Nazis at Nuremberg

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Geo: 49.4505, 11.0805

This morning we left Munich about 11am. We had decided to visit Nuremburg, made famous by the Hitler rallies there and of course the War Crimes Trials at the end of WW2. Drove northward on the freeway and chose to stop in the town of Ingoldstadt for a look around and lunch. This was an excellent decision as this is a beautiful place with another lovely old town. There are so many hidden gems in Germany. Walked through the pedestrian section of town, browsing through the shops and admiring the old buildings that are so well maintained. Had a great lunch at a small bistro and then continued on our way into Nuremburg.
The outskirts of the city were not all that impressive, but again when we got to "zentrum" we were amazed. Here is another medieval walled city, obviously restored after the devestastion of WW2. Found a great hotel within the city walls, just below the castle. Once checked in we walked to the nearby square. This is dedicated to Albrecht Durer the 16th century artist and his house, now a museum, was on one side. There were some lovely old wooden and daub buildings and several great cafes. There was also a statue of a rabbit in the Durer style.
We then walked to the main market square where the market was just closing. Here there is a beautiful 14th century fountain with 40 different figures on it which was well preserved during the war. Looked around the nearby streets and stopped by the river. We were intrigued to see a shop called Australian chocolate. The girl told us that ir is actually a Netherlands franchise but uses an Australian recipe for their icecream.
We had dinner overlooking the market square. Another interesting day.
The next morning we asked at the Tourist office about the Nazi connection. We were shown on the map where both the War Crimes courtroom and the rally fields were. After spending some time looking around the old town we checked out of our hotel and drove on. We first made a quick stop outside the courtroom to grab a photo and then drove to the outskirts of town to where the huge Nazi Party rallies were held. The large Congress Hall, designed by Albert Speer but nevere completed is still standing. It is now a wonderful museum detailing thr rise of Hitler and the connection with Nuremburg. We spent nearly 2 hours here.
We then walked around the lake to the Zeppelin field which is still nearly intact. It is used for car racing now. Though the huge swastika which adorned the top of the marble wall was blown up by the Americans, the wall still stands as do the tiers surrounding it. We then walked around the lake to the Great Road and back to the hall. A fascinating experience.

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