Skip to Content

15 Inspiring Photos of Nuremberg

In the frigid winter of 1999, I visited Nuremberg for the first time. From my first walk down the Koenigstrasse, I was smitten. That first trip was the beginning of my love affair with this historical city – a love affair that continues to this day. The city is extremely photogenic, so I can’t resist sharing some of my favorite Nuremberg photos.

Nuremberg is Germany’s 14th largest city. It’s actually the second largest city in Bavaria behind Munich. But the locals will all tell you that they are Franconian. Naturally, that makes Nuremberg the largest city in this land of Franconia.

St. Lorenz Church in Nuremberg
St. Lorenz Church

I’ve visited Nuremberg over a dozen times – about half in summer and half in winter — each time scoping out new things to see and do in town. Each visit starts the same way: leaving the train station and walking down Koenigstrasse (the King’s Way). During the Middle Ages, the medieval walled city of Nuremberg was the capital of the Empire.

Passing into the walled city, on the left is the Handwerkerhof – a kind of recreated medieval village filled with artisans selling all manner of goods. This strictly made-for-tourists two-lane village is cute to walk through, but I’ve never actually shopped here.

The narrow lanes of the Handwerkerhof in Nuremberg

The massive stone Zeughaus was once the Imperial arsenal. Today, it serves as a local police precinct standing guard over the nearby shopping mall.

The Zeughaus, constructed in the 1500s as the Imperial Arsenal
The Zeughaus

I always find myself taking a pause in the square in front of St. Lorenz Church. This square is always filled with market stalls and dozens of locals milling about waiting for friends. While other churches in Nuremberg draw the visitors, St. Lorenz towers over the daily life in Nuremberg.

The market in front of St. Lorenz Church

Crossing the bridge over the Pegnitz River, one of the city’s most photographed landmarks is on the right: the hospice. Yes, I said the hospice. One of the most photographed buildings is a hospice and senior center which straddles half the river. Take my word for it, it’s worth a photo.

The Heilig Geist Spital (the hospice) on the Pegnitz River
The Hospice

Of course the most famous church in Nuremberg is the Church of Our Lady (the Frauenkirche). From the balcony every December, a blond teenage girl opens the Nuremberg Christmas Markets for the year. This spectacle is worth a very cold wintry visit to see Germany’s top Christkindlmarkt.

Church of our Lady on the main market square

Inevitably, I usually get hungry about this time. And there’s always a good bratwurst stand in the market square.

Large grill of the traditional bratwurst, known as Nurembergers
The traditional bratwurst in Nuremberg is the Nuremberger: a small, breakfast-style sausage that is served three on a roll.

The bratwurst powers my walk up the long hill into the castle district. I pass the underappreciated St. Sebald Church on the left.

St. Sebald Church and belltowers

At the top of the hill stands Nuremberg’s iconic castle. The views from the beneath the round turret of the entire city are extremely impressive.

The turret on the Nuremberg Castle

Just below the castle’s walls is the home of Nuremberg’s golden boy: Renaissance painter Albrecht Durer.

The Albrecht Durer House, one of our favorite Nuremberg photos
Local boy makes good: Albrecht Durer’s house

This isn’t to say that Nuremberg is only stuffy history. The city’s population is quite young. Many young Germans come to the area to study at University and end up staying. It can lead to some quirky moments of local expression.

Graffiti in Nuremberg saying "Smoke Weed for Jesus!"

I’ve been to Nuremberg at every time of year. Since my first trip was in the middle of winter, in my mind I always picture the city as a winter destination. I find that Nuremberg in winter can be magical with the Christmas markets. The city’s spirit seems to come out in the snow and the cold.

Horse drawn carriage in snow
Horse-drawn carriage that tours through Nuremberg

On that first visit to Nuremberg, I took a commuter train outside of the old city to visit the site of the former Nazi Party Rally Grounds. It was bitterly cold at the time. Nuremberg has preserved the area to document Nazi horrors. But life goes on. The rally grounds now host sporting events, ducks on the lake and families out taking long walks. In summer, the parks fill with people enjoying the Franconian summer.

Congress Hall across the lake (Dutzendteich)
The Nazi Party Congress Hall across the lake (Dutzendteich)

Coming back from the Nazi Rally Grounds, Nuremberg’s youthful personality is on display. There is some great street art on the side of the tracks.

Nuremberg street art of an owl by the railway tracks

These are just a few of my favorite Nuremberg photos.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Ingrid Moore

Monday 3rd of February 2020

With reference to St. Sebald Church in my opinion it deserves mentioning that St. Sebaldus Church, Nuremberg, also played an important role in Johann Pachelbel's life. Today, Pachelbel is best known for the Canon in D, as well as the Chaconne in F minor, the Toccata in E minor for organ, and the Hexachordum Apollinis, a set of keyboard variations. Many brides today walk down the aisle to Pachelbel's Canon in D and many deceased are buried to this music.

Lance Longwell

Monday 3rd of February 2020

Thanks Ingrid. Good point. Just to be clear, Johann Pachelbel was the organist at St. Sebaldus Church from 1695-1706. His son was also the church organist at St. Sebaldus.

Stefan Munker

Monday 9th of September 2019

Thanks for the article and pics. Your selection is in line with mt favorites. I'm from Nuremberg's neighbor city of Fürth. I question however whether Nuremberg was ever a capital. According to Wikipedia it was a kind of city state and merely hosted the emperor during the middle ages. Also, I wonder if you were referring to St. Sebald Church on the way to the castle/fortress.

Lance Longwell

Tuesday 24th of September 2019

You are absolutely correct. It is St. Sebald Church. I've updated the article to reflect this. Thanks for pointing it out. As for the capital question, that's a bit of editorial license. Officially, the Holy Roman Empire had no capital. It was wherever the current Emperor said it was. With that said, Nuremberg has as much claim to the title as any city in Europe. Officially, Charles IV decreed all new kings had to hold their first court in Nuremberg...and most of them never left. And for over 350 years (1423 and 1796) all official possessions of the Holy Roman Empire were held in the city, including the imperial crown, royal vestments, the holy lance, the imperial sword, and the official records of the Empire. If that doesn't qualify it as a capital, we really don't know what does.

Noemi

Thursday 11th of February 2016

I like your photos :) I have add an hyperlink on my blog, to this article. I have wrote an article about Nuremberg too, more about the Christmas Market. I hope that you've enjoy your time in Nuremberg :)

Trish

Friday 18th of December 2015

Lovely photos!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.