gothic  architecture, it was built  between 1352 and 1362. The church contains many sculptures, some of them heavily restored…

One of the most notable features of the church is the “Männleinlaufen”, a mechanical clock that commemorates the Golden Bull of 1356.  The clock was installed in the church in 1506. The Holy Roman Empore  is shown seated with the Prince Electors surrounding him…

 

Another feature of the ‘Haupt Market’ is the ‘Beautiful Fountain’. It is one of the attractions of Nuremberg’s historic mile, situated  next to the Nuremberg City Hall.  The Beautiful Fountain is about 19 ​​meters high and has the shape of a Gothic spire…

 

 

From the ‘Haupt Market’ we headed in the general direction of the Imperial Castle, passing on the way St. Sibaldus Church…

 

…which is another famous Nuremberg  medieval church. Along with Frauenkirche (Our Lady’s Church) and St. Lorenz,  it is one of the most important churches of the city, and also one of the oldest.

Taking its name from the 8th Century Patron Saint of Nuremburg it  has been a Lutheran church since the Reformation…

 

 

Continuing our journey through the old town of Sebald, we reached  the square at the south side of the Imperial Castle…

A very popular tourist destination the square has a vibrant and colourful atmosphere. From within the square the walls of the Imperial castle,  the Tiergärtnertor Gate (northern entrance to the old city) and, dominating the square,  the Tiergärtnertorturm Tower,  are all clearly visible along with that of the house of the famous German painter,  Albrecht Dürer, seen left of centre in the picture below

Access to the Imperial Castle is some 200 metres from the square…

…and tourists are free to wander the Imperial Castle grounds and enjoy the panoramic views over Nuremburg, including this one which includes the old Nazi Congress Building visited earlier…

 

The penultimate visit on our list of ‘things to see’ was St John’s Cemetery. A little way from the Old Town, we had passed it earlier on our coach. Our guide had explained that St John’s Cemetery is one of Europe’s most famous graveyards. Sumptuous bronze epitaphs on the sandstone tombs tell all about the people who were laid to rest there: simple craftsmen, rich patricians and Nuremberg citizens who achieved world fame, such as Albrecht Dürer, Adam Kraft and Veit Stoß…

It only remained for us to walk back to the Haupt Market to meet the coach for our return to the Viking Embla. As luck would have it the most direct route followed the Pegnitz River, a beautiful regenerated walkway which blended modern and historical architecture with numerous cafes, restaurants and quality shops…

*****

…and including ‘The Hospital of the Holy Spirit’.

Further information on the Rally grounds can be obtained from…

http://www.nuernberg.de/internet/portal_e/reiseziel/ctz_1904.html

That concludes our day in Nuremburg. It goes without saying that Viking River Cruises again came up trumps and our  German guide for the World war II historical element was outstanding: typical of the quality people employed by Viking River Cruises.

I trust readers have found it informative and interesting. Nuremberg is a fascinating city that could certainly offer many days more interest for those with more time.

 

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