Today marks our third and final day in Nuremberg, Germany! The morning and early afternoon were free for us and so I set off on a long solo walk around the city which led me to the Nuremberg Castle. Afterwards, I had to spend some time catching up on my journaling before leaving for today’s class session at the National Germanic museum.
So let’s dive right on in, then!
Walking in Nuremberg
I think I mentioned this in a previous post, but Nuremberg is such a fun city to walk through. The buildings on either side of the street come in all different styles, which I suspect is due to different remodels and additions made throughout the decades. There are some buildings that are 25% wall, 75% roof, which are a shock to see, and there are also some of my favorites: the bavarian-style cross beam inns.
The roads themselves are mostly gray cobblestone which adds to the storybook-vibe. Thankfully, I remembered my walking shoes (I learned my lesson about wearing dress shoes on cobblestone streets back at Oxford). Like Bamberg, Nuremberg is also criss-crossed by canals which makes for some gorgeous views from its many bridges. As I walked across one, I made a mental note to find a river side cafe to journal at later in the day.
Nuremberg Castle (Kaiserburg Nürnberg)
While just walking in Nuremberg is a pleasant enough experience, I did have a destination is mind. About a half hour after leaving the hotel, I finally arrived at the Nuremberg castle, a formidable monument visible from Nuremburg’s skyline at nearly any point in the city.
Like many of Europe’s other major castles, the Nuremberg castle is built on a hill, which means a hefty climb up, and up, and up. When I finally reached the castle’s massive gate, I was excited to explore yet curious about admission fees. I was a little saddened to find out that the price was somewhere around 20-30 euros. Still, that is no reason to skip a visit here after you worked so hard to climb that hill! There are actually plenty of cool things to see and do that don’t involve going inside the castle walls.
For one, the walkway leading up the front gate has a large plaza from which you get some amazing views over the rest of Nuremberg! Dare I say, they were even better than the views from the pop-open window on the roof of our hotel room! I actually spent awhile here at the ledge, catching my breath and enjoying the coooooool breeze.
Next, I took myself on a walk around the outer castle walls, admiring the towers and general bigness of the structure itself.
One of the best things to do, in my opinion, is to explore the gardens surrounding the castle. This is completely free, and the gardens were just lovely! There was also a general lack of crowdedness which I count as a bonus. There are quite a few of these gardens, and I spent almost an hour trying to explore them all.
Plus, I saw my first ever red-squirrel! A quintessential European experience!
Do I wish I could have gone for a tour inside the castle walls? Of course! But did I feel robbed of the Nuremberg Castle experience? Nope! I had a ton of fun here, and exploring someplace by myself was a welcome change.
Hangman’s Bridge (Henkersteg)
After leaving the Nuremberg Castle, I met my friends and we left in search of a riverside cafe where we could do some journaling. On the way, we happened upon a well preserved landmark, the Hangman’s Bridge.
Hangman’s bridge is one of only a few surviving wooden bridges in Germany, and stretches over the river Pegnitz. It’s been given such a sinister name because in Medieval times, the town’s hangman lived in the tower on the other side of the bridge. The bridge itself offers some beautiful views of the river and surrounding buildings, plus it is covered and so you are protected from a sunburn. Now that’s what I call a pale girl’s victory!
Journaling near the River Pegnitz
After looking for a long time, I am disappointed to inform you that the only cafe we could find that is both near the river and would let us keep a table for a couple of hours… was starbucks. Go ahead, crucify me for not shopping locally. I accept my fate.
The view, however, was lovely. The occasional flock of ducks and even a man juggling milk bottles on his elbows provided ample distraction from work. Not too much, though, as we were able to catch up on our work in time to leave for today’s class at the National Germanic museum!
The National Germanic Museum (Germanisches Nationalmuseum)
Today’s class was a bit unusual in that the professor would not be giving a lecture on any pre-chosen pieces of art. Rather, we were told to make our way through the museum at our own pace, and pick three artifacts or art pieces to analyze using what we’ve learned about art history so far.
I’ll include those analyses at the bottom of this section so you don’t have to read them if you don’t want to.
As you would probably guess by the name, the National Germanic Museum contains both art and historical artifacts from throughout the history of the nation (and the time before as well) all the way from ancient times to the 20th century.
If I had to describe the National Germanic Museum in one word, it would be “expansive”. Each type of art or artifact takes up an entire gallery. For example, there is a gallery dedicated to stone sculpture, one that’s dedicated to suits of armor, and another dedicated to artifacts whose original uses are completely unknown! I thought that was pretty cool.
There is also an exhibit with lots of high-society renaissance-era dresses if that’s your thing! In addition to the dresses, the temporary gallery is centered around German fashion from over the years. This was my absolute favorite exhibit at the National Germanic museum, as they had all sorts of clothing from everyday outfits from the 30’s to extravagant runway outfits from the present (think a fully-frilled dress made completely out of newspaper clippings).
The museum also has its fair share of early Christian art, as one would expect. One particular wing has a bunch of paintings of martyrs being martyred, which means you get to see faces like this:
For more info on the National Germanic Museum’s admission and hours of operation, click here!
My Verdict:
Like in my previous Nuremberg post, Nuremberg gets an “A” from me! It’s a engaging city to just walk around in, and I was so glad we had time to explore on our own so that we could see some landmarks outside of churches and museums. Late October/ early November ended up being a great time to visit as well, the trees were changing color but it still wasn’t too cold. We could also visit the beginnings of Nuremberg’s famous Christmas markets without the full-swing Christmas market crowds. Yet another added bonus, the hotel we stayed at was fabulous with its two-story rooms and complementary mimosas for breakfast, but you can read more about that in the previous post.
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Next up on the itinerary, we are heading north to Aachen! I am all set to give my presentation to the rest of the class (which takes the form of giving a history tour), so if you send some well wishes or good vibes my way, I will be endlessly thankful to you!
Where did she come from? Bamberg, Germany
Where is she going (next)? Aachen, Germany