Nuremberg – a stroll through the old town (2024)

The old town of Nurembergabsolutely deserves a good, leisurely stroll. There are beautiful houses at almost every corner, a lot of interesting churches to discover and many pleasant spaces to rest. Come join us on our tour that passes some of these lovely places.

Handwerkerhof

We go into the Handwerkerhof (craftsmen’s courtyard) via a bridge from the central train station to the main entrance of the Handwerkerhof. The weather was awful and that was certainly the reason why not many other visitors were to be seen.
Small shops are nestled into the half-timber houses in the narrow alleys. The goods that are sold here are partly traditional craftsmanship, partly targeted at tourists. There is also no shortage of food. The main cuisine here is Frankish.

I liked the Handwerkerhof quite a bit and I think it shouldn’t be missing on a tour through Nuremberg. Especially around Christmas this area is always busy and a good spot to find lovely gifts.

Address:

Handwerkerhof
Königstor
90402 Nürnberg

Opening Hours:

until 30th of December: Closed on Sundays and Bank Holidays
Advent Sundays: open
Shops:
Monday to Friday: 10.00 – 18.30
Saturday: 10.00 – 16.00

White Tower

The White Tower, a gate tower of Nuremberg’s penultimate city fortification, stands on Ludwigsplatz in the old town of Lorenzen.

The tower was probably built in 1250 and was originally a toll station. It is made of brick and has a pointed arched doorway with recesses. It got its name from the white plastering. This was removed in the course of renovation work in the post-war period.

Since 1978, the tower has housed the entrance to the underground.

Ehekaruessell

The Ehekaruessell is a fountain in the old town of Nuremberg and stands directly next to the White Tower.

With the construction of the underground in Nuremberg, a ventilation shaft had to be created. To conceal this, the idea came up to build a fountain around the opening. The sculptor Jürgen Weber designed the fountain, which was erected in 1984.

Not only the figurative depiction, which was partly considered vulgar, but also the considerable budget overrun was a thorn in the side of the city’s citizens and the fountain was highly controversial.

I can relate to this a little bit. The fountain shows six larger-than-life groups of figures that depict different scenes of a marriage, sometimes in a very drastic way. The basis for this is a poem by Hans Sachs (Das bittersüße eh’lich’ Leben). If you look at the hot-dip galvanised bronze statues, you will discover, for example, depictions of first love, marital strife and death.

Nassauer Haus

The Nassauer Haus (Nassau House) is opposite the Lorenzkirche. It is the only tower house that still exists in Nuremberg and one if its most famous buildings. It really stands out between all the half-timber houses. The tower is made of red sandstone. The tower was probably never used for defence. The alcoves and the armorial rim are particularly eye-catching.

Address:

Karolinenstraße 2
90402 Nürnberg

Albrecht-Dürer-Haus

Nuremberg is the hometown of Albrecht Dürer and in many places all over the city, one can find his traces.
Who was Albrecht Dürer? Firstly, Dürer was a passionate scholar of Humanism. But his fame stems more from his art. He was a painter, drawer and graphic designer, he wrote pieces on proportion theory, geometry and fortification. Dürer’s “praying hands” and “young hare” are his most reproduced pieces.

The Albrecht Dürer House is in the old town of Nuremberg. A really lovely four-storey half-timber house. It houses a museum about the life of Dürer. Visitors get to see a piece of 16th century Nuremberg through the living room, kitchen and workshop of the artist. Additionally, pieces from the vast graphic design collection of the Nuremberg Museum are on display as a permanent exhibition.

We ate on the square in front of the Albrecht-Dürer-Haus and watched the hustle and bustle of the city. A very nice spot to stop and rest for a while.

Address:

Albrecht-Dürer-Straße 39
90403 Nürnberg

Opening Hours:

Tuesday to Friday: 10.00 – 17.00
Thursday: 10.00 – 18.00
Saturday and Sunday: 10.00 – 18.00

Juli to September and whilst the Christmas market is on also Mondays from 10.00 to 17.00

Admission:

Adults: 6€

Unschlittplatz with the Unschlitthaus

The Unschlittplatz with the Unschlitthaus is located in the southern part of Nuremberg’s Old Town. The square is one of the city’s most important medieval sights.

The Unschlitthaus gave the square its name. The impressive building was erected by the city in the 15th century as a granary. From 1562, the Unschlittamt was established on the ground floor. Until 1835, all butchers had to bring the waste fat, the so-called Unschlitt, here and sell it to the town. Unschlitt was an important raw material for the production of tallow candles, wagon grease and shoe polish until the 19th century.

The square is surrounded by some of the most beautiful medieval houses in the city, all of which survived the Second World War. The Baroque palace from 1754 is also particularly beautiful, but what I like most is the Unschlitthaus. The roof is characterised by 76 skylights, which once provided good ventilation for the stored grain. There is said to have been a four-storey attic in the roof truss.

Frauenkirche

The Frauenkirche (Church of our Lady) is on the Central Market Square. It is one of the most important churches of the city.
Karl IV. gave it to the city in 1355. It was supposed to hold the imperial regalia such as the emperor’s crown, coat and sceptre but that never happened. The Church of our Lady is the first Gothic hall church in Franconia. There is a lovely short guide with more information on the history and construction of the church to download from their website.

We arrived at the central market square in front of the church at 12.00 on the dot. Every day visitors gather here to see the “little men run”. Underneath the rather pretty clock the 7 elective prince-electors worship the Roman-German emperor Karl IV. by hurrying past him. The worshipping is over quickly but still worth seeing and worth planning to see whilst exploring the old town of Nuremberg.

The interior of the church was a bit of a letdown. Maybe it was because we had just seen the very impressive naves of the Lorenz church and the St. Sebald church. The Frauenkirche is, as opposed to the other two, rather plain and simple.

Address:

Hauptmarkt 14
90403 Nürnberg

Opening Hours:

Monday to Saturday: 10.00 – 18.00
Sunday: 13.00 – 18.00

“Schöner Brunnen” (Beautiful fountain) on Hauptmarkt

In the old town of Nuremberg, there is a fountain on the Hauptmarkt called the “Schöner Brunnen”.

Heinrich Beheim created this unusual fountain in 1385-1396. Today you can still see a copy on the square, the preserved remains are in the Germanic Museum.

The Schöne Brunnen is quite unusual. It is 19 metres high and actually resembles a decorated Gothic church spire. Perhaps that is why the legend persists that it is actually a church spire. It is claimed that it should have been placed on top of the Frauenkirche on the Hauptmarkt, but that it could not be lifted up. What was not considered, however, was that the Frauenkirche was consecrated as early as 1358, much earlier than the fountain was built.

If you look at the fountain a little more closely, you can discover 40 colourfully painted figures arranged on four levels. These symbolise the world view of the Holy Roman Empire. Viewed from bottom to top, they depict philosophy and the Seven Liberal Arts, the four Evangelists and the four Church Fathers, the seven Electors and the Nine Good Heroes, Moses and seven Prophets. The gargoyles on the fountain are supposed to represent the 7 vices.

Around the fountain is a grid with 2 rotating rings, one made of iron and one of brass. There is also a legend surrounding these rings:

Master Kuhn, who built the grid around the fountain, had a daughter with whom his apprentice was madly in love. Kuhn, however, did not want his daughter to have a penniless lad for a husband and forbade contact. He is said to have said: “Nothing will come of it! As little will come of it as you manage to make the rings on the well grate turn!” When the master went away, his apprentice secretly forged a ring and fastened it to the grate so that it could turn. No seam was visible, so good was his work. Then the young man left and never returned. When the master came home and discovered the ring, he realised what a skilled apprentice he had lost. He realised that his daughter would have been in good hands with him.

Today, the ring is considered a lucky charm and according to legend, if you turn it, you will be blessed with children.