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Nuremberg's a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative
region of Middle Franconia. It is situated on the Pegnitz river and the
(Rhine-) Main-Danube Canal. Population (as of 06/2005) is 497,213.
From 1050 to 1571, the city was a regular stop on the progression of the
Holy Roman Emperor, particularly because Reichstage (Imperial Diets) and
courts met at Nuremberg Castle. The Diets of Nuremberg were an important
part of the administrative structure of the empire. In 1219 Nuremberg
became an Imperial Free City under Emperor Frederick II. Nuremberg soon
became, with Augsburg, one of the two great trade centers on the route
from Italy to Northern Europe.
Nuremberg is known for owning the first Iron Maiden torturing device
The cultural flowering of Nuremberg in the 15th and 16th centuries made
it the center of the German Renaissance.
In 1525, Nuremberg accepted the Reformation, and in 1532, the religious
Peace of Nuremberg, by which the Lutherans gained important concessions,
was signed there. During the Thirty Years War, in 1632, Gustavus II was
besieged in Nuremberg by Wallenstein. The city declined after the war and
recovered its importance only in the 19th century, when it grew as an industrial
center. At the beginning of the 19th century Nuremberg was practically bankrupt.
In 1806 with the Holy Roman Empire formally being dissolved, Nuremberg passed
to Bavaria. The Bavarian state took over the debts of Nuremberg and did
guarantee their amortization. The first German railway, from Nuremberg to
nearby Fürth, was opened in 1835.
Because of its relevance to the Holy Roman Empire, in line with the connotations
raised by the term Third Reich, the Nazis chose the city as the site of
their large NSDAP party conventions. A number of premises were specially
constructed for these assemblies, as well as other buildings, some of which
were not finished. To this date, many examples of Nazi architecture can
be seen in the city, making it an interesting visit for those interested
in the History of Germany overall.
After Adolf Hitler came to power, Nuremberg was made a national shrine
by the National Socialists, who held their annual party congresses nearby
from 1933 through 1938. The city was the home of the Nazi leader Julius
Streicher and became a center of anti-Semitic propaganda, including the
famous Nuremberg rallies captured in Leni Riefenstahl's 1934 film Triumph
of the Will.
During World War II, Nuremberg was the Headquarters of Military District/Wehrkreis
XIII, and an important site for the production of airplane, submarine,
and tank engines. The industrial areas of the city were severely damaged
in air raids (1943/44). On January 2nd, 1945, the medieval city center
was systematically bombed by the British and Americans and was largely
(90%) destroyed in only one hour, with 1 800 residents killed and roughly
100 000 left homeless. In February 1945, additional attacks followed.
All in all, 6 000 residents of Nuremberg are estimated to have been killed
in air raids. Despite this, the city was rebuilt after the war and was
to some extent restored to its pre-war appearance, down to the replication
of some of its medieval buildings. However, the pre-war splendour of the
city seems to be lost forever.
Between 1945 and 1949, German officials involved in the Holocaust were
taken in front of a tribunal in the Nuremberg Trials.
Culture
Nuremberg was an early center of humanism, science, printing, and mechanical
invention.
The city contributed much to the science of astronomy. In 1471 Johannes
Mueller of Königsberg (Bavaria), later called Regiomontanus,
built an astronomical observatory in Nuremberg and published many important
astronomical charts. In 1515, Albrecht Dürer, a native of
Nuremberg, mapped the stars of the northern and southern hemispheres,
producing the first printed star charts, which had been ordered by Johann
Stabius. Around 1515 Dürer also published the "Stabiussche 'Weltkarte',
the first perspective reproduction of the terrestrial globe. Perhaps most
famously, the main part of Nicolaus Copernicus' work was published
in Nuremberg in 1543.
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. Others furthered geographical
knowledge and travel by mapmaking. Two of these were navigator and geographer
Martin Behaim, who made the first world globe, and Hartmann
Schedel, who wrote his World Chronicles (Schedelsche Weltchronik)
in the local Franconian dialect.
Sculptors like Veit Stoss and Peter Vischer are also associated
with Nuremberg.
Composed of prosperous artisans, the guilds of the Meistersingers flourished
here. Richard Wagner made their most famous member, Hans Sachs,
the hero of his opera Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. Baroque composer
Johann Pachelbel was born here and was organist of St. Sebald church.
Arts and Architecture
The following churches are located inside the city walls: St. Sebald,
St. Lorenz, Frauenkirche (Our Lady's Church), St. Klara,
St. Martha, St. Jakob, St. Egidien, and St. Elisabeth.
The church of the previous Katharienkloster is preserved as a ruin,
the Cartause is integrated in the building of the Germanisches
Nationalmuseum and the choir of the previous Franzikanerkirche is
part of a modern building. The Walburga Chapel and the romanic
"Doppelkapelle" (Chapel with two floors) are part of
Nuremberg Castle.
The "Johannisfriedhof" contains many old graves (Albrecht Dürer,
Willibald Pirckheimer, etc.), the "Rochusfriedhof", or the Wöhrder
Kirchhof are near the Old Town.
Article from Wikipedia (original
article)
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