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All Germany Nuremberg Nuremberg Castle
AO Edited

Nuremberg Castle

A castle from the Holy Roman Empire that hosts traveling youth... in its stables.

Nuremberg, Germany

Added By
Rebekah Otto
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Taken in late Winter 2020   mordekia / Atlas Obscura User
Taken in late Winter 2020   mordekia / Atlas Obscura User
Inside the grounds of Nuremberg Castle.   JamazingClayton / Atlas Obscura User
Holy Roman Empire insignia on the Castle doorway.   JamazingClayton / Atlas Obscura User
The Imperial Orb in the Imperial Castle Museum.   JamazingClayton / Atlas Obscura User
The Double Chapel.   JamazingClayton / Atlas Obscura User
Nuremberg Castle, Nuremberg, Germany   Drexl / Atlas Obscura User
The Castle from the moat below.   JamazingClayton / Atlas Obscura User
The ‘Heathen Tower’ of Nuremberg Castle, next to the Double Chapel.   JamazingClayton / Atlas Obscura User
  http://www.flickr.com/photos/wm_archiv/416...
view  
  Tamz / Atlas Obscura User
Nuremberg Castle from below.   JamazingClayton / Atlas Obscura User
The Sinwell Tower.   JamazingClayton / Atlas Obscura User
  mate / Atlas Obscura User
Looking down at the lower chamber from the upper chamber in the Double Chapel.   JamazingClayton / Atlas Obscura User
View of the old city from the castle   kebbers / Atlas Obscura User
  coljay72 / Atlas Obscura User
  coljay72 / Atlas Obscura User
  coljay72 / Atlas Obscura User
  coljay72 / Atlas Obscura User
The Deep Well.   JamazingClayton / Atlas Obscura User
The Imperial Castle Museum contains Golden Bull decrees issued by Holy Roman Emperors.   JamazingClayton / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Nuremberg and the castle it was centered around have a long and storied history. The town was part of the Holy Roman Empire (HRE), which lasted from the rule of Charlemagne in the 800s until the founding of the German Empire in 1871. For political history, a millennium is a really long time. The United States has been around for less than a quarter of that.

The Holy Roman Empire morphed throughout its history to include different states, factions, and kooky leaders. Who inherited the title "Roman Emperor" had little to do with Romans and everything to do with the Roman Catholic Church and the lords of the various Germanic lands, who conquered what had been most of the Western Roman Empire after the year 405.

Voltaire once said that the HRE was neither Holy nor Roman nor an Empire. Whatever it was, it was not a highly centralized state, but one made up of hundreds of semi-allied fiefdoms, states, and cities—at times covering most of Europe except for England and western France. For much of its history, the HRE included Italy and Burgundy, in addition to what we now call Germany.

As an important city during the life of the Holy Roman Empire, Nuremberg hosted legislators and court sessions. And like any respectable town in the High Middle Ages, it had a castle.

In the 19th century, the infamous and enigmatic Kaspar Hauser is said to have been housed in the Luginsland Tower of the castle where he was later to be imprisoned as a "vagabond." In the 20th century, this same tower was to become the site of a popular Hitler youth hostel that housed hundreds of the leaders of the movement.

Though damaged during World War II, the castle has been restored to its original state. The Double Chapel in the center of the castle remained unscathed during the War. The castle offers tours of the Double Chapel and the Imperial Castle. The Imperial Castle Museum contains an array of artifacts of historical interest, including antique weaponry, official documents, and the Holy Roman crown jewels.

Visitors can also climb the Sinwell Tower to get a great view of the city beneath the castle. The "Deep Well"—the site's medieval water source, descending 50 meters down into the castle rock—is also worth a look and a tour guide provides an immersive demonstration on the hour, every hour.

What's more, the old emperor's mews now features a youth hostel where you can sleep like a king ... or at the very least like a king's horse.

Related Tags

Castles Architectural Oddities Architecture

Know Before You Go

The Castle is relatively easy to find, situated on the northern edge of Nuremberg's old city center. The closest tram stop is Tiergärtnertorplatz (tram number 4) and bus number 36 will take you directly to Burgstraße. The castle is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. from April to September, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. from October to March.

Community Contributors

Added By

Rebekah Otto

Edited By

JamazingClayton, Monsieur Mictlan, Siris, mordekia...

  • JamazingClayton
  • Monsieur Mictlan
  • Siris
  • mordekia
  • Drexl
  • mate
  • Tamz
  • coljay72
  • smfmr2
  • kebbers
  • Beanns

Published

May 9, 2010

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Sources
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuremberg_Castle
  • http://www.schloesser.bayern.de/englisch/palace/objects/nbg_burg.htm
Nuremberg Castle
12 Zwinglistraße
Nuremberg, 90403
Germany
49.45808, 11.075834
Visit Website
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Photo of Nuremberg

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