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Spittlertorturm, Nuremberg, Germany 2010
City hall seen from Fembohaus
Everyone knows this view but how about the others?
Nürnberg, DE„Medieval Nuremberg”? Consequences of World War II
(Ignore the headline please)
Until World War II Nürnberg was the best-preserved medieval city in Germany and considered the most “German” place of all, which was why the Nazis selected it as location of their party rallies. The romantic idea of the “Master Singers” like in Wagner’s opera and the memories of a proud past as one of the wealthiest free imperial cities in the Holy Roman Empire added theirs.
However, do not expect to see that much medieval architecture in Nürnberg’s old town. A model in Fembohaus museum shows what it looked like at the end of the war: 80% were smashed to ashes and rubble. Being an industrial centre and train hub made Nürnberg a target, being the symbolic centre of Nazi propaganda made it a top priority target for allied bombers.
The castle and city walls survived the air raids with not too severe damage. However, most of the centre had to be rebuilt from scratch. Post-war city planners in Nürnberg followed an extremely conservative approach which was not applauded by everyone. All streets and outlines of the houses were copied. Few important buildings have been reconstructed, though. The majority of the houses in the old town are post-war buildings that somehow pretend to be, but aren’t, like the pre-war appearance. A closer look reveals the uniform faceless 1950s facades with maybe the copy of a medieval Madonna or a renaissance oriel attached to it.
