Castle, Nürnberg

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Nestling on a hill at the North West edge of the old town is the Imperial Castle. It was built in three stages between the 11th and 15th centuries. The castle is open daily but you have to go on a guided tour to wander around its rooms. The oldest part of the castle is the five cornered tower. In one of the castle courtyards is the round Sinwell Tower which you can climb to obtain even better views of the city. Next to the Sinwell Tower is a half timbered building which contains the 47 metre deep Tiefer Brunnen (Deep Well).You can walk around its grounds and gardens for free and from this advantage point look over the city of Nuremburg.

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The castle was in used by the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire between 1050 and 1571. It was not a residence, but one of many bases found quite everywhere in the empire. The Holy Roman Empire had no capital in modern sense and so, many castles were built in the empire as the emperor was travelling a lot. After the Golden Bull of 1356, the emperor was obliged to have his inaugural visit in Nuernberg, so Nuernberg became one of the most visited places by the emperors. These visits were seen as an honour to the city, but as the city had to pay for all the expenses, it was not only an honour to have the emperor in town… Many buildings are still preserved and are used as a place for museum exhibtions. The best-known buildings are the Simwellturm (Simwell tower) and the Fünfeckturm (pentagonal tower, Nürnberg’s oldest building, now containing a youth center), but there are many more to see. A wide range of gardens, from dark ivy and tree gardens to well-kept baroque ones are found in the castle. These can be seen as a small oasis and from there, you’ll get an excellent view on the city. However, the gardens are only open to the public during summertime. You can stroll through the castle for free during daytime, if you want to enter the buildings and visit the museum, an entry fee is required.
If you visit the castle, don’t forget to walk through the Burgviertel, a beautiful part of the town with many half-timbered buildings. A look from outside will also show you, that the castle is built on a gigantic rock which was incorporated into the castle.

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The ancient center of Nurnmberg is simply amazing..it's the old medeival town. In this magificent scenario you can find the old castle. To come here and walk at the inside of the castle is simply a must. You can't say to have visited Nurnberg if you haven't spend some hours into the castle. It really give you the feeling of the medieval period so...come and check this out:-)

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The castle dominates the skyline from a cliff on the NW side of the old city, at the far end from the train station at Frauentor. The walk up Burgstrasse to the entrance is long and fairly steep, passing through the upscale residential area of the old city. The castle had three sections, and the Imperial Castle is the current tourist attraction. Tours are available only in German unless one takes an English speaking tour of the entire city, and independent access is not permitted to the interior. The exterior can be visited free of charge.
The castle was occupied by every HR emperor till 1571 on temporary but required visits to Nuremberg. As one of the three "emperor cities", the first congress called by each emperor had to be in Nuremberg and the jewels and sacred icons of the Empire were also kept here. The earliest building was built in the early 12th Century by Konrad III but it has been reconstructed and enlarged several times most notably by Friedrich Barbarossa 50 years later. He is responsible for the famed double level chapel.In the late 15th Century, under Friedrich III, the castle achieved much of its current form with the construction of the Round Tower ( Simwellturm), the Knight's Hall, and the Imperial Stables ( now a hostel ). After the 30 years war and the terrible siege of 1632, the castle as well as the city were in a downward spiral. In the 19th Century, German romanticism rediscovered the ancient castles leading to significant repair to the structure. After heavy WWII bombing, the castle was rebuilt based on the original plans, completed by 1950.

High above the old city of Nürnberg one can see the symbol of Nürnberg: its castle, sitting on a huge block of sandy stone! One can imagine easily that this rock seemed simply perfect to build a castle on it. The rock meassures about 250m and on the western side of it one can see the best-preserved part of it: the Kaiserburg itself.

The Imperial Castle sits atop of the hill overlooking the Altstadt. While you can't see it from all around like some castles, it grants amazing views from its towers and turrets. It is a grand and awe inspiring fortress, with its roots stamped firmly into the solid rock that pushes out of the ground at the top of Bergstrasse. The complex is quite large and you can access most of it for free, including the gardens to the back. It includes four towers and a little two storey chapel. The Fünfeckturm (Pentagonal Tower) is the oldest part of the complex, dating back to the 11th century.

On a slight hill at the northern edge of Nürnberg's Old Town you can see the Emperor's Castle, which has been there since at least the year 1050 and was the emperor's residence -- when he happened to be in town.

In those days the emperor didn't have a capital city, but traveled around from one place to the next, and tried to have a castle of some sort available at each. A visit from the emperor was a mixed blessing, because the town and its people had to pay all the costs for the upkeep of him and his court. They were honored, presumably, to have him come and visit, but relieved when he moved on.

You can go up and walk around the castle grounds for free, or pay for a tour which also gets you into the museum and one of the towers.

The view from the castle is no doubt very impressive if you don't go up in a snowstorm like I did. (On my way down the sun came out for about three minutes, so I quickly snapped this picture.)

Kaiserburg is one of the largest medieval castles in Germany and it towers over the city. The Kaiserburg museum documents the role the castle played between the 11th and 15th centuries. The castle has been fully restored after being damaged in the second world war.

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The Imperial Castle crowns the hill about the old town and shares with the GNM the distinction of being Nuremberg's major cultural and historical landmark.
Open to the public are the main building (the "Palas") with the imperial apartments, the Romanesque double chapel, the Deep Well, the Sinwell Tower and an extensive collection of arms and military equipment.
The Kaiserburg Museum is devoted to the architectural, military and political history of a castle which was a focal point of the Holy Roman Empire from the 12th to the 16th century.
Thanks to the Golden Bull (the constitution of the empire) which obliged each newly elected king and emperor to hold his first imperial diet in Nuremberg, the city was visited more than 300 times over the centuries by more than 30 German rulers.
Visitors to Nuremberg should allow plenty of time for exploring the entire castle complex with its historic nooks and crannies, romantic gardens and superb view out over the city.

The Kaiserburg (Imperial Castle) is the landmark of Nürnberg. It had been seat of Emperors of the Holy Roman Empire for over five hundred years beginning in 1050. The castle towers over the city from a hill. It consists of actually three parts: the Kaiserburg itself, the Burggrafenveste (Count's Castle) and the Stadtburg. It was erected over five centuries beginning in the early 11th.
I was here in winter and the way up to the castle was very slippy. You should wear good sneaker.