Nuremberg
The first written record of Nuremberg appears in 1050, describing an imperial castle situated between East Francia and the Margraviate of the Nordgau. This early mention marks the beginning of a city that would grow to become one of the most significant political centers in the Holy Roman Empire. From 1211 until 1543, the city hosted numerous Imperial Diets, serving as a routine administrative hub for the empire. Emperor Frederick II granted the Great Charter of Freedom in 1219, giving the city town rights, the power to mint coins, and independent customs policy. These privileges effectively removed the city from the control of local burgraves.
Charles IV's Golden Bull of 1356 designated Nuremberg as the mandatory location for newly elected kings to hold their first Imperial Diet. This decree elevated the city to one of the three most important cities within the Empire. The royal connection deepened in 1423 when Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund placed the Imperial Regalia permanently in Nuremberg. These regalia remained there until 1796, when advancing French troops forced their removal to Regensburg and eventually Vienna. The city accumulated considerable territory through various wars and acquisitions, becoming one of the largest imperial cities by the mid-15th century.
The medieval period also saw violent conflicts between the burgraves and the castellans who administered municipal courts. By the late 14th century, these strained relations erupted into open enmity that shaped the city's history. A Craftsmen's Uprising occurred in 1349 when guild members rebelled against patrician rule. Although the rebellion failed, it led to a ban on self-organization for artisans and dissolved customary unions elsewhere in Europe. The oligarchs retained power while Nuremberg functioned as a free city until the early 19th century.
Albrecht Dürer, born in Nuremberg, created woodcuts of the first printed star charts for the northern and southern hemispheres in 1515. These maps were ordered by Johannes Stabius and marked a significant advancement in astronomical science. Around the same year, Dürer published the Stabiussche Weltkarte, which represented the first perspective drawing of the terrestrial globe. Anton Koberger opened Europe's first print shop in Nuremberg in 1470, establishing the city as a center for printing and publishing.
Koberger published the Nuremberg Chronicles in 1493, an illustrated history written in the local Franconian dialect by Hartmann Schedel. Michael Wohlgemuth, Wilhelm Pleydenwurff, and Albrecht Dürer provided illustrations for this massive work. Martin Behaim, a navigator and geographer from the city, constructed the first world globe. The city fostered a rich literary culture during the Middle Ages that evolved into a German Renaissance hub during the 15th and 16th centuries.
Johannes Mueller of Königsberg built an astronomical observatory in Nuremberg in 1471 and published important astronomical charts. Sculptors such as Veit Stoss, Adam Kraft, and Peter Vischer are also associated with the city's artistic legacy. Johann Pachelbel was born here and served as organist at St. Sebaldus Church. The academy of fine arts in Nuremberg is the oldest art academy in central Europe, tracing its tradition back 350 years.
The Nazi Party selected Nuremberg to host huge conventions known as the Nuremberg rallies between 1927 and 1938. Albert Speer designed buildings and large gathering areas collectively called the Nazi Party Rally Grounds solely for these assemblies. Adolf Hitler ordered the Reichstag to convene at Nuremberg during the 1935 rally to pass the Nuremberg Laws. These laws revoked German citizenship for all Jews and other non-Aryans. Leni Riefenstahl filmed the 1934 rally and produced the propaganda film Triumph of the Will.
Willy Liebel served as the Nazi Oberbürgermeister and initiated a program of urban architectural renewal. He aimed to restore the city center to a medieval look by eliminating late nineteenth-century styling. Liebel successfully had the Grand Synagogue of Nuremberg completely demolished around September 1938 because he felt its Moorish revival architecture could not fit his vision. Julius Streicher, the Nazi Party Gauleiter of Franconia, operated from the city headquarters and published Der Stürmer.
During Kristallnacht on the 10th of November 1938, two remaining synagogues and numerous Jewish-owned shops burned to the ground. Of the 91 Jews in Germany who died as a result of Kristallnacht, 26 were in Nuremberg, including ten suicides. Between 2,000 and 3,000 of Nuremberg's Jews fled from Germany. By 1941, only about 1,800 remained, over 1,600 of whom were rounded up and transported to extermination camps where they were killed. At the end of the war in 1945, no Jews remained in Nuremberg.
The Palace of Justice in Nuremberg hosted international trials between 1945 and 1946 for German officials involved in war crimes and crimes against humanity. The Soviet Union had originally wanted these trials to take place in Berlin, but Nuremberg was chosen for specific reasons. The city held symbolic value because it was the location of the Nazi Party rallies and where laws stripping Jews of citizenship were passed there. The Palace of Justice was spacious and largely undamaged despite extensive Allied bombing of Germany.
One courtroom was reasonably easily expanded by removing the wall at the end opposite the bench to incorporate an adjoining room. A large prison was also part of the complex. As a compromise, Berlin became the permanent seat of the International Military Tribunal while the first trial took place in Nuremberg. Due to the Cold War, subsequent trials never occurred. Following the trials, many prominent German Nazi politicians and military leaders were executed in October 1946.
Hermann Göring committed suicide in his prison cell with a cyanide pill on the 15th of October just hours before his scheduled execution by hanging. The same courtroom later served as the venue for the Nuremberg Military Tribunals organized by the United States. In order to come to terms with the role Nuremberg played during the Third Reich, the city established the Nuremberg International Human Rights Award in 1995.
Common questions
When was the first written record of Nuremberg created?
The first written record of Nuremberg appears in 1050, describing an imperial castle situated between East Francia and the Margraviate of the Nordgau. This early mention marks the beginning of a city that would grow to become one of the most significant political centers in the Holy Roman Empire.
What year did Charles IV designate Nuremberg as the mandatory location for newly elected kings to hold their first Imperial Diet?
Charles IV's Golden Bull of 1356 designated Nuremberg as the mandatory location for newly elected kings to hold their first Imperial Diet. This decree elevated the city to one of the three most important cities within the Empire.
Who constructed the first world globe in Nuremberg?
Martin Behaim, a navigator and geographer from the city, constructed the first world globe. The city fostered a rich literary culture during the Middle Ages that evolved into a German Renaissance hub during the 15th and 16th centuries.
On what date were two remaining synagogues burned to the ground during Kristallnacht in Nuremberg?
During Kristallnacht on the 10th of November 1938, two remaining synagogues and numerous Jewish-owned shops burned to the ground. Of the 91 Jews in Germany who died as a result of Kristallnacht, 26 were in Nuremberg, including ten suicides.
When was Hermann Göring scheduled to be executed by hanging before he committed suicide?
Hermann Göring committed suicide in his prison cell with a cyanide pill on the 15th of October just hours before his scheduled execution by hanging. Following the trials, many prominent German Nazi politicians and military leaders were executed in October 1946.