Nuremberg

Much like Bordeaux which I had visited the week before, Nuremberg in Germany was a destination that I wanted to get to because of a direct flight from Zurich. While Nuremberg certainly has been part of SWISS’ network for a long time, at the time of my visit the flight was being operated by a wet-lease turboprop from Austrian Airlines. Essentially, demand wasn’t always that high. I figured I’d take advantage of the flight as long as it was still running. Tickets in January were cheap, and I had a long weekend off from work. I went off to Bavaria for a few days.

THURSDAY, January 17th

Slightly delayed departure from Zürich in the evening with an Austrian Airlines Dash-8-Q400 Turboprop being operated for SWISS. The reason was a reduction in capacity at the airport due to strong westerly winds.

However, we arrived in Nuremberg only about 10 minutes late.

Before leaving the airport, I made sure to buy a Nuremberg Card at the airport’s information desk. The card gives free use of public transport and free admission in several places around the city. The card is used for two calendar days. I decided to activate it for the following two days, as it was late at night. The one-way ticket on the subway from the airport was just 3,20 Euros anyway.

I got off the subway quite close to my hotel in the heart of Nuremberg, checked-in, and relaxed for a short while. Then I went out for dinner in a traditional German restaurant called Goldenes Posthorn, close to my hotel.

Afterwards I went to the southern side of Nuremberg’s old town to check out some nightclubs.

FRIDAY, January 18th

After getting breakfast at my hotel, I started out the day at the Germanisches Nationalmuseum. It is the biggest museum in Central Europe regarding Germanic culture. The museum’s collection numbers over 1.3 million items, of which approximately 25,000 are on display. I spent over 3 hours inside.

It is truly a fascinating collection on display, which covers an incredible spectrum of Germanic culture. It’s important to note that it is “Germanic”, and not simply Germany’s own culture. This means that other German-speaking areas of central Europe, such as Switzerland, Austria, and northern Italy are also represented with some items in the collection. Historically there have been Germanic areas in the modern-day Czech Republic and Poland as well.

As one can imagine with such a large collection, the range of items on display is incredible. It’s hard to cover all of the items chronologically. The museum attempts to group the items by different categories. The largest of these categories is archaeology, which shouldn’t come as a surprise. One of the more fascinating items in the archaeology section, in my personal opinion, was a golden headdress from a Bronze Age sun priest.

Also noteworthy is a significant collection of ancient coins.

There is plenty of jewelry shown among the archaeological findings. Some of the more highlighted pieces are from the Ostrogoth royal family that ruled northern Italy and the Alps in the early 6th century AD.

Germany has historically been a very religious country in the Medieval period. Martin Luther, for instance, was born in Germany. There are numerous religious artifacts on display at the Germanisches Nationalmuseum. Some of the more visually appealing items are definitely altarpieces, usually in the form of several paintings put together.

Not all of the items shown at the Grmanisches Nationalmuseum are simply individual pieces. At various points throughout the museum, a Germanic identity is reflected in something larger, such as homes and interiors. Perhaps the most characteristic of these is the so-called Alpstube. It is a living/dining room inside a wooden house typically found in the region of the Alps mountains.

In a later portion of the museum, this can be contrasted with some comparably more modern interior design. German architects developed the “Frankfurt Kitchen” as a design concept that could be easily copied. It was recreated in over 10,000 apartments built as social housing projects in Frankfurt after the First World War.

Among all the approximately 25,000 items on display at the museum, the ones that I personally found most interesting were a group of old globes. What makes them very special is that the museum has the world’s oldest preserved globe in its exhibits. As someone who travels the world regularly in the age of satellite imagery, smartphones, and GPS, it’s always fascinating to see depictions of Earth before such technology became available. It’s also telling that most historical globes and maps were drawn by colonial powers. Europe is usually relatively detailed, with parts of Africa and Asia being detailed while the rest are very ruggedly drawn. Maps drawn by old Asian empires sometimes show a reverse effect.

The world’s oldest preserved globe was created in 1492 by Martin Behaim on request of the Nuremberg city council. The year 1492 is coincidental. However, in terms of colonial history, it is perhaps the most important year in the history books. In 1492, Christopher Columbus first set foot in the “New World” in the Americas. Since Columbus had not yet returned to Europe to share what he found, Behaim had literally no idea that North America or South America existed. However, the theory of a path to the west over the Atlantic Ocean to “somewhere” was prevalent at the time.

According to signs at the museum, Behaim highlighted raw materials and precious spices found on known islands closer to the European and West African coasts. However, because of restoration works, these descriptions on the globe are mostly unreadable. The idea behind these inscriptions was that an exploration further west across the ocean would lead to even more valuable treasures. Because Behaim had to rely on the information that was known at the time, there is just an endless blue Atlantic Ocean that stretches around the globe to East Asia. The scale of the various continents is also quite distorted.

After I spent a few hours at the Germanisches Nationalmuseum I wanted a quick lunch. I decided on a nearby spot called Wurst Durst (literally “sausage thirst”) for a portion of a classic German dish, currywurst. The spot was close to the central train station as well, which was practical.

From a square just in front of Nuremberg’s central train station, I got on a tram to the Reichsparteitagsgelände, the Reich Party Rally Grounds in English. It was a massive complex constructed by the Nazi Party to conduct their party rallies.

Unlike political rallies today which are more like single events in a conference center or stadium with speeches and limited entertainment, the Nazi Party rallies of the 1930s are best compared to a large-scale festival. The first rallies already took place in the 1920s. After the Nazi Party gained political control of the country in 1933, the rallies grew in size.

Nazi Party members from all across Germany would once a year travel to Nuremberg to take part in the rallies. The events consisted of large outside gatherings for Hitler’s speeches, parades, musical performances, sports, or even dances.

A concept sketch showing all planned structures at the Reichsparteitagsgelände. The structures at the bottom of the image are closest to the city center.

The Nazis dreamed of a massive purpose-built complex with a dozen venues or landmarks at the Reichsparteitagsgelände. Not all of the planned buildings were finished. Only the main street linking the various structures together, Große Straße, as well as the Zeppelinfeld and Luipoldarena stadiums were finished.

The Nazis envisioned a large congress hall as well. It was planned to hold over 50,000 party members indoors, but only the outer ring of the structure was completed. Inside one corner of the Kongresshalle, there’s a museum regarding the Nazi Party’s history and their involvement with Nuremberg. I elected to explore the outdoor sites first, before the sunset. 

You might be wondering why there are any of the buildings from the Nazi Party Rally Grounds left standing. This is for good reason. Modern Germany has a policy of acknowledging its Nazi past, as well as preserving the buildings, incl. concentration camps, as memorials. In the vast majority of such cases, the swastikas have been removed. The facts from the dark era are presented by German museums and historians so that we can learn from the past and not repeat it. I personally much prefer the German approach instead of simply sweeping everything under the rug, demolishing buildings, and deleting the chapters from the history books, as if it never happened.

Not only are the buildings preserved for historical reasons, but several parts of the Reichsparteitagsgelände have been repurposed. Today it’s home to a popular circus, several public parks and sports facilities. The modern Nürnberg Messe convention and trade fair center has been built at one end of the Große Straße.

It’s possible to walk along the Große Straße, built wide enough to be suitable for parades. The street was also long enough that the American military used it as a landing strip for planes immediately after the war. Most of the street remains today. However, it mainly serves as one long parking lot for the Messe and nearby sports stadiums.

The Zeppelinfeld stadium also still stands, where close to a hundred thousand Nazi German soldiers or party members were lined up to listen to Hitler’s fanatical rally speeches. Most of the photographs showing Hitler speaking in front of neatly arranged lines of tens of thousands of people were taken at either the Zeppelinfeld or the Luitpoldarena, which is also at the complex. There are also some incredible photographs at night when 150 light beams placed around the Zeppelinfeld’s outer edges were lit for special events, pointing vertically in the sky.

Today, the surrounding seating areas are permanently closed off. Only the main stand is open, and it is possible to walk up the stone steps. The main stand used to be complemented by a row of columns holding up a roofed structure. All of these have been removed due to stability concerns. Only the section of the building right behind the speaking platform remains, but the building itself is locked.

All of the swastikas have been removed. Most notably, the large swastika on top of the building was blown up by American troops after they entered Nuremberg.

The stadium holds four different sports fields inside of it today, to give you an idea of the scale. The total area of the Zeppelinfeld corresponds to 12 soccer fields, but there are obviously buildings in the way. I find it quite symbolic that the current sports teams using the Zeppelinfeld includes an American football team. They are scoring touchdowns while playing on the same grounds were the Nazis, who lost the war, held their military rallies.

The podium where Hitler used to do his speeches remains. It is somewhat understated, and quite frankly it looks ordinary. However, it feels weird to stand on the exact steps where one of the world’s worst mass-murderers once stood. It was on this exact platform that Hitler and other prominent Nazis held their fanatical speeches during party rallies and parades.

The last of the finished buildings, the Luitpoldarena, had been demolished and turned into a park. Only a memorial for World War I soldiers is left standing. The Luitpoldarena is on the opposite side of the complex, and relatively far away. I decided to walk back to the Congress Hall to view the museum first.

The Museum at the Reichsparteitagsgelände documents the rise of the Nazi Party to power. The exhibits first present the context that allowed Hitler’s radical party to even become popular.

A gathering of locals inside a brewery hall in Munich for a Nazi Party event in 1923.

Between the two world wars, Germany, which was also referred to as the Weimar Republic at the time, was suffering from the harsh economic punishment of the Versailles Treaty. The problems were only made worse by the Great Depression of 1930.

The queue outside the employment exchange in Hannover, 1932.

Many Germans were unemployed, became impoverished and hungry. It was in this economic climate that the Nazi Party’s extreme policies became somehow tolerable. For some voters, it was seen as a necessary change. The political posters for the various political parties in the 1930s reflected the extreme viewpoints presented at the time.

The museum has plenty of pictures relating to the Nazi Party rallies that were held in Nuremberg. All of these photos include images from the rally grounds complex as well as parades through the city center. The two photos below are both from the Luitpoldarena.

All of the images reflect the Nazi’s love for grand gatherings and excess. The parades served a carefully crafted propaganda purpose.

Although hardly anyone at the time could have imagined what World War II would become in terms of devastation and death, there was no hiding that the Nazi Party was preparing for military conflict. One of the unique “NS-Games” held during the party rallies was a hand grenade throwing competition. The following example was photographed in 1937.

The Holocaust is indeed covered with plenty of space at the museum. The Holocaust needs no introduction. The exhibit includes several pictures of Einsatzgruppen executing Jews on the Eastern Front that are too graphic to show here.

There was a significant population of Jews living in Franconia, the region of northern Bavaria surrounding Nuremberg. The vast majority of them were deported to ghettos or concentration camps.

Nuremberg’s connection to the Nazi Party is sadly quite unique. Apart from Munich where the Nazi Party was founded and Berlin which was the country’s capital, Nuremberg was probably the most important city for the Nazis. There was noticeably higher support among the local population. This was one of the reasons why the Nazis decided to hold their party rallies here.

Another reason is that Nuremberg was an important medieval city that is sometimes referred to as an unofficial capital of the Holy Roman Empire. The Holy Roman Empire was regarded as the “first” German Empire. The Nazis purposefully tried to restore some of these historical connections. Some of the most fanatical Nazis envisioned that the Third Reich would outlive the Holy Roman Empire as the “1000 Years Empire”.

However, the most known part of Nuremberg’s legacy will perhaps be the infamous Nuremberg Laws. The laws are named after the city because they were introduced during the annual party rally in 1935. The Nuremberg Laws determined who were Jewish, part-Jewish, or of pure German blood, according to the Nazi Party’s race ideology. The identity was based entirely on ancestry, regardless of anyone’s personal faith. The Nuremberg Laws determined which “races” were allowed to marry, in order to preserve a “pure” German race. The system introduced by the Nuremberg Laws became a reference for citizenship status and who had their rights limited. It was also used to select Jewish victims for the Holocaust.

A slightly more positive legacy of Nuremberg’s Nazi legacy was the post-war Nuremberg Trials. They were held in Nuremberg because of its prominent status during the Nazi era, the Nuremberg Laws, as well as the city’s undamaged and functional courthouse. All of the Nazi Party leaders who hadn’t already committed suicide (such as Hitler and a few associates in the Führerbunker) were brought to justice in front of a court, charged for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

I’ll go into more detail regarding the Nuremberg Trials later in this blog post. The following day, Saturday, I went to visit the courthouse where the trials were conducted. However, one noteworthy display case at the Reichsparteitagsgelände Museum contains several of the last statements and words of the Nazis who were given the death penalty.

Some of the last images at the museum show how the former parade grounds at the Zeppelinfeld were used for more peaceful purposes after the war. Many public sporting and racing events took place there, as well as US Army parades.

From within the museum, there is access to a small platform from which you can look inside the hollow, unfinished Congress Hall. It was designed to hold up to 50,000 spectators, but only the outer shell was completed.

After visiting the museum, I could’ve walked to the next spot at the Luitpoldarena. However, a tram was approaching soon after I exited the museum. I hopped on the tram for a few stops to be closer to the Luitpoldarena.

Today, the former Luitpoldarena stadium is a large public park. A few landmarks remain, including a memorial statue to pilots of the German Air Forces of both world wars.

Behind this statue is the World War I memorial that used to be a centerpiece of the Luitpoldarena. The Ehrenhalle was built by the Nazis as a memorial for World War I casualties. The building was incorporated into the seating areas of the stadium that extended on both its sides. Because this is a military memorial, it was preserved while the rest of the structure was demolished. During Nazi parades and special events, flames were seen burning at some of the small pillars that surround the square in front of the Ehrenhalle. All Nazi symbols have been removed, and the text inside the hall has been altered from the original propaganda-laden inscriptions.

The City of Nuremberg has converted the landmark into a memorial not only for First World War soldiers, but also for fallen soldiers of WWII and victims of the Nazi regime.

As I walked back to the tram stop near the Luitpoldarena, the next tram towards the downtown was arriving. I ran over to the tram stop, but I still had to cross the tram tracks. I gave way to the tram, and I’m sure the driver must have seen me. As the tram had passed and I walked around the tram to enter the platform, it kept moving and sped away! Needless to say, I was quite upset. I even tried to signal the driver, but it was getting too dark, so he probably didn’t notice that. It was another 15 minutes before the next tram arrived. 

In central Nuremberg all the attractions had closed, although it was “only” 6 PM. It seemed that the restaurants had closed too. The 3 spots I went to were all permanently shut due to the low season in January. I went by the hotel to drop off some stuff first. Then I continued to the north of the city’s Old Town, where I found an open restaurant serving German food.

Although I had already had currywurst for lunch, the city is famous for its local sausages. I had to order a mix of several types of sausages of course!

Afterward I decided to go out to the same dance club where I had gone the previous evening. I have a preference for house music, and that’s exactly what the DJs were playing there.

SATURDAY, January 19th

I woke up relatively early to walk around the old town of central Nuremberg. I wanted to have a look at special buildings and notable monuments before museums would open. The most notable landmark in the city is probably the Hauptmarkt main square.

My hotel was actually located right by the square. In the northwestern corner of the square is the Schöner Brunnen, a 14th-century fountain shaped like a Gothic spire. The water fountain has become one of the city’s landmarks.

I also entered two churches, the first of them being the Lorenzkirche, which was completed in the 15th century. It is one of the largest churches in Nuremberg.

Another, smaller church with a similarly dark, Gothic interior is the St. Sebalduskirche. This is the oldest church in the city, dating back to the 13th century.

The first true sight I went to became the Kaiserburg, a castle situated on the northwestern corner of Old Town Nuremberg. The castle is part of the former town walls. It was an imperial castle for the Holy Roman Empire. The first castle was built here in the 12th century, and the complex has been expanded since.

During the Holy Roman Empire, there was no official capital, but the empire was governed by a traveling court. Nuremberg was regarded as an “unofficial” capital for a while. The crown jewels were stored at the Kaiserburg for centuries. Some important political decisions were made here as well. However, most of the emperors were coronated in Frankfurt, and imperial courts resided in other cities. Particularly after the House of Habsburg rose to prominence, Vienna became more and more like the true capital of the Holy Roman Empire.

Inside of the Kaiserburg, there are some museum exhibits regarding the history of the empire and the castle. Not to be missed are the views of the city from the Kaiserburg’s raised location above the Old Town.

The Holy Roman Empire emerged from Pope Leo III’s coronation of Charlemagne as Roman Emperor in the year 800. However, he was not a direct descendant of the actual Roman Empire. Charlemagne had consolidated Frankish tribes in much of central Europe and protected the Papacy as an ally. The Byzantine Empire in Eastern Europe was an actual remnant of the Roman Empire. Pope Leo III wanted a Roman Emperor in western Europe in order to shift power away from the declining Byzantine Empire.

A few generations after Charlemagne’s death, his former Carolingian Empire had fragmented. However, the throne was still passed to his descendants. Particularly during the 10th century, several duchies and smaller kingdoms appeared within the territory that Charlemagne used to control. Eventually, the throne was passed to Saxon Kings of Germany. The several autonomous duchies were essentially vassals to the King of Germany, and thus to the Holy Roman Emperor.

The Holy Roman Empire in the early 13th century.

Thanks to conquests, diplomatic marriages, and family lines, the territory of the Holy Roman Empire expanded. So did the number of autonomous territories as well. The number of duchies and kingdoms that ruled their own territories within the Holy Roman Empire was staggering. At the height of the empire, it consisted of several dozen territories. The Holy Roman Emperor was still the overall ruler, but each kingdom and duchy had a great level of autonomy. It wouldn’t be incorrect to consider the Holy Roman Empire a large alliance between several countries rather than a country of its own. However, some political and military affairs were determined at the “federal” level, so you couldn’t consider each kingdom or duchy to be fully independent either.

The Holy Roman Empire lasted until Napoleon defeated it at Austerlitz in 1806. After the Battle of Austerlitz, most Holy Roman duchies became subjects of the French Empire. The last Holy Roman Emperor was Francis II of the Habsburgs. Francis II survived the defeat at Austerlitz with most of his Habsburg possessions still intact. He founded the Austrian Empire from the territory that he still controlled. Interestingly, the only former territory of the Holy Roman Empire that is still a monarchy today is the tiny Principality of Liechtenstein, located between Switzerland and Austria.

Among the items displayed at the Kaiserburg are several medieval weapons. However, the most important are original, preserved documents related to key events during the history of the Holy Roman Empire. One of these was the certificate granting Frederick VI of Nuremberg control of the Margraviate of Brandenburg in 1415. This territory roughly corresponds to the current German state of Brandenburg, which in the middle ages included the city of Berlin. Frederick VI was also named as Elector of Brandenburg. This gave him a vote for the selection of the Holy Roman Emperor.

Another very important document is a copy of the Golden Bull of 1356, a decree issued by the Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV. Golden bulls, named for the golden seal placed on the documents, were important decrees. The Golden Bull of 1356 regulated various aspects of the Holy Roman Empire and the election of emperors, much like a constitution. The actual Golden Bull of 1356 is stored at museums in Vienna and Munich. The Kaiserburg in Nuremberg displays a handwritten book explaining the decree. This book was created in Prague in the year 1400.

There are numerous old paintings and drawings of Nuremberg shown at the Kaiserburg museum. One of the more impressive drawings was published in 1493 in “Schedel’s World Chronicle”. This was an illustrated book created by a physician from Nuremberg. He was keen on showing off his hometown within his book. The Kaiserburg castle is featured prominently on the drawing at its raised location north of the city center.

After I visited the Kaiserburg I elected to do an early lunch. The next spots on my plan would take me out of the city center. Not far from the castle was the Bratwursthäusele restaurant. Yes, I decided on another go at Nuremberg’s rendition of the famous bratwurst! When in Rome, right?

After lunch, I continued walking for a bit through the old town before getting on the metro out to the Memorium of Nuremberg Trials, at the Palace of Justice. The famous Nuremberg Trials were conducted inside courtroom 600. This particular courtroom is still occasionally used for trials today.

There are some information boards inside the courtroom. They are placed in such a manner that they can be removed easily in case a trial is scheduled inside this specific room. The equipment inside the courtroom and the furniture have been modernized, and the layout has been slightly adapted. Otherwise, it’s the exact same courtroom where numerous Nazi leaders were put to justice by the Allies for their crimes after World War II.

There’s a more permanent museum about the trials in adjacent rooms, and the floor above it. The Nuremberg Trials were groundbreaking in many ways. The prosecution team consisted of judges and representatives from each of the four Allied powers, namely the US, France, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union.

Most of the legal team representing the defendants were Germans. The Nuremberg Trials were the first instance worldwide where simultaneous translation was used in a courtroom. A dedicated team of translators translated between English, French, Russian and German essentially simultaneously as the statements were made. Everyone inside the courtroom could listen to a translation in their desired language using headphones.

Up until then, most legal proceedings were much slower because verbal statements or questions needed to include regular pauses for translators to translate every paragraph or sentence. Because these pauses were no longer included, this was an especially important step. During questioning, the defendants would no longer have pauses where they could think of a more prepared response.

This translation technique wasn’t immune to translation errors. However, that was accepted in exchange for speeding up the court proceedings significantly. There was literally a long list of defendants to put to trial. The trials were recorded in the original, spoken language anyway in case any disputes about the translations would have a significant effect on the outcome.

The first round of trials conducted in Nuremberg was the International Military Tribunal. It took place between November 20th, 1945, and October 1st, 1946. Twenty-four prominent Nazi politicians, military and economic leaders were tried.

Of course, Hitler, Goebbels, and a few other Nazis had committed suicide during the Battle of Berlin or as Allied forces were invading the Reich in 1945. Their suicides could be seen as an admission of guilt. Nevertheless, the Nuremberg trials didn’t put dead Nazis on trial. However, a few Nazis were tried and convicted in absentia, because their whereabouts were unknown in late 1945. It hadn’t been determined whether they had died during the Battle of Berlin or perhaps had fled the country. The most prominent example was Martin Bormann, Hitler’s private secretary. Bormann actually died on May 2nd, 1945 during an attempt to escape Berlin during the night before Nazi Germany surrendered. However, his remains were not discovered until 1972, so he was convicted in absentia in Nuremberg.

The International Military Tribunal was followed by separate trials against less-prominent groups of Nazis, such as concentration camp leaders, Gestapo officials, or SS doctors, like the group pictured above. The highest-ranking Nazi put on trial was Hermann Göring, who for most of the war was the second-in-command as Reichsmarschall, as well as being Hitler’s designated successor. Göring was sentenced to death, but committed suicide shortly before his execution.

The four counts of indictments were 1) participation in a common plan or conspiracy (for crimes against peace); 2) wars of aggression and crimes against peace; 3) war crimes; and 4) crimes against humanity. Not all of the defendants were tried against all four indictments. Some were given the death penalty, others were sentenced to long prison sentences, and a few were acquitted. A lot of the defendants argued that Hitler and Goebbels’ suicides proved that all of the blame rested on their shoulders, and everyone else was simply following orders from above.

After my visit to the Memorium of Nuremberg Trials, I went back downtown to see the Deutsche Bahn Museum. The first-ever railway line in Germany connected Nuremberg with Fürth, which is now essentially a large suburb of Nuremberg. Nuremberg is home to the largest of several railway museums run by German company Deutsche Bahn throughout the country.

The oldest vehicle displayed at the museum, a coal wagon used in England in 1829. It is the oldest preserved railroad vehicle outside of Great Britain.

There are several sections covering the history of Deutsche Bahn. It goes hand-in-hand with the history of Germany as a country. During the German Empire in the late 19th century, the German railroads were expanded significantly.

A ticket for a local train serving suburbs of Berlin in the 1870s.

Of course, the railroads eventually served a military purpose as well. This was the case during World War I but especially during World War II. Plenty of new locomotives were introduced between the two world wars.

A timetable booklet for the Sudetenland, German-speaking border regions in then Czechoslovakia which were annexed by Nazi Germany in 1938.

Interestingly, despite being a railway museum, the Deutsche Bahn Museum also has a few display cases related to the Autobahn. Germany’s vast network of freeways was invented during the Nazi era.

As Germany was divided into two countries after the war, the rail company was divided in two as well.

West Germany’s Deutsche Bundesbahn was responsible for railway services in the west. East Germany’s Deutsche Reichsbahn retained the name that was given to the railroad company by the Nazis. Although both companies essentially began with what remained of the Nazi German railroad equipment and tracks within their respective occupation zones, they developed quite differently.

Not surprisingly, the Deutsche Bundesbahn modernized and developed their system along with West Germany’s economy. They had an emphasis on transporting passengers not only within Germany, but also to neighboring countries.

A Deutsche Bundesbahn poster from 1978 promoting the Interrail tickets that are still popular with train travelers and backpackers today. Traveling to over 20 countries would have been inconceivable for young East Germans.

Meanwhile, the Deutsche Reichsbahn in the German Democratic Republic received East Bloc trains and served a more industrial purpose than its neighbor.

A poster for the fall season of 1961 in East Germany. The slogan translates to: “[operating] according to schedule every day, during every shift with high quality!”

Several workers’ awards given to Deutsche Reichsbahn and its employees during the Cold War era.

As the communist economy stagnated, so did the funding of the DR network. Mismanagement in Eastern Germany led to many stretches of the railways being unusable and in disrepair. This was one of the main challenges for the new Deutsche Bahn that was created by the merger of the two companies in 1994, a few years after German reunification.

A vending machine for Deutsche Reichsbahn tickets.

There were also several locomotives on display at the museum, including some old 19th-century models.

In a large hall behind the main museum building was a few more trains on display. These include a full-scale concept mock-up of the modern ICE 4 train.

When I was done exploring the railway museum, there was still enough time to go to the City Museum at the so-called Fembo House before it closed. The exhibits there include interesting items from the early history of Nuremberg. One example is a painting of lavish parades held for Holy Roman Emperors.

There were also several scale models of Nuremberg’s central old town area. In the model below, the Kaiserburg is visible at the top of the model. The Lorenzkirche is the large church in the middle of the lower half of the model. The Schöner Brunnen at the Hauptmarkt square is also visible. It is the relatively small spire standing by itself a few streets north of the Lorenzkirche, in the very center of the image.

My personal favorites from the Nuremberg City Museum were some really nice black-and-white photos of what the city used to look like, particularly in the early 20th century or late 19th century. The first picture is from 1880, the second photograph is from around 1905.

Some photos are quite moving too, as they show Nuremberg in ruins after World War II had ended.

What is incredible about these photographs is seeing local residents somehow carrying on with their lives in their destroyed hometown. Most of central Nuremberg was severely damaged by the war.

The heart of old town Nuremberg, with the Kaiserburg’s towers in the background. The Schöner Brunnen water fountain at the Hauptmarkt square in the middle seemed to escape bomb damage.

By now it had become 6 PM and all places in Nuremberg had closed. I decided to return to my hotel to relax for a bit, before going out to dinner. Once again I decided to visit the Goldenes Posthorn, where I also had dinner the first night in Nuremberg. Unlike several of my previous meals, I didn’t order a sausage dish!

Because I had a morning flight and had to go to work the following day, I needed to get to bed before it was too late. 

SUNDAY, January 20th

Woke up and checked out of the hotel. I walked to the nearest metro station and got on a train to the airport. It was a slightly longer walk. I noticed as I was walking outside, just after sunrise, that it felt very cold. I checked the weather on my phone, which indicated that it was -8 degrees Celsius (18 degrees Fahrenheit). Brrr.

After getting to the airport, I quickly made my way through security and walked straight to the Lufthansa Lounge. I hadn’t had any breakfast yet. I would have had to pay for it at the hotel, and anywhere else really. However, there’s free food at the lounge. I fly so often that I get access via my frequent flyer membership. Unfortunately, the selection of food was incredibly limited, essentially just bread, pretzels, sweets and fruits. Oh well, much better than nothing.

As I finally left the lounge, boarding had already started. They were in fact calling mine and another passenger’s name on the terminal’s PA system. Turned out that boarding was almost completed. Oops. I did make it there in plenty of time though. I actually ended up waiting for a bus to show up anyway!

My flight back to Zurich on a turboprop operated by Austrian Airlines for SWISS left on time. We arrived in Zurich about 10 minutes ahead of schedule, which was a nice plus.