10 Best Sights in Nurnberg (Nuremberg), Franconia and the German Danube

You could spend a lifetime exploring the largest and greatest ethnological museum in Germany. This vast museum showcases the country's cultural and scientific achievements, ethnic background, and storied history. Housed in a former Carthusian monastery, complete with cloisters and monastic outbuilding, the complex effectively melds the ancient with modern extensions, giving the impression that Germany is moving forward by examining its past. The exhibition begins outside, with the tall, sleek pillars of the Strasse der Menschenrechte (Street of Human Rights), designed by Israeli artist Dani Karavan. Thirty columns are inscribed with the articles from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. There are few aspects of German culture, from the Stone Age to the 19th century, that are not covered by the museum, and quantity and quality are evenly matched. One highlight is the superb collection of Renaissance German paintings (with Dürer, Cranach, and Altdorfer well represented); look out for the remarkable 1702 painting Gemäldegalerie (Picture Gallery) by Johann Michael Bretschneider, which incorporates hundreds of small, individual, fictional artworks. Others may prefer the exquisite medieval ecclesiastical exhibits—manuscripts, altarpieces, statuary, stained glass, jewel-encrusted reliquaries—the collections of arms and armor, or the scientific instruments including beautiful globes and astrolabes.

The city's most famous attraction is a grand yet playful collection of buildings standing just inside the city walls was once the residence of the Holy Roman Emperor. In 1945, almost the entire structure was reduced to rubble, though it's difficult to imagine once you see the thorough restoration.

This vast complex comprises three groups of buildings. Visits begin in the ancient, least-damaged western section, still with its original oak beams, painted ceilings, and sparse interiors. Explore the Romanesque Doppelkappelle (Double Chapel)—the upper chapel, larger and more ornate than the lower one, is where the emperor and his family worshipped—the Rittersaal (Knights' Hall) and the Kaisersaal (Throne Room). The Kaiserburg Museum displays ancient armors, with exhibits on horsemanship in the imperial era. Cross the Äusserer Berghof (Outer Courtyard) and climb the Sinwell Turm (Sinwell Tower) for spectacular city views.

In the center of the complex lies the Burggrafenburg (Castellan's Castle). Dating from around 1050, this is the oldest part of the Kaiserburg, with a craggy old pentagonal tower and the bailiff's house. To the north and northeast lie the Reichsstädtische Bauten (Imperial City Buildings), including the 15th century Kaiserstallung (Imperial Stables), built as a granary and now a popular youth hostel.

History was made in this quiet corner of Nuremberg, when the International Military Tribunal put 22 Nazi leaders and six German organizations on trial here between November 1945 and October 1946. The renowned Nuremberg trials, as they came to be known, took place in the Landgericht (Regional Court) in Courtroom 600 and resulted in 11 death sentences, among other convictions. Since the courtroom was decommissioned in 2020, it has become a popular, if harrowing, visitor attraction, with an audiovisual installation showing clips from the historic trials. An exhibition reveals more about the defendants and their crimes, the full trial process, and the impact of the Nuremberg Trials on international criminal law.

The great painter Albrecht Dürer lived in this beautifully preserved late-medieval house, typical of the prosperous merchants' homes that once filled Nuremberg, from 1509 until his death in 1528. Today, its four stories stand as a testament to his talent. Dürer enriched German art with Renaissance elements, but he was more than a painter, raising the woodcut (a notoriously difficult medium) to new heights of technical sophistication, combining great skill with a haunting, immensely detailed drawing style and complex, allegorical subject matter. While most of the works on display are print copies, with the originals in art galleries across Germany and beyond, they retain their allure: seek out his atmospheric self-portraits. Upstairs, printing techniques using the old press are demonstrated in the studio, and there's an interesting exhibition on Dürer-inspired body art. At 2 pm every Saturday, a guide role-playing Agnes Dürer, the artist's wife, provides English-language tours of the house.

A 1944 bombing destroyed the Rathausplatz's original Town Hall, which was completed in 1332. This post-war reconstruction has the feel of an Italian palazzo from outside, but maintains Gothic elements in its city council chamber. More importantly for visitors, it still incorporates the intact medieval dungeons, consisting of 12 small rooms and one large torture chamber. The Lochgefängnis (the Nuremberg Hole), shows the gruesome applications of medieval law, and can be accessed on hourly public tours (check the website for English-language timings). On the southeastern side of the Altes Rathaus stands the easily missed Gänsemännchenbrunnen (Gooseman's Fountain), a Renaissance bronze fountain that was cast in 1550, and a work of rare elegance and great technical sophistication.

Set within the never-finished Kongresshalle (Congress Hall) on the southeastern outskirts of the city, this museum documents the political, social, and architectural history of the Nazi Party. Sobering exhibits help to illuminate the whys and hows of Hitler's rise to power during the unstable period after World War I and the end of the democratic Weimar Republic. It's one of the few museums that documents how the Third Reich's propaganda machine influenced the masses. The permanent exhibition is in the process of being remodelled and expanded, and expected to reopen in late 2025—until then, a still-sizable interim exhibit explores the rise of the Nazi Party and their Nuremberg rallies, the wartime use of the Zeppelin Field as a POW camp, and the current uses of the old rally grounds for concerts (including an annual rock festival). To get to the Documentation Center, take bus 36 from Burgstrasse to the Doku-Zentrum stop, or drive and park in the small, unmonitored (but free) parking lot.

Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV commissioned the late-Gothic Frauenkirche in 1350, and it was built on the site of a synagogue that burned to the ground during the 1349 pogrom. The modern tabernacle, designed to look like a Torah scroll as a memorial to that despicable act, was built beneath the main altar in 1991. The church's main attraction is the Männleinlaufen, a clock dating from 1509, which is set into its facade. The clock is one of those colorful mechanical marvels at which Germans have long excelled; every day at noon, the seven electors of the Holy Roman Empire glide out of the clock to bow to Emperor Charles IV before sliding back undercover. It's worth scheduling your morning to catch the display.

Nuremberg's central market square was once the city's Jewish Quarter. In 1349, Emperor Charles IV instigated a pogrom that left the Jewish Quarter in flames and more than 500 dead. He razed the ruins and resettled the remaining Jews so he could build this square. Towering over the northwestern corner, Schöner Brunnen (Beautiful Fountain) looks as though it should be on the summit of some lofty cathedral. Carved around the year 1400, the elegant 60-foot-high Gothic fountain is adorned with 40 figures arranged in tiers—prophets, saints, local noblemen, electors, Julius Caesar, and Alexander the Great. A golden ring set into the railing is said to bring good luck to those who touch it. A market still operates here on weekdays, with its colorful stands piled high with produce, fruit, bread, homemade cheeses and sausages, sweets, and anything else you might need for a snack or picnic. This square is also the site of the famous Christkindlesmarkt.

A refreshingly modern attraction in the heart of town, the Neues Museum is devoted to international design since the mid-20th century. The building itself is a work of art, with its mix of traditional pink-sandstone ashlars and flowing glass edifice achieving the perfect synthesis between old and new, while its interior is all cool stone floors and white walls, with a ramp that slowly spirals up through the gallery. Inside, extraordinary things await, including an extensive collection of Gerhardt Richter's eclectic works, along with thought-provoking temporary exhibits. English language information can be a little patchy, but the expressive paintings, sculptures, photography, and video installations usually speak for themselves.

In a city with several striking churches, St. Lorenz is considered by many to be the most beautiful of all. Construction began around 1250 and was completed around 225 years later. Two towers flank the main entrance, which is covered with a forest of carvings. In the lofty interior, note the eye-catching works by sculptors Adam Kraft and Veit Stoss: in particular, seek out Kraft's great stone tabernacle, to the left of the high altar, and Stoss's Annunciation, suspended on a metal chain and facing the altar. There are many other carvings throughout the building, testimony to the artistic wealth of late-medieval Nuremberg.