Travel to Germany : Nuremberg: The most beautiful “small city” in the world

Travel to Germany: City view of the historic Nuremberg

Nuremberg: The most beautiful “small city” in the world

November 13, 2009

Boasting a modern buzz that belies its 950 years of history, the birthplace of painter, philosopher Albrecht Dürer is awash with half-timbered Franconian houses and medieval charm.

Visitors to Nuremberg will find evidence of its history at every turn. These legacies of the past also reveal much about the past and present of the German people. Here in Nuremberg, monuments to the city's inventiveness and its cultural self-confidence over many centuries stand in the midst of the hustle and bustle of a modern, dynamic urban centre.

Historic Quarter

A five kilometre thick wall with 80 towers encloses the historical old quarter. A wealth of attractions in the old quarter brings history vividly to life – chief amongst them the medieval Kaiserburg Castle with its museum. The castle sits on a sandstone ridge and, until the 16th century, was the setting for many imperial diets and the occasional residence of German Kaisers and kings.

Impressive works of art in the Gothic churches of Nuremberg's old town bear testament to the city's heyday. Visitors can admire traditional handicrafts in the Handwerkerhof craft centre built in 1971. The courtyard is packed with old timber-framed buildings housing a variety of craft workshops and a gingerbread bakery. Visitors can also enjoy bratwurst and a glass of wine or beer.

Places to see

At the Germanic National Museum, the largest museum for German art and culture, you'll find practically every significant achievement within the German-speaking territories represented, including the first globe, the "Nuremberg Egg" pocket watch and works by Albrecht Dürer. The documentation centre at the Reichsparteitagsgelände (Nazi Party Rally Grounds) takes an in-depth look at the history of the Third Reich. The Toy Museum is fun for kids, and parents can relive their childhood dreams too.

Nuremberg also boasts of a lively cultural scene. The art gallery (Kunsthalle) has regularly changing exhibitions of German and international contemporary art since 1960. The State Museum for Art and Design draws the crowds with its ultra-modern architecture on the outside and contemporary international art and modern design inside.

Worth visiting is also the Nuremberg's zoo with its naturalistic enclosures and the only dolphinarium in southern Germany. Its 63-hectare site makes it Europe's largest zoo. There are ponds near the entrance for wading birds, the predatory animals live in dens hewn out of the rock, and wild horses from all corners of the globe live here alongside elephants and hippopotamuses.

The Hesperides gardens in the zoo date back to the 17th and 18th centuries and evolved from the cottage gardens of the Middle Ages.

Eat your fill

Nuremberg's bars, cafés and restaurants have something for everyone. The selection ranges from Turkish fast food to cosy Franconian inns, from gourmet temples to the latest cool places to see and be seen.

What weisswurst (veal sausage) is to the Bavarians, rostbratwurst (barbecued sausage) is to the Franconians. A genuine Nuremberg bratwurst is about the size of your little finger and tastes best when cooked on a griddle. Depending on their size, you can eat upwards of half a dozen at a time served with hot sauerkraut or potato salad. Gingerbread cookies at Christmas

Nuremberg gingerbread (lebkuchen) is legendary. The old imperial city enjoyed a favourable location at the point where the ancient trading and spice routes intersected, and gingerbread can be traced back to the Franconian monks who used to bake pfefferkuchen (pepper cake) and honigkuchen (honey cake), forerunners to gingerbread, in the Middle Ages. Today it is available in many variations, and is the perfect souvenir of Nuremberg.

To satisfy the more adventurous palate visit Essigbrätlein. Ambitious, creative cooking is the order of the day at this popular inn, established in 1550.

Winter is a great time to visit and experience the Nuremberg Christkindl Christmas market against the historic backdrop of Nuremberg's main market square (Hauptmarkt). The traditional mix of gingerbread, fruit bread, bratwurst and mulled wine as well as the glittering gift stalls at Germany's best-known Christmas market put visitors from all over the world in the Christmas mood.

Around and about

Nuremberg is the ideal base for a wide range of outings to historical towns and cities or Franconia's holiday regions. The city lies at the point where a number of scenic routes intersect, including the Castle Road, the German Toy Road, the Beer and Castle Route and the Golden Road.

Franconian Switzerland is one of Germany's oldest and most popular holiday regions with a landscape of small farmsteads interspersed with romantic rivers and twisting valleys. Take a tour by bike, car or motorbike along the delightful Castle Road which runs through the heart of this region and is one of Germany's oldest scenic routes peppered with romantic castles and fairytale palaces.

Visit Franconian Bamberg, a former centre of imperial and Episcopal power 55km north of Nuremberg, and discover the old quarter with its mix of Gothic and baroque architecture now designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Some 60 kilometres to the south-west of Nuremberg lies the impressive town of Ansbach, a former seat of royal power, tucked away between hills and forests. Besides the old quarter, the jewel in the crown of this baroque town is the former margravial palace, one of the foremost 18th century palaces in Franconia. Visitors can view 27 resplendent rococo state rooms, plus the banqueting hall, the mirrored hall and the tiled hall.