Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local
East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the
largest city in
Franconia, the
second-largest city in the
German state of
Bavaria
Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...
, and its 544,414 (2023) inhabitants make it the
14th-largest city in Germany.
Nuremberg sits on the
Pegnitz, which carries the name
Regnitz from its confluence with the
Rednitz in
Fürth
Fürth (; East Franconian German, East Franconian: ; ) is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in northern Bavaria, Germany, in the administrative division (''Regierungsbezirk'') of Middle Franconia.
It is the Franconia#Towns and cities, s ...
onwards (), and on the
Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, that connects the
North Sea
The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...
to the
Black Sea
The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...
. Lying in the Bavarian
administrative region of
Middle Franconia, it is the largest city and unofficial capital of the entire cultural region of
Franconia. The city is surrounded on three sides by the , a large forest, and in the north lies (''garlic land''), an extensive vegetable growing area and cultural landscape.
The city forms a continuous conurbation with the neighbouring cities of
Fürth
Fürth (; East Franconian German, East Franconian: ; ) is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in northern Bavaria, Germany, in the administrative division (''Regierungsbezirk'') of Middle Franconia.
It is the Franconia#Towns and cities, s ...
,
Erlangen
Erlangen (; , ) is a Middle Franconian city in Bavaria, Germany. It is the seat of the administrative district Erlangen-Höchstadt (former administrative district Erlangen), and with 119,810 inhabitants (as of 30 September 2024), it is the smalle ...
and
Schwabach, which is the heart of an urban area region with around 1.4 million inhabitants, while the larger
Nuremberg Metropolitan Region has a population of approximately 3.6 million. It is the largest city in the
East Franconian dialect area (colloquially: "Franconian"; ).
Nuremberg and
Fürth
Fürth (; East Franconian German, East Franconian: ; ) is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in northern Bavaria, Germany, in the administrative division (''Regierungsbezirk'') of Middle Franconia.
It is the Franconia#Towns and cities, s ...
were once connected by the
Bavarian Ludwig Railway, the
first steam-hauled and overall second railway opened in Germany (1835). Today, the U1 of the
Nuremberg U-Bahn runs along this route. Subway lines U2 and U3 are the first German driverless subway lines, automatically moving railcars.
Nuremberg Airport () is the second-busiest airport in Bavaria after
Munich Airport, and the tenth-busiest airport in the country.
Institutions of higher education in Nuremberg include the
University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (), Germany's 11th-largest university, with campuses in Erlangen and Nuremberg and a
university hospital
A teaching hospital or university hospital is a hospital or medical center that provides medical education and training to future and current health professionals. Teaching hospitals are almost always affiliated with one or more universities a ...
in Erlangen (Universitätsklinikum Erlangen), , and the newly founded
University of Technology Nuremberg. The Nuremberg exhibition centre () is one of the biggest
convention center
A convention center (American and British English spelling differences, American English; or conference centre in British English) is a large building that is designed to hold a Convention (meeting), convention, where individuals and groups ...
companies in Germany and operates worldwide.
Nuremberg Castle
Nuremberg Castle () is a group of medieval fortified buildings on a sandstone ridge dominating the historical center of Nuremberg in Bavaria, Germany.
The castle, together with the City walls of Nuremberg, city walls, is considered to be one ...
, its medieval old town and
the city's walls, with their many towers, are notable attractions. is one of the five Bavarian state theatres, showing
operas,
operettas,
musicals, and
ballets (main venue: Nuremberg
Opera House),
plays (main venue: ), as well as
concerts (main venue: ). Its orchestra, the
Staatsphilharmonie Nürnberg, is Bavaria's second-largest opera orchestra after the
Bavarian State Opera's
Bavarian State Orchestra
The Bavarian State Orchestra () is the orchestra of the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, Germany. It has given its own series of concerts, the , since 1811.
Profile
The origins of the ensemble date back to 1523 and the times of composer Ludwig Se ...
in Munich. Nuremberg is the birthplace of
Albrecht Dürer
Albrecht Dürer ( , ;; 21 May 1471 – 6 April 1528),Müller, Peter O. (1993) ''Substantiv-Derivation in Den Schriften Albrecht Dürers'', Walter de Gruyter. . sometimes spelled in English as Durer or Duerer, was a German painter, Old master prin ...
and
Johann Pachelbel
Johann Pachelbel (also Bachelbel; baptised – buried 9 March 1706) was a German composer, organist, and teacher who brought the south German organ schools to their peak. He composed a large body of sacred and secularity, secular music, and ...
.
1. FC Nürnberg is the most famous football club of the city and one of the
most successful football clubs in Germany. Nuremberg was one of the host cities of the
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international Association football, football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to FIFA World Cup hosts ...
.
History
Middle Ages

The first documentary mention of the city, in 1050, mentions Nuremberg as the location of an
imperial castle between
East Francia and the
Margraviate of the Nordgau of
Bavaria
Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...
. From 1050 to 1572 the city expanded and rose dramatically in importance due to its location on key trade-routes.
King Conrad III, reigning as
King of Germany
This is a list of monarchs who ruled over East Francia, and the Kingdom of Germany (), from Treaty of Verdun, the division of the Francia, Frankish Empire in 843 and Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, the collapse of the Holy Roman Empire in ...
from 1137 to 1152, established the
Burgraviate of Nuremberg, with the first
burgraves coming from the Austrian
House of Raabs. With the extinction of their male line around 1189, the last Raabs count's son-in-law,
Frederick I of the
House of Hohenzollern
The House of Hohenzollern (, ; , ; ) is a formerly royal (and from 1871 to 1918, imperial) German dynasty whose members were variously princes, Prince-elector, electors, kings and emperors of Hohenzollern Castle, Hohenzollern, Margraviate of Bran ...
, inherited the burgraviate in 1193.
From the late 12th century to the
Interregnum
An interregnum (plural interregna or interregnums) is a period of revolutionary breach of legal continuity, discontinuity or "gap" in a government, organization, or social order. Archetypally, it was the period of time between the reign of one m ...
(1254–1573), however, the power of the burgraves diminished as the
Hohenstaufen
The Hohenstaufen dynasty (, , ), also known as the Staufer, was a noble family of unclear origin that rose to rule the Duchy of Swabia from 1079, and to royal rule in the Holy Roman Empire during the Middle Ages from 1138 until 1254. The dynast ...
emperors transferred most non-military powers to a castellan, with the city administration and the municipal courts handed over to an Imperial mayor () from 1173/74.
The strained relations between the burgraves and the castellans, with gradual transferral of powers to the latter in the late 14th and early 15th centuries, finally broke out into open enmity, which greatly influenced the history of the city.

The city and particularly
Nuremberg Castle
Nuremberg Castle () is a group of medieval fortified buildings on a sandstone ridge dominating the historical center of Nuremberg in Bavaria, Germany.
The castle, together with the City walls of Nuremberg, city walls, is considered to be one ...
would become one of the most frequent sites of the
Imperial Diet (after
Regensburg
Regensburg (historically known in English as Ratisbon) is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the rivers Danube, Naab and Regen (river), Regen, Danube's northernmost point. It is the capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the ...
and
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...
), the
Diets of Nuremberg from 1211 to 1543, after the first Nuremberg diet elected
Frederick II as emperor. Because of the many Diets of Nuremberg, the city became an important routine place of the administration of the Empire during this time and a somewhat 'unofficial
capital' of the Empire. In 1219 Emperor Frederick II granted the ('Great Charter of Freedom'), including
town rights,
Imperial immediacy
In the Holy Roman Empire, imperial immediacy ( or ) was the status of an individual or a territory which was defined as 'immediate' () to Emperor and Empire () and not to any other intermediate authorities, while one that did not possess that stat ...
(), the privilege to mint coins, and an independent customs policy – almost wholly removing the city from the purview of the burgraves.
[Nürnberg, Reichsstadt: Politische und soziale Entwicklung]
(Political and Social Development of the Imperial City of Nuremberg), '' Historisches Lexikon Bayerns'' Nuremberg soon became, with
Augsburg
Augsburg ( , ; ; ) is a city in the Bavaria, Bavarian part of Swabia, Germany, around west of the Bavarian capital Munich. It is a College town, university town and the regional seat of the Swabia (administrative region), Swabia with a well ...
, one of the two great trade-centers on the route from
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
to Northern Europe.
In 1298, the
Jews
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
of the town were accused of
host desecration
Host desecration is a form of sacrilege in Christian denominations that follow the doctrine of the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. It involves the mistreatment or malicious use of a consecrated Sacramental bread, host—the bread used in ...
and 698 of them were killed in one of the many
Rintfleisch massacres. Behind the massacre of 1298 was also the desire to combine the northern and southern parts of the city, which were divided by the
Pegnitz. The Jews of the German lands suffered
many massacres during the
plague pandemic of the mid-14th century.
In 1349, Nuremberg's Jews suffered a
pogrom
A pogrom is a violent riot incited with the aim of Massacre, massacring or expelling an ethnic or religious group, particularly Jews. The term entered the English language from Russian to describe late 19th- and early 20th-century Anti-Jewis ...
. They were burned at the stake or expelled, and a marketplace was built over the former Jewish quarter. The plague returned to the city in 1405, 1435, 1437, 1482, 1494, 1520, and 1534.

The largest growth of Nuremberg occurred in the 14th century.
Charles IV's
Golden Bull of 1356, naming Nuremberg as the city where newly elected
kings of Germany must hold their first Imperial Diet, made Nuremberg one of the three most important cities of the Empire.
Charles was the patron of the
Frauenkirche, built between 1352 and 1362 (the architect was likely
Peter Parler), where the Imperial court worshipped during its stays in Nuremberg. The royal and Imperial connection grew stronger in 1423 when the Holy Roman Emperor
Sigismund of Luxembourg granted the Imperial regalia to be kept permanently in Nuremberg, where they remained until 1796, when the
advance of French troops required their removal to
Regensburg
Regensburg (historically known in English as Ratisbon) is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the rivers Danube, Naab and Regen (river), Regen, Danube's northernmost point. It is the capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the ...
and thence to
Vienna
Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
.
In 1349 the members of the
guild
A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular territory. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradespeople belonging to a professional association. They so ...
s unsuccessfully rebelled against the patricians in a ('Craftsmen's Uprising'), supported by merchants and some by councillors, leading to a ban on any self-organisation of the artisans in the city, abolishing the guilds that were customary elsewhere in Europe; the unions were then dissolved, and the oligarchs remained in power while Nuremberg was a
free city (until the early-19th century).
Charles IV conferred upon the city the right to conclude alliances independently, thereby placing it upon a politically equal footing with the
princes of the Empire.
Frequent fights took place with the burgraves without, however, inflicting lasting damage upon the city. After fire destroyed the castle in 1420 during a feud between
Frederick IV (from 1417,
Margrave of Brandenburg) and the duke of
Bavaria-Ingolstadt, the city purchased the ruins and the forest belonging to the castle (1427), resulting in the city's total sovereignty within its borders.
Through these and other acquisitions the city accumulated considerable territory.
The
Hussite Wars
The Hussite Wars, also called the Bohemian Wars or the Hussite Revolution, were a series of civil wars fought between the Hussites and the combined Catholic forces of Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund, the Papacy, a ...
(1419–1434), the
second Black Death pandemic in 1437, and the
First Margrave War (1449–1450) led to a severe fall in population in the mid-15th century.
Siding with
Albert IV, Duke of
Bavaria-Munich, in the
War of the Succession of Landshut of 1503–1505, led the city to gain substantial territory, resulting in lands of , making it one of the largest imperial cities.
During the Middle Ages, Nuremberg fostered a rich, varied, and influential literary culture.
Early modern age

The cultural flowering of Nuremberg in the 15th and 16th centuries made it the centre of the
German Renaissance. In 1525 Nuremberg accepted the
Protestant Reformation
The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the papacy and ...
, and in 1532 the
Nuremberg Religious Peace was signed there, preventing war between Lutherans and Catholics
for 15 years. During the Princes'
1552 revolution against
Charles V, Nuremberg tried to purchase its neutrality, but Margrave
Albert Alcibiades, one of the leaders of the revolt, attacked the city without a declaration of war and dictated a disadvantageous peace.
At the 1555
Peace of Augsburg, the possessions of the Protestants were confirmed by the Emperor, their religious privileges extended and their independence from the
Bishop of Bamberg affirmed, while the 1520s' secularisation of the monasteries was also approved.
Families like the
Tucher,
Imhoff or
Haller Haller is a surname of English language, English and German language, German origin. Notable people and characters with the surname include:
* Albin Haller (1849–1925), French chemist
* Albrecht von Haller (1708–1777), Swiss anatomist and physi ...
ran trading businesses across Europe, similar to the
Fugger and
Welser families from
Augsburg
Augsburg ( , ; ; ) is a city in the Bavaria, Bavarian part of Swabia, Germany, around west of the Bavarian capital Munich. It is a College town, university town and the regional seat of the Swabia (administrative region), Swabia with a well ...
, although on a slightly smaller scale.

The state of affairs in the early 16th century, increased trade routes elsewhere and the ossification of the social hierarchy and legal structures contributed to the decline in trade.
During the
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...
, frequent quartering of Imperial, Swedish and
League soldiers, the financial costs of the war and the cessation of trade caused irreparable damage to the city and a near-halving of the population.
In 1632, the city, occupied by the forces of
, was
besieged by the army of Imperial general
Albrecht von Wallenstein. The city declined after the war and recovered its importance only in the 19th century, when it grew as an industrial centre. Even after the Thirty Years' War, however, there was a late flowering of architecture and culture; secular
Baroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a highly decorative and theatrical style which appeared in Italy in the late 16th century and gradually spread across Europe. It was originally introduced by the Catholic Church, particularly by the Jesuits, as a means to ...
is exemplified in the layout of the civic gardens built outside the city walls, and in the Protestant city's rebuilding of
St. Egidien church, destroyed by fire at the beginning of the 18th century, considered a significant contribution to the baroque church architecture of Middle Franconia.
After the Thirty Years' War, Nuremberg attempted to remain detached from external affairs, but contributions were demanded for the
War of the Austrian Succession
The War of the Austrian Succession was a European conflict fought between 1740 and 1748, primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italian Peninsula, Italy, the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Related conflicts include King Ge ...
and the
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...
and restrictions of imports and exports deprived the city of many markets for its manufactures.
The Bavarian elector,
Charles Theodore, appropriated part of the land obtained by the city during the
Landshut War of Succession, to which Bavaria had maintained its claim; Prussia also claimed part of the territory. Realising its weakness, the city asked to be incorporated into Prussia but
Frederick William II refused, fearing to offend Austria,
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
and France.
At the Imperial diet in 1803, the independence of Nuremberg was affirmed, but on the signing of the
Confederation of the Rhine
The Confederated States of the Rhine, simply known as the Confederation of the Rhine or Rhine Confederation, was a confederation of German client states established at the behest of Napoleon some months after he defeated Austrian Empire, Austria ...
on 12 July 1806, it was agreed to hand the city over to Bavaria from 8 September, with Bavaria guaranteeing the
amortisation of the city's 12.5 million guilder public debt.
After the Napoleonic Wars

After the fall of
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
, the city's trade and commerce revived; the skill of its inhabitants together with its favourable situation soon made the city prosperous, particularly after its public debt had been acknowledged as a part of the Bavarian national debt. Having been incorporated into a Catholic country, the city was compelled to refrain from further discrimination against Catholics, who had been excluded from the rights of citizenship. Catholic services had been celebrated in the city by the priests of the
Teutonic Order
The Teutonic Order is a religious order (Catholic), Catholic religious institution founded as a military order (religious society), military society in Acre, Israel, Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Order of Brothers of the German House of Sa ...
, often under great difficulties. After their possessions had been confiscated by the Bavarian government in 1806, they were given the Frauenkirche on the Market in 1809; in 1810 the first Catholic parish was established, which in 1818 numbered 1,010 people.
In 1817, the city was incorporated into the district of
Rezatkreis (named for the river
Franconian Rezat), which was renamed to
Middle Franconia () on 1 January 1838.
The first German railway, the
Bavarian Ludwigsbahn, from Nuremberg to nearby
Fürth
Fürth (; East Franconian German, East Franconian: ; ) is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in northern Bavaria, Germany, in the administrative division (''Regierungsbezirk'') of Middle Franconia.
It is the Franconia#Towns and cities, s ...
, was opened in 1835. The establishment of railways and the incorporation of Bavaria into
Zollverein (the 19th-century German Customs Union), commerce and industry opened the way to greater prosperity.
In 1852, there were 53,638 inhabitants: 46,441 Protestants and 6,616 Catholics. It subsequently grew to become the more important industrial city of Southern Germany, one of the most prosperous towns of southern Germany, but after the
Austro-Prussian War it was given to
Prussia
Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...
as part of their telegraph stations they had to give up. In 1905, its population, including several incorporated suburbs, was 291,351: 86,943 Catholics, 196,913 Protestants, 3,738 Jews and 3,766 members of other religions.
The ''Fränkischer Kurier'' was published as a local newspaper in Nuremberg.
Nazi era
Nuremberg held great significance during the
Nazi German
Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a totalitarian dictat ...
era. Because of the city's relevance to the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...
and its position in the centre of Germany, the
Nazi Party
The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor ...
chose the city to be the site of huge Nazi Party conventions: the
Nuremberg rallies. The rallies were held in 1927, 1929 and annually from 1933 through 1938. A number of buildings and large gathering areas known collectively as the
Nazi Party Rally Grounds, some of which were not finished, were designed by
Albert Speer and were constructed solely for these assemblies. After
Adolf Hitler's rise to power
The rise to power of Adolf Hitler, dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945, began in the newly established Weimar Republic in September 1919, when Hitler joined the ''German Workers' Party, Deutsche Arbeiterpartei'' (DAP; German Workers' Par ...
in 1933 the Nuremberg rallies became huge
Nazi propaganda
Propaganda was a tool of the Nazi Party in Germany from its earliest days to the end of the regime in May 1945 at the end of World War II. As the party gained power, the scope and efficacy of its propaganda grew and permeated an increasing amou ...
events, a centre of Nazi ideals. The 1934 rally was filmed by
Leni Riefenstahl, and made into a propaganda film called ''Triumph des Willens'' (''
Triumph of the Will''). At the 1935 rally, Hitler specifically ordered the ''
Reichstag'' to convene at Nuremberg to pass the
Nuremberg Laws which revoked German
citizenship
Citizenship is a membership and allegiance to a sovereign state.
Though citizenship is often conflated with nationality in today's English-speaking world, international law does not usually use the term ''citizenship'' to refer to nationalit ...
for all Jews and other non-Aryans.
The Nazi ''
Oberbürgermeister'' of the city,
Willy Liebel, embarked upon a program of urban architectural renewal that he felt befitted one of the centers of Nazi pageantry. The aim was to restore the city center to the medieval look of centuries past by eliminating late nineteenth-century styling. Among the buildings he slated for demolition was the
Grand Synagogue of Nuremberg. He felt that this "foreign" building with its
Moorish revival architecture could not be reconciled with the image that he strove to create, and he succeeded in having the building completely demolished around the time of the Party rally in September 1938. Many examples of
Nazi architecture
Nazi architecture is the architecture promoted by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Germany, Nazi regime from 1933 until its fall in 1945, connected with urban planning in Nazi Germany. It is characterized by three forms: a Stripped Classicism, stripp ...
can still be seen in the city.
The city was also the headquarters of the Nazi
propagandist Julius Streicher, the Nazi Party ''
Gauleiter
A ''Gauleiter'' () was a regional leader of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) who served as the head of a ''Administrative divisions of Nazi Germany, Gau'' or ''Reichsgau''. ''Gauleiter'' was the third-highest Ranks and insignia of the Nazi Party, rank in ...
'' of
Franconia, a vicious
antisemite
Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...
and the publisher of ''
Der Stürmer''. During the anti-Jewish
pogrom
A pogrom is a violent riot incited with the aim of Massacre, massacring or expelling an ethnic or religious group, particularly Jews. The term entered the English language from Russian to describe late 19th- and early 20th-century Anti-Jewis ...
known as ''
Kristallnacht'' on 10 November 1938, the two remaining synagogues and numerous Jewish-owned shops were burned to the ground. Of the 91 Jews in Germany who met their deaths as a result of ''Kristallnacht'', 26 (including ten suicides) were in Nuremberg. Between 2,000 and 3,000 of Nuremberg's Jews fled from Germany. By 1941, only about 1,800 remained, over 1,600 of whom were rounded-up and transported to various
extermination camps where they were killed. At the end of the war in 1945, there were no Jews left in Nuremberg. There are many
Stolpersteine installed in the streets of the city; these commemorate Jews who were persecuted by the Nazi regime.
During the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, Nuremberg was the headquarters of ''
Wehrkreis'' (military district) XIII, and an important site for military production, including aircraft, submarines, and tank engines. A subcamp of
Flossenbürg concentration camp was located here, and extensively used
slave labour.
On
2 January 1945, the medieval city centre was systematically bombed by the
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...
and the
U.S. Army Air Forces and about ninety percent of it was destroyed in only one hour, with 1,800 residents killed and roughly 100,000 displaced. In February 1945, additional attacks followed. In total, about 6,000 Nuremberg residents are estimated to have been killed in air raids.
Nuremberg was a heavily fortified city that was captured in
a fierce battle lasting from 17 to 20 April 1945 by the U.S.
3rd Infantry Division,
42nd Infantry Division and
45th Infantry Division, which fought house-to-house and street-by-street against determined German resistance, causing further urban devastation to the already bombed and shelled buildings. Despite this intense degree of destruction, the city was rebuilt after the war and was to some extent restored to its pre-war appearance, including the reconstruction of many of its medieval buildings. Much of this reconstructive work and conservation was done by the organisation '
Old Town Friends Nuremberg'. Today 25% of Nürnberg's buildings date to before World War II and the old town is a declared protected area, so the northeastern half of the old
Imperial Free City had to be largely reconstructed.
Nuremberg trials

Between 1945 and 1946, German officials involved in
war crime
A war crime is a violation of the laws of war that gives rise to individual criminal responsibility for actions by combatants in action, such as intentionally killing civilians or intentionally killing prisoners of war, torture, taking hostage ...
s and crimes against humanity were brought before an international tribunal in the Nuremberg trials. The
Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
had wanted these trials to take place in
Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
. However, Nuremberg was chosen as the site for the trials for specific reasons:
* The city had been the location of the Nazi Party's Nuremberg rallies and the laws stripping Jews of their citizenship were passed there. There was symbolic value in making it the place of Nazi demise.
* The
Palace of Justice was spacious and largely undamaged (one of the few that had remained largely intact despite
extensive Allied bombing of Germany). The already large courtroom was reasonably easily expanded by the removal of the wall at the end opposite the bench, thereby incorporating the adjoining room. A large prison was also part of the complex.
As a compromise, it was agreed that Berlin would become the permanent seat of the International Military Tribunal and that the first trial (several were planned) would take place in Nuremberg. Due to the
Cold War
The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
, subsequent trials never took place.
Following the trials, in October 1946, many prominent German Nazi politicians and military leaders were
executed in Nuremberg.
The same courtroom in Nuremberg was the venue of the
Nuremberg Military Tribunals, organized by the United States as
occupying power in the area.
In order to come to terms with the role Nuremberg played during the
Third Reich
Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a totalitarian dictat ...
, the city established the
Nuremberg International Human Rights Award in 1995, awarded every two years to individuals or groups defending human rights worldwide.
Geography

Several old villages now belong to the city, for example
Grossgründlach,
Kraftshof,
Thon, and
Neunhof in the north-west;
Ziegelstein in the northeast,
Altenfurt and
Fischbach in the south-east; and
Katzwang,
Kornburg in the south.
Langwasser is a modern suburb.
Climate
Nuremberg has an
oceanic climate
An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...
(
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer
* Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan
* Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...
''Cfb'') with a certain
humid continental influence (''Dfb''), categorized in the latter by the 0 °C isotherm. The city's climate is influenced by its inland position and higher altitude. Winters are changeable, with either mild or cold weather: the average temperature is around to , while summers are generally warm, mostly around at night to in the afternoon. Precipitation is evenly spread throughout the year, although February and April tend to be a bit drier whereas July tends to have more rainfall.
Demographics
Nuremberg has been a destination for immigrants. 19.2% of the residents had an immigrant background in 2022 (counted with MigraPro).
Economy
Nuremberg for many people is still associated with its traditional gingerbread (''
Lebkuchen'') products, sausages, and handmade toys.
Pocket watches — ''
Nuremberg eggs
Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...
'' — were made here in the 16th century by
Peter Henlein. Only one of the districts in the 1797–1801 sample was early industrial; the economic structure of the region around Nuremberg was dominated by metal and glass manufacturing, reflected by a share of nearly 50% handicrafts and workers. In the 19th century Nuremberg became the "industrial heart" of
Bavaria
Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...
with companies such as
Siemens and
MAN
A man is an adult male human. Before adulthood, a male child or adolescent is referred to as a boy.
Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromosome from the f ...
establishing a strong base in the city. Nuremberg is still an important industrial centre with a strong standing in the markets of Central and Eastern Europe. Items manufactured in the area include electrical equipment, mechanical and optical products, motor vehicles, writing and drawing paraphernalia, stationery products and printed materials.
The city is also strong in the fields of automation, energy and medical technology. Siemens is still the largest industrial employer in the Nuremberg region but a good third of German market research agencies are also located in the city.
The
Nuremberg International Toy Fair, held at the
city's exhibition centre, is the largest of its kind in the world.
Tourism
Nuremberg is
Bavaria
Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...
's second largest city after
Munich
Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
, and a popular tourist destination for foreigners and Germans alike. It was a leading city 500 years ago, but 90% of the town was destroyed in 1945 during the war. After
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, many medieval-style areas of the town were rebuilt.
Attractions
Beyond its main attractions of the
Imperial Castle,
St. Lorenz Church, and
Nazi Trial grounds, there are 54 different museums for arts and culture, history, science and technology, family and children, and more niche categories,
where visitors can see the world's oldest globe (built in 1492), a 500-year-old Madonna, and Renaissance-era German art. There are several types of tours offered in the city, including historic tours, those that are
Nazi
Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...
-focused, underground and night tours,
walking tours, sightseeing buses, self guided tours, and an old town tour on a mini train. Nuremberg also offers several parks and green areas, as well as indoor activities such as
bowling
Bowling is a Throwing sports#Target sports, target sport and recreational activity in which a player rolls a bowling ball, ball toward Bowling pin, pins (in pin bowling) or another target (in target bowling). Most references to ''bowling'' are ...
,
rock wall climbing,
escape rooms,
cart racing, and
mini golf, theaters and cinemas, pools and
thermal spas. There are also six nearby
amusement park
An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, and events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central theme, often fea ...
s.
The city's tourism board sells the Nurnberg Card which allows for free use of
public transport
Public transport (also known as public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) are forms of transport available to the general public. It typically uses a fixed schedule, route and charges a fixed fare. There is no rigid definition of whic ...
ation and free entry to all museums and attractions in Nuremberg for a two-day period.
Culinary tourism
Notable foods available in the city include
lebkuchen,
gingerbread, local
beer
Beer is an alcoholic beverage produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches from cereal grain—most commonly malted barley, although wheat, maize (corn), rice, and oats are also used. The grain is mashed to convert starch in the ...
,
Schäufele, and
Nürnberger Rostbratwürstchen, or Nuremberg grilled sausages. There are hundreds of restaurants for all tastes, including traditional
Franconian restaurants and
beer gardens. It also has
vegan
Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products and the consumption of animal source foods, and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. A person who practices veganism is known as a ve ...
,
vegetarian
Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the Eating, consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects as food, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slau ...
and
organic restaurants. Nuremberg boasts a two
Michelin Star-rated restaurant, Essigbrätlein.
Pedestrian zones
Like many European cities, Nuremberg offers a
pedestrian-only zone covering a large portion of the old town, which is a main destination for shopping and specialty retail, including year-round
Christmas
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...
stores where tourists and locals alike can purchase
Christmas ornaments, gifts, decorations, and additions to their toy
Christmas villages. The Craftsmen's Courtyard, or Handwerkerhof, is another tourist shopping destination in the style of a
medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...
village. It houses several local family-run businesses which sell handcrafted items from
glass
Glass is an amorphous (non-crystalline solid, non-crystalline) solid. Because it is often transparency and translucency, transparent and chemically inert, glass has found widespread practical, technological, and decorative use in window pane ...
,
wood
Wood is a structural tissue/material found as xylem in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulosic fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin t ...
,
leather
Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning (leather), tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffal ...
,
pottery
Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other raw materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. The place where such wares are made by a ''potter'' is al ...
, and
precious metal
Precious metals are rare, naturally occurring metallic chemical elements of high Value (economics), economic value. Precious metals, particularly the noble metals, are more corrosion resistant and less reactivity (chemistry), chemically reac ...
s. The Handwerkerhof is also home to traditional German restaurants and beer gardens.
The Pedestrian zones of Nuremberg host festivals and markets throughout the year, the best known being
Christkindlesmarkt, Germany's largest
Christmas market
A Christmas market is a street market associated with the celebration of Christmas during the four weeks of Advent. These markets originated in Germany, but are now held in many countries. Some in the U.S. have Phono-semantic matching, adapted ...
and the gingerbread capital of the world. Visitors to the Christmas market can peruse the hundreds of stalls and purchase local wood crafts and
nutcrackers while sampling Christmas sweets and traditional ''
Glühwein''.
Hospitality
In 2017, Nuremberg saw a total of 3.3 million overnight stays, a record for the town, and is expected to have surpassed that in 2018, with more growth in tourism anticipated in the coming years. There are over 175 registered places of accommodation in Nuremberg, ranging from
hostels to luxury
hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...
s,
bed and breakfast
A bed and breakfast (typically shortened to B&B or BnB) is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast. In addition, a B&B sometimes has the hosts living in the house.
''Bed and breakfast'' is also used to ...
s, to multi-hundred room properties.
Culture
Nuremberg was an early centre of humanism, science, printing, and mechanical invention. The city contributed much to the science of
astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and their overall evolution. Objects of interest includ ...
. In 1471 Johannes Mueller of
Königsberg
Königsberg (; ; ; ; ; ; , ) is the historic Germany, German and Prussian name of the city now called Kaliningrad, Russia. The city was founded in 1255 on the site of the small Old Prussians, Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teuton ...
(Bavaria), later called
Regiomontanus, built an astronomical observatory in Nuremberg and published many important astronomical charts.
In 1515,
Albrecht Dürer
Albrecht Dürer ( , ;; 21 May 1471 – 6 April 1528),Müller, Peter O. (1993) ''Substantiv-Derivation in Den Schriften Albrecht Dürers'', Walter de Gruyter. . sometimes spelled in English as Durer or Duerer, was a German painter, Old master prin ...
, a native of Nuremberg, created woodcuts of the first maps of the stars of the northern and southern hemispheres, producing the first printed star charts, which had been ordered by
Johannes Stabius. Around 1515 Dürer also published the "Stabiussche Weltkarte", the first perspective drawing of the terrestrial globe.
Printers and publishers have a long history in Nuremberg. Many of these publishers worked with well-known artists of the day to produce books that could also be considered works of art. In 1470
Anton Koberger opened Europe's first print shop in Nuremberg. In 1493, he published the ''Nuremberg Chronicles'', also known as the ''World Chronicles'' (''Schedelsche Weltchronik''), an illustrated history of the world from the creation to the present day. It was written in the local Franconian dialect by
Hartmann Schedel and had illustrations by
Michael Wohlgemuth,
Wilhelm Pleydenwurff, and Albrecht Dürer. Others furthered geographical knowledge and travel by map making. Notable among these was navigator and geographer
Martin Behaim, who made the first world globe.
Sculptors such as
Veit Stoss,
Adam Kraft and
Peter Vischer are also associated with Nuremberg.
Composed of prosperous artisans, the guilds of the
Meistersinger
A (German for "master singer") was a member of a German guild for lyric poetry, composer, composition and a cappella, unaccompanied art song of the 14th to 16th centuries. The Meistersingers were drawn from middle class males for the most part ...
s flourished here.
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...
made their most famous member,
Hans Sachs
Hans Sachs (5 November 1494 – 19 January 1576) was a German ''Meistersinger'' ("mastersinger"), poetry, poet, playwright, and shoemaking, shoemaker.
Biography
Hans Sachs was born in Nuremberg (). As a child he attended a singing school that w ...
, the hero of his opera ''
Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg''. Baroque composer
Johann Pachelbel
Johann Pachelbel (also Bachelbel; baptised – buried 9 March 1706) was a German composer, organist, and teacher who brought the south German organ schools to their peak. He composed a large body of sacred and secularity, secular music, and ...
was born here and was organist of
St. Sebaldus Church.
The
academy of fine arts situated in Nuremberg is the oldest art academy in central Europe and looks back to a tradition of 350 years of artistic education.
Nuremberg is also famous for its
Christkindlesmarkt (Christmas market), which draws well over a million shoppers each year. The market is famous for its handmade ornaments and delicacies.
Museums
*
Germanisches Nationalmuseum
*
House of Albrecht Dürer
*
Kunsthalle Nürnberg
*
Kunstverein Nürnberg
*
Neues Museum Nürnberg (Modern Art Museum)
*
Nuremberg Toy Museum
*
Nuremberg Transport Museum
Performing arts
The
Nuremberg State Theatre, founded in 1906, is dedicated to all types of opera, ballet and stage theatre. During the season 2009/2010, the theatre presented 651 performances for an audience of 240,000 persons.
The State Philharmonic Nuremberg (
Staatsphilharmonie Nürnberg) is the orchestra of the
State Theatre. Its name was changed in 2011 from its previous name: The Nuremberg Philharmonic (''Nürnberger Philharmoniker''). It is the second-largest opera orchestra in Bavaria.
Besides opera performances, it also presents its own subscription concert series in the
Meistersingerhalle.
Christof Perick was the principal conductor of the orchestra between 2006 and 2011.
Marcus Bosch heads the orchestra since September 2011.
The
Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra (''Nürnberger Symphoniker'') performs around 100 concerts a year to a combined annual audience of more than 180,000.
The regular subscription concert series are mostly performed in the ''Meistersingerhalle'' but other venues are used as well, including the new concert hall of the ''Kongresshalle'' and the ''Serenadenhof''.
Alexander Shelley has been the principal conductor of the orchestra since 2009.
The Nuremberg International Chamber Music Festival (''Internationales Kammermusikfestival Nürnberg'') takes place in early September each year, and in 2011 celebrated its tenth anniversary. Concerts take place around the city; opening and closing events are held in the medieval ''Burg''. The
Bardentreffen, an annual folk festival in Nuremberg, has been deemed the largest
world music
"World music" is an English phrase for styles of music from non-English speaking countries, including quasi-traditional, Cross-cultural communication, intercultural, and traditional music. World music's broad nature and elasticity as a musical ...
festival in Germany and takes place since 1976. 2014 the Bardentreffen starred 368 artists from 31 nations.
Cuisine
Nuremberg is known for Nürnberger
Bratwurst
''Bratwurst'' () is a type of German sausage made from pork or, less commonly, beef or veal. The name is derived from the Old High German , from , finely chopped meat, and , sausage, although in modern German it is often associated with the ver ...
, which is shorter and thinner than other bratwurst sausages.
Another Nuremberg speciality is Nürnberger
Lebkuchen, a kind of gingerbread eaten mainly around Christmas time.
Education
Nuremberg has 51 public and 6 private elementary schools in nearly all of its districts. Secondary education is offered at 23
Mittelschule ''Mittelschule'' is a German term literally translating to "Middle School" (i.e. a level "intermediate" between elementary and higher education). It is used in various senses in the education systems of the various parts of German-speaking Europe, ...
n, 12
Realschulen and 17
Gymnasien (state, city, church, and privately owned). There are also several other providers of secondary education such as Berufsschule, Berufsfachschule, Wirtschaftsschule etc.
Higher education
Nuremberg hosts the joint university
Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, two Fachhochschulen (
Technische Hochschule Nürnberg and ''Evangelische Hochschule Nürnberg''), a pure art academy (
Akademie der Bildenden Künste Nürnberg, the first art academy in the German-speaking world) in addition to the design faculty at the TH and a music conservatoire (
Hochschule für Musik Nürnberg). There are also private schools such as the ''Akademie Deutsche POP Nürnberg'' offering higher education.
Main sights
*
Nuremberg Castle
Nuremberg Castle () is a group of medieval fortified buildings on a sandstone ridge dominating the historical center of Nuremberg in Bavaria, Germany.
The castle, together with the City walls of Nuremberg, city walls, is considered to be one ...
: the three castles that tower over the city including central burgraves' castle, with Free Reich's buildings to the east, the Imperial castle to the west.
*''
Heilig-Geist-Spital''. In the centre of the city, on the bank of the river Pegnitz, stands the Hospital of the Holy Spirit. Founded in 1332, this is one of the largest hospitals of the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
. Lepers were kept here at some distance from the other patients. It now houses elderly persons and a restaurant.
*The ''Hauptmarkt'', dominated by the front of the unique
Gothic ''
Frauenkirche'' (Our Lady's Church), provides a picturesque setting for the famous
Christmas market
A Christmas market is a street market associated with the celebration of Christmas during the four weeks of Advent. These markets originated in Germany, but are now held in many countries. Some in the U.S. have Phono-semantic matching, adapted ...
. A main attraction on the square is the Gothic ''
Schöner Brunnen'' (Beautiful Fountain) which was erected around 1385 but subsequently replaced with a replica (the original fountain is kept in the
Germanisches Nationalmuseum). The unchanged
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...
bridge ''Fleischbrücke'' crosses the Pegnitz nearby.
*The
Gothic ''St. Lorenz, Nuremberg, Lorenzkirche'' (St. Laurence church) dominates the southern part of the walled city and is one of the most important buildings in Nuremberg. The main body was built around 1270–1350.
*The even earlier and equally impressive ''St. Sebaldus Church, Sebalduskirche'' is St. Lorenz's counterpart in the northern part of the old city.
*The church of the former ''Katharinenkirche, Nuremberg, Katharinenkloster'' is preserved as a ruin, the Nuremberg Charterhouse, charterhouse (''Kartause'') is integrated into the building of the
Germanisches Nationalmuseum and the choir of the former ''Franziskanerkirche'' is part of a modern building.
*Other churches located inside the city walls are: St. Lorenz (Nürnberg), St. Laurence's, Saint Clare of Assisi, Saint Clare's, St. Martha, Nuremberg, Saint Martha's, St. Jakob, Nuremberg, Saint James the Greater's, St. Egidien, Nuremberg, Saint Giles's, and St. Elizabeth, Nuremberg, Saint Elisabeth's.
*The
Germanisches Nationalmuseum is Germany's largest museum of cultural history, among its exhibits are works of famous painters such as
Albrecht Dürer
Albrecht Dürer ( , ;; 21 May 1471 – 6 April 1528),Müller, Peter O. (1993) ''Substantiv-Derivation in Den Schriften Albrecht Dürers'', Walter de Gruyter. . sometimes spelled in English as Durer or Duerer, was a German painter, Old master prin ...
, Rembrandt, and Ernst Ludwig Kirchner.
*The Neues Museum Nürnberg is a museum for modern and contemporary art.
*The Walburga Chapel and the Romanesque ''Doppelkapelle'' (Chapel with two floors) are part of Nuremberg Castle.
*The ''Johannisfriedhof'' is a medieval cemetery, containing many old graves (Albrecht Dürer, Willibald Pirckheimer, and others). The ''Rochusfriedhof'' or the Wöhrder Kirchhof are near the Old Town.
*The Chain Bridge (Nuremberg), Chain Bridge (''Kettensteg''), the first chain bridge on the European continent.
*The Tiergarten Nürnberg is a zoo stretching over more than in the Nuremberg Reichswald (or ) forest.
*There is also a medieval market just inside the city walls, selling handcrafted goods.
*Th
German National Railways Museum (an Anchor Point of ERIH, The European Route of Industrial Heritage) is located in Nuremberg.
*The :File:Nuremberg Ring.jpg, Nuremberg Ring (now welded within an iron fence of Schöner Brunnen) is said to bring good luck to those that spin it.
*The Nazi party rally grounds with the Documentation Center Nazi Party Rally Grounds, documentation-center.
Nuremberg panorama.jpg , Nuremberg from Spittlertor
Nuremberg View Old Town.jpg , St. Sebaldus Church, Nuremberg, St. Sebaldus Church and Nuremberg Castle
Nuremberg Castle () is a group of medieval fortified buildings on a sandstone ridge dominating the historical center of Nuremberg in Bavaria, Germany.
The castle, together with the City walls of Nuremberg, city walls, is considered to be one ...
in winter
Nürnberg (9532545824) (3).jpg , ''Heilig-Geist-Spital''
(Hospice of the Holy Spirit)
Nuernberg Pilatushaus 001.JPG , ''Pilatushaus'' and Nuremberg Castle
Nuremberg Aerial Tullnau Moegeldorf.JPG , Nuremberg Business Area
Nuremberg - justice palace 2012 (aka).jpg , Palace of Justice, place of the Nuremberg Trials
Politics
Nuremberg is represented in the Bundestag by two List of Bundestag constituencies, constituencies; Nuremberg North and Nuremberg South. Since 2002, both constituencies have been held by the CSU.
At the local level, Nuremberg has historically been left-leaning in the conservative state of Bavaria – since the end of World War II, the city has mainly elected Social Democratic Party of Germany, SPD mayors with the exception of Ludwig Scholz (elected 1996, served until 2002) and Marcus König (elected 2020). From 1957 to 1987, the position of Chief Mayor (Oberbürgermeister) was continuously held by Andreas Urschlechter (SPD) for 30 years.
Mayor
The current mayor of Nuremberg is Marcus König of the Christian Social Union in Bavaria, Christian Social Union (CSU). The most recent mayoral election was held on 15 March 2020, with a runoff held on 29 March, and the results were as follows:
! rowspan=2 colspan=2, Candidate
! rowspan=2, Party
! colspan=2, First round
! colspan=2, Second round
, -
! Votes
! %
! Votes
! %
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left, Marcus König
, align=left, Christian Social Union in Bavaria, Christian Social Union
, 66,521
, 36.5
, 103,865
, 52.2
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left, Thorsten Brehm
, align=left, Social Democratic Party of Germany, Social Democratic Party
, 63,742
, 34.9
, 95,237
, 47.8
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left, Verena Osgyan
, align=left, Alliance 90/The Greens
, 27,535
, 15.1
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left, Roland Hübscher
, align=left, Alternative for Germany
, 7,696
, 4.2
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left, Titus Schüller
, align=left, The Left (Germany), The Left
, 4,631
, 2.5
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left, Florian Betz
, align=left, Pirate Party Germany, Pirate Party/Die PARTEI
, 2,153
, 1.2
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left, Christian Rechholz
, align=left, Ecological Democratic Party
, 2,029
, 1.1
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left, Ümit Sormaz
, align=left, Free Democratic Party (Germany), Free Democratic Party
, 1,905
, 1.0
, -
,
, align=left, Marion Padua
, align=left, Left List Nuremberg
, 1,469
, 0.8
, -
,
, align=left, Fridrich Luft
, align=left, Citizens' Initiative A (BIA)
, 869
, 0.5
, -
,
, align=left, Philipp Schramm
, align=left, The Good Ones (Guten)
, 637
, 0.4
, -
! colspan=3, Valid votes
! 182,493
! 99.6
! 199,102
! 99.2
, -
! colspan=3, Invalid votes
! 790
! 0.4
! 1,626
! 0.81
, -
! colspan=3, Total
! 183,283
! 100.0
! 200,728
! 100.0
, -
! colspan=3, Electorate/voter turnout
! 390,547
! 47.1
! 388,998
! 51.6
, -
, colspan=7, Source: City of Nuremberg
1st round
City council

The Nuremberg city council governs the city alongside the Mayor. The most recent city council election was held on 15 March 2020, and the results were as follows:
! colspan=2, Party !! Votes !! % !! ± !! Seats !! ±
, -
, bgcolor=, , , align=left, Christian Social Union in Bavaria, Christian Social Union (CSU) , , 3,584,755 , , 31.3 , , style="white-space:nowrap" , 1.9 , , 22 , , style="white-space:nowrap" , 1
, -
, bgcolor=, , , align=left, Social Democratic Party of Germany, Social Democratic Party (SPD) , , 2,943,118 , , 25.7 , , style="white-space:nowrap" , 18.4 , , 18 , , style="white-space:nowrap" , 13
, -
, bgcolor=, , , align=left, Alliance 90/The Greens (Grüne) , , 2,283,988 , , 20.0 , , 11.0 , , 14 , , 8
, -
, bgcolor=, , , align=left, Alternative for Germany (AfD) , , 650,369 , , 5.7 , , New , , 4 , , New
, -
, bgcolor=, , , align=left, The Left (Germany), The Left (Die Linke) , , 449,463 , , 3.9 , , New , , 3 , , New
, -
, bgcolor=, , , align=left, Free Voters of Bavaria (FW) , , 324,475 , , 2.8 , , 0.0 , , 2 , , 0
, -
, bgcolor=, , , align=left, Ecological Democratic Party (ÖDP) , , 265,079 , , 2.3 , , 0.2 , , 2 , , 0
, -
, bgcolor=, , , align=left, Free Democratic Party (Germany), Free Democratic Party (FDP) , , 241,329 , , 2.1 , , 0.1 , , 1 , , 0
, -
, bgcolor=, , , align=left, Die PARTEI/Pirate Party Germany, Pirate Party (PARTEI/Piraten) , , 194,693 , , 1.7 , , New , , 1 , , 0
, -
, , , align=left, Socio-Cultural Freedom, Participation and Sustainability (Politbande) , , 190,710 , , 1.7 , , New , , 1 , , New
, -
, , , align=left, Left List Nuremberg , , 151,992 , , 1.3 , , 2.8 , , 1 , , 2
, -
, , , align=left, The Good Ones (Guten) , , 95,862 , , 0.8 , , 0.9 , , 1 , , 0
, -
, , , align=left, Citizens' Initiative A (BIA) , , 62,374 , , 0.6 , , 2.5 , , 0 , , 2
, -
! colspan=2, Valid votes !! 178,999 !! 97.7 !! !! !!
, -
! colspan=2, Invalid votes !! 4,124 !! 2.3 !! !! !!
, -
! colspan=2, Total !! 183,123 !! 100.0 !! !! 70 !! 0
, -
! colspan=2, Electorate/voter turnout !! 389,547 !! 47.0 !! 2.7 !! !!
, -
, colspan=7, Source
City of Nuremberg
Transport
The city's location next to numerous highways, railways, and a waterway has contributed to its rising importance for trade with Eastern Europe.
Railways

is a stop for InterCity, IC and Intercity-Express, ICE trains on the German long-distance railway network. The Nuremberg–Munich high-speed railway, Nuremberg–Ingolstadt–Munich high-speed line with operation opened 28 May 2006, and was fully integrated into the rail schedule on 10 December 2006. Travel times to Munich have been reduced to as little as one hour. The Nuremberg–Erfurt high-speed railway opened in December 2017.
City and regional transport

The Trams in Nuremberg, Nuremberg tramway network was opened in 1881. , it extends a total length of , has six lines, and carried 39.152 million passengers annually. The first segment of the
Nuremberg U-Bahn metro system was opened in 1972. Nuremberg's trams, buses and U-Bahn are operated by the (VAG; Nuremberg Transport Corporation), a member of the ''Verkehrsverbund Großraum Nürnberg'' (VGN; Greater Nuremberg Transport Network).
There is also a Nuremberg S-Bahn suburban metro railway and a regional train network, both centred on . Since 2008, Nuremberg has had the first U-Bahn in Germany (U2/U21 and U3) that works without a driver. It also was the first subway system worldwide in which both driver-operated trains and computer-controlled trains shared tracks.
Motorways
Nuremberg is located at the junction of several important Autobahn routes. The Bundesautobahn 3, A3 (''Netherlands''–Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt–Würzburg–''
Vienna
Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
'') passes in a south-easterly direction along the north-east of the city. The Bundesautobahn 9, A9 (Berlin–Munich) passes in a north–south direction on the east of the city. The Bundesautobahn 6, A6 (''France''–Saarbrücken–''Prague'') passes in an east–west direction to the south of the city. Finally, the Bundesautobahn 73, A73 begins in the south-east of Nuremberg and travels north-west through the city before continuing towards Fürth and Bamberg.
Airport
Nuremberg Airport has flights to major German cities and many European destinations. The largest operators are currently Eurowings and TUI fly Deutschland, while the low-cost Ryanair and Wizz Air companies connect the city to various European centres. A significant amount of the airport's traffic flies to and from mainly touristic destinations during the peak winter season. The airport (Flughafen) is the terminus of Nuremberg U-Bahn, Nuremberg U-Bahn Line 2; until 2021, it was the only airport in Germany served by a U-Bahn subway system. Stuttgart Airport is also now served by its U-Bahn network, with the line U6 terminating there.
Canals
Nuremberg is an important port on the
Rhine–Main–Danube Canal.
Sport
Football
1. FC Nürnberg, known locally as ''Der Club'' (English: "The Club"), was founded in 1900 and currently plays in the 2.Bundesliga. The official colours of the association are red and white, but the traditional colours are red and black. They won their first regional title in the Southern German football championship, Southern German championship in 1916 closely followed by their first national title in 1920. Besides the eleven regional championships they won the List of German football champions, German championship for a total of nine times. With this they held the record for the most German championship titles until 1986 when the current record holder FC Bayern München surpassed them. The current chairmen are Nils Rossow and Dieter Hecking. They play in Max-Morlock-Stadion which was refurbished for the
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international Association football, football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to FIFA World Cup hosts ...
and accommodates 50,000 spectators.
*German Champion: 1920, 1921, 1924, 1925, 1927, 1936, 1948, 1961, 1968
*German Cup: 1935, 1939, 1962, 2007
TuS Bar Kochba Nürnberg, TuS Bar Kochba is a league that was founded in 1913 as a social-sport club for the Jewish community in Nürnberg. Established as the "Jewish Gymnastics and Sports Club Nuremberg", the league was dissolved by the Nazi party in 1939. It was reformed in 1966. The club plays in the senior A-league of the Bavarian Football Association.
Basketball
The Baskets Nürnberg played in the Basketball Bundesliga from 2005 to 2007. Since then, teams from Nuremberg have attempted to return to Germany's elite league. The recently founded Nürnberg Falcons BC have already established themselves as one of the main teams in Germany's second division ProA and aim to take on the heritage of the SELLBYTEL Baskets Nürnberg. The Falcons play their home games at the ''KIA Metropol Arena''.
Ice Hockey
The Nürnberg Ice Tigers play in the country's premier league, the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. They've been runner-up in 1999 and 2007. The Ice Tigers play their home games at the ''Arena Nürnberger Versicherung''.
International relations
Twin towns – sister cities
Nuremberg is Twin towns and sister cities, twinned with:
*Nice, France, since 1954
*Kraków, Poland, since 1979
*Skopje, North Macedonia, since 1982
*San Carlos, Río San Juan, San Carlos, Nicaragua, since 1985
*Glasgow, Scotland, since 1985
*Prague, Czech Republic, since 1990
*Kharkiv, Ukraine, since 1990
*Hadera, Israel, since 1995
*Shenzhen, China, since 1997
*Antalya, Turkey, since 1997
*Atlanta, United States, since 1998
*Kavala, Greece, since 1999
*Córdoba, Spain, Córdoba, Spain, since 2010
*Crotone, Italy, since 2019
Cooperation
Nuremberg also cooperates with:
*Venice, Italy; since 1954 a twin town, relations renewed in 1999 as a cooperation agreement
Associated cities
Nuremberg maintains friendly relations with:
*Klausen, South Tyrol, Klausen, Italy, since 1970
*Gera, Germany, since 1988, renewed 1997
*Kalkudah, Sri Lanka, since 2005
*Bar Municipality, Bar, Montenegro, since 2006
*Brașov, Romania, since 2006
*Changping District, Changping, China, since 2006
*Montan, Italy, since 2012
*Nablus, Palestine, since 2015
Notable people
See also
*List of mayors of Nuremberg
*Norisring Racetrack, where Pedro Rodríguez (racing driver), Pedro Rodríguez died in 1971
*Nuremberg Architecture Prize
Notes and references
Notes
References
Bibliography
External links
*
*
English website of the cityKUNSTNÜRNBERG – Online – Magazine for Contemporary Art and History of Art in Nuremberg and Franconia49 digitised objects on Nurembergin European Library, The European Library
{{Authority control
Nuremberg,
World War II sites in Germany
Urban districts of Bavaria
Districts of Middle Franconia