Three Authorities in Nuremberg: Nazis, Kings and the United Nations

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The first stop our bus made in Nuremberg was at the site of the never-completed massive Nazi Congress building. Then we went to the Nazi Rally Grounds. We have found that Germans will speak about WWII and agree that it was Germany that started the war. I heard that since the 1960s, German children have been taught the history of the Nazi era.

Leaving the buildings of one form of authoritarianism and warmongering for another, we went on to the Nuremberg Castle, a heavily fortified residence and stopping place for German kings and Emperors of the Holy Roman Empire.

Finally we found the pillars erected in tribute to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

I remembered lines from a song our primary school music teacher taught us:

"Remember night is darkest just before the dawn,

Have faith, United Nations, a new day is dawning right now."

That was in the 1950s.

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Photos

The utterly gigantic Nazi Congress building, called the "People's Hall" or "Hall of Glory"
Modelled on the Colosseum, but much larger, this was to be used for the Nazi Congress meetings and was designed to hold 50,000 people. But the dome was never made and the building was never completed or used.

The Nazi Congress building is so huge it must be photographed from a distance.
The lake was supposed to reflect the building, thus doubling its apparent size.

Exterior walls of the Nazi Party Rally Grounds
Between each stadium section is a huge guard tower

Inside the rally grounds
This massive rally grounds covered 11 square kilometres. Look way down to the chunky section on the right, that's where Hitler stood and addressed the crowds.

Hitler's speaking position
Hitler stood in that small section to the left of the tall light stand.

Seating around the periphery
Now the stone stadium areas are fenced off and overgrown with weeds.

Courthouse of the Nuremberg Trials
The 4 windows at the top right are at the room where the famous Nuremberg trials of Nazi leaders took place. Prosecuters were from the USA, France, the UK and the USSR.

Photograph of the Nazi trials in action
The defendents sit at the left, the judges against the right wall, the prosecutors in the foreground and there are also the translaters and stenographers.

The city walls still stand in some places.
See how high they are in comparison to Ron and Gabrielle.

The moat around the Nuremberg castle
It was always a dry moat because the castle is atop a sandstone ridge and water would always flow down to the river. But the walls were too high to surmount anyway.

Entrance across the moat bridge through one castle wall
Inside the walls, the castle is a complex of many buildings.

And next came a long tunnel
The tunnel had a corner in it so the doors to the castle couldn't be ramrodded, and it was sloped so defenders could roll things down it against intruders.

The Double Headed Eagle at the entrance door for the inner buildings.
The double headed eagle was a symbol of strength.

"When lilacs last at the dooryard bloom'd..." (Walt Whitman)
Lilacs are in full bloom here now and they're a favorite of mine from my Massachusetts childhood.

This is the Sinwell Tower, the main keep of the Nuremberg Castle.
A castle keep is the last refuge the castle residents and defenders can retreat to when all else fails.

Eyes over Nuremberg
The view the kings had.

The pillars dedicated to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Each piller is inscribed with one article of the declaration.

Dedicated to human rights and dignity
The Human Rights Declaration was agreed upon after the catastrophes of World War II.

Comments

[michelleandkev]

Nuremberg trials and Human Rights Declaration
Lucky you visiting Nuremberg so soon after we read and discussed Phillipe Sands' "East West Street". That must have added to your appreciation of the what there was to see in the town.