Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
NUREMBERG & FRANCONIA
Somewhere between Ingolstadt and Nuremberg, Bavaria's accent mellows, the oompah
bands play that little bit quieter and wine competes with beer as the local tipple. This is
Franconia (Franken) and, as every local will tell you, Franconians, who inhabit the wooded
hills and the banks of the Main River in Bavaria's northern reaches, are a breed apart from
their brash and extrovert cousins to the south.
In the northwest, the region's winegrowers produce some exceptional whites, sold in a
distinctive teardrop-shaped bottle, the
Bocksbeutel
. For outdoor enthusiasts, the Altmühltal
Nature Park offers wonderful hiking, biking and canoeing. But it is Franconia's old royalty
and incredible cities - Nuremberg , Bamberg and Coburg - that draw the biggest crowds.
Nuremberg
0911 / POP 503,000
Nuremberg (Nürnberg), Bavaria's second-largest city and the unofficial capital of
Franconia, is an energetic place where the nightlife is intense and the beer is as dark as cof-
fee. As one of Bavaria's biggest draws it is alive with visitors year-round, but especially
during the spectacular Christmas market.
For centuries, Nuremberg was the undeclared capital of the Holy Roman Empire and the
preferred residence of most German kings, who kept their crown jewels here. Rich and
stuffed with architectural wonders, it was also a magnet for famous artists, though the most
famous of all, Albrecht Dürer, was actually born here. 'Nuremberg shines throughout Ger-
many like a sun among the moon and stars,' gushed Martin Luther. By the 19th century, the
city had become a powerhouse in Germany's industrial revolution.
The Nazis saw a perfect stage for their activities in working class Nuremberg. It was
here that the fanatical party rallies were held, the boycott of Jewish businesses began and
the infamous Nuremberg Laws outlawing German citizenship for Jewish people were enac-
ted. On 2 January 1945, Allied bombers reduced the city to landfill, killing 6000 people in
the process.
After WWII the city was chosen as the site of the war crimes tribunal, now known as the
Nuremberg Trials. Later, the painstaking reconstruction - using the original stone - of al-
most all the city's main buildings, including the castle and old churches in the Altstadt, re-
turned the city to some of its former glory.
