Why was Nuremberg chosen as the site of the Nazi war crimes trials?
Nuremberg was chosen for the postwar trials for two main reasons: the Palace of Justice was spacious and largely undamaged, and the city held deep symbolic weight as the site of the Nazi Party rallies and the place where the Nuremberg Laws stripping Jews of citizenship were enacted. The Soviet Union had wanted the trials in Berlin, but Nuremberg was selected as a compromise, with Berlin named as the permanent seat of the International Military Tribunal.
What were the Nuremberg rallies and when did they take place?
The Nuremberg rallies were large annual Nazi Party conventions held in Nuremberg because of the city's association with the Holy Roman Empire. They were held in 1927 and 1929, then every year from 1933 through 1938. Albert Speer designed the buildings and rally grounds; the 1934 rally was filmed by Leni Riefenstahl and released as Triumph des Willens.
What happened to Nuremberg's Jewish community during the Nazi era?
During Kristallnacht on the 10th of November 1938, the two remaining synagogues and numerous Jewish-owned shops were burned; 26 of the 91 Jews killed across Germany that night died in Nuremberg. By 1941 only about 1,800 Jews remained in the city, and over 1,600 were transported to extermination camps. At the war's end in 1945, no Jews remained in Nuremberg.
Who is Albrecht Durer and what is his connection to Nuremberg?
Albrecht Durer was born in Nuremberg and is one of the city's most celebrated natives. In 1515 he created woodcuts that became the first printed star charts of the northern and southern hemispheres, produced on commission from Johannes Stabius. He also contributed illustrations to the Nuremberg Chronicles, published in 1493 by printer Anton Koberger.
When was Nuremberg bombed in World War II and how much was destroyed?
On the 2nd of January 1945, the Royal Air Force and U.S. Army Air Forces bombed the medieval city centre, destroying roughly eighty percent of it in about one hour. Around 1,800 residents were killed and approximately 100,000 displaced. Further attacks followed in February 1945, and in total an estimated 6,000 Nuremberg residents died in air raids.
What was the significance of the Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund granting the Imperial regalia to Nuremberg?
In 1423, Emperor Sigismund of Luxembourg granted that the Imperial regalia, the physical symbols of empire, be kept permanently in Nuremberg. They remained there for over three centuries until 1796, when the advance of French troops required their removal to Regensburg and then to Vienna.