Nürnberg Local Customs

When my parents and I saw this road sign, we wondered what it meant. Cars cannot circulate, people cannot walk, children cannot play in the street and there can be no houses!?
VT-member ralph_II explains this sign marks the end of a street where kids play, so car can drive faster from there on. Thanks, Ralph!

We saw that many people had themselves photographed while touching the ring on the railings that protect the Schöner Brunnen, so my dad photographed my mum and me. However, we didn't know why having a pic while touching this ring was so popular.
VT-member ralph_II explains that touching and turning round the brass-ring at the Schöner Brunnen means all your dreams and wishes will come true. Thanks, Ralph!

Nuernberg is often associated with a small sausage which has its name. It has a size of maximal 9 cms in length and 1 1/2 cm in diameter. There are many legends about why the sausage is so small. The most popular one is that it was invented by the relative of a prisoner. He wanted to make sure that the prisoner gets a good nutrition, so he invented a sausage which was thin enough to fit through a keyhole. Today, you can get them in different ways, with the most common one being sold by street vendors as "Drei im Weggla" (three in a bun). A couple of street vendors can be found in the old town, but it's more easy to find them on special events like the funfair or the chirstmas market. Very traditional ways are 12 of these sausages served on a pewter dish or six of them served with Sauerkraut, these are available in restaurants with typical bavarian/franconian kitchen.

You see what the most important thing is: Rostbratwürste NEVER get sold in a number which can not be divided by three. So, do not even think of ordering four of them or you'll be marked as a tourist immediately.

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Many Nuremberg buildings display statues at second level predominantly religious in nature and frequently of the Virgin. The rationale - Nuremberg, in 1525, was the first major German city to endorse the Lutheran movement, a decision not entirely unanimous. Catholics placed these statues on the outside of their houses as a sign for the heavens that the occupants were still true believers. Today these statues are presumably decorative in nature but also a reminder of the past.

In Nürnberg I saw these distributors of newspapers (well, tabloids): one inserts the coins and gets the newspaper. I had seen them also in the Schweiz and maybe in France, that is in two "civilized countries". They couldn't exist in Italia, as some people would try to break them open and get the newspaper for free!

If you go for a walk across the pedestrian streets in the centre of Nürnberg, you will likely see some streets musicians, as I did. The band in this photo came from Russia and played classical music by Russian componists. I liked them very much and I even bought a CD for 15 euro (too much?).

The Nuremberg bratwurst is skinnier and longer than the regular bratwursts you get in Germany. It's also very flavorful and delicious with mustard (Senf). It is served between a round bun at the street stands--makes for a great lunch.

When I was little, my aunt who lives in Germany used to bring me Lebkuchen. I wasn't particularly fond of the apricot meets gingerbread, but always thought those two flavours were better apart. That is until I visited the HOME of the Lebkuchen. Nürnberg. Here, the Lebkuchen are sold everywhere, from the smallest market stall to official famous makers. In fact, you wonder how there can be a market for all of them! The concoction itself is simply a thick gingerbread biscuit with apricot, often coated in chocolate. It is especially popular around Christmas, when you even see Nürnberger bakers making Ginger houses out of the dough.