We had deliberately stayed in Nordlingden last night so we could have a last night in a quaint little medieval town rather that a large city. I’m sure Frankfurt has plenty to explore and see, but the odds we’ll be back here are probably higher than in the tiny medieval village we got to stroll around last night. The drive to Frankfurt wasn’t particularly long, though it was punctuated by plenty of roadworks and quite a lot of heavy traffic – being a Sunday afternoon there seemed to be plenty of locals returning from the lakes areas to the city after a weekend of ‘wandern, schwimmen und grillen am see’. Still the weather was bright and clear and there are worse places to be spending a few hours on the road than a German autobahn.
Frankfurt is a fairly large central German city on the Maim river (often called Frankfurt am Maim) and is quite the major financial hub. While the alstadt is known to be quite beautiful, it is also known to be quite touristy as there are not a huge amount of major tourist attractions in Frankfurt, and most visitors are here for work purposes. Frankfurt was a city state once upon a time and known as the Free City of Frankfurt for nearly five centuries. It was one of the most well known and important cities in the Holy Roman Empire – it was the location of the empire’s Imperial coronations for all that time, but eventually lost its sovereignty when the empire collapsed in 1806. It briefly regained statehood in 1815 but lost it again when it was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia. Since the end of WWII in 1945, Frankfurt has been part of the state of Hesse – the capital of Hesse in fact – in modern Germany.
Like many of the cities we have been visiting, Frankfurt was extensively bombed in WWII, and had some concentration camps satellite to the city that housed mostly young women in forced labour camps. About 6000 Frankfurt residents were killed and the famous medieval city centre, which ast the time was one of the largest city centres in Germany was almost completely destroyed. About 40% of all buildings in Frankfurt were reduced to rubble. At the end of the war in March 1945, the Allied forces advanced into Frankfurt to take the city in an extended urban combat over several days of intense fighting before the German military eventually retreated.
The Römerburg makerplace in the Alstadt… most of these timber houses are reconstructions of the medieval buildings that were here prior to WWII.
The Frankenfurter Dom or Frankfurt Cathedral (also known as the Imperial Dome of Saint Bartholomew) is one of those cathedrals that the city surrounding it has crept up to its doors and you can’t step back to get a good look at the facade. It is the largest place of worship in Frankfurt and is a Roman Catholic Church. The first church on this site dates from the 7thC and this structure was completed in 1550s and underwent significant reconstruction in the 1990s. In theory the city of Frankfurt secularised the church, but it is still largely at the disposal of the Catholic Church (no idea how that works exactly – I think it gets maintained by the city but is mostly utilised by the Catholic church and sometimes by Lutheran church as well?).
It’s built in the high gothic style of the 14th-15th centuries with gorgeous vaulted ceilings and stained glass. It has gone through numerous reconstructions, including a severe fire in the 1860s, and of course damage during the bombing raids of WWII. It’s renown for it’s distinctive red sandstone construction.
There appear to be a wide variety of interesting artworks scattered thought out the cathedral – heraldic achievements, altarpieces, fonts, frescoes, but scant little information available on any of it… in German or in English. Even googling up info on the artworks in the Frankfurt Cathedral now is revealing very little. I have a suspicion most of the pieces here are reproductions.
I don’t particularly enjoy walking through these historically important sites surrounded by what look like artistically important works and not being able to accurately identify any provenance for any given piece. It feels like you’re getting only half of an impression of what you are looking at…
Anyway, due to the lack of information and context, we were not in the Cathedral very long; before we knew it it was time to start out transit back to the airport and then it would be time for the long transit home.
Thankfully the transit home was way less eventful than on the way over!
Gorgeous drive today from Innsbruck to Nördlingen. Passed some gorgeous scenery as we passed through Seefeld.
Seefeld vistas.
Driving through the little town of Krün.
Wallgau…
Kochel am See
Kochel am See – Walchensee.
Walchensee.
Kochel am See
Kochel am See
Kochel am See
Kochel
Nördlingen! Nördlingen is a small town in Bavaria that is entirely encircled by some extremely well preserved medieval walls – complete with covered walking parapets and towers! The city centre is based around the massive gothic St George’s cathedral. Its tower is called Daniel and from the top of it, you can see views of the entire town.
Located about 150kms northwest of Munich, it is built in a 15 million year old crater site! Currently home to some 20,000 residents, Nördlingen dates back to 898AD and was the location of two famous battles of the 30 Years War which happened between 1618 to 1648. Today it is one of the few Geraman towns (along with Berching, Dinkelsbühl and Rothenburg on der Tauber) that have their completely intact medieval city walls.
Walking around Nördlingen is like stepping back in time. The old timber construction medieval house, the cobblestone streets, the quaint shop all in the shadow of the town’s central gothic church.
The Rathaus.
A ‘Bayrish pub’..! Crossover Bavarian and Irish. Classic.
For our last night in Germany, we of course were seeking out the last of the jagerschnitzels. This one had a delicious rich mushroom sauce, but the schnitzel was enormous and everything here is served with fries or spetzle… so carbs on carbs with a carbs motif. So tasty, but way too rich to eat half of it!
Cute! Snail mascot… they need to up their game if they want to compete with Japan’s mascots, but super cute nonetheless.
I saw a very odd looking tree in the middle of the town square and for the life of me was wondering – what the hell is a grevillea tree doing in the middle of a tiny town in Germany! On closer inspection, we got an answer. How obscure?! Nördlingen and Wagga Wagga are sister cities? Who would have guessed. Wagga Wagga! lol
Lovely little town with a very cool vibe… I would love to spend a bit more time here.
In September 2023, I received an email saying that Rammstein were bring back their famous European stadium tour for what sounds like ‘one last time with feeling’! I had though that 2023 was going to be the wrap up of the tour – Till and some of the other band members had various creative solo plans all on the go, and to be honest, how much longer do guys pushing 60 want to be performing songs they wrote 30+ years ago. The 2023 tour ended up surrounded by a fair bit of controversy so perhaps they wanted to go out on a bang without any salacious scandal hanging over them – whatever the reason, as soon as I saw they were touring in 2024, I started machinating to figure out how to get not just Angus, but BigSal and SurLee there too!
It took about two days of research to decide which stadium would be our best option – nothing outdoor in a park setting, covered seating if possible, and preferably a smaller stadium than the 100,000+ seating at Lyon in 2022. After much googling and translating, I decided on Klagenfurt am Wörthersee. Well located, smallish stadium (all the same fire power, itty bitty space!).
Then the tickets were released and the German ticketing website was painful! It wouldn’t let me choose tickets in any particular section of the stadium and would only offer me 5 seats ‘best available’ and every time you went out and back in again it would give you 5 different seats in a different part of the arena. Having seen a very similar show in 2022 from the corporate boxes on the west side of Lyon stadium, I was really keen to get a front on view, with enough elevation to be well over the top of any beer tents or raised sound booths etc. I kept coming back to the website until FINALLY it offered up some seats that matched the criteria … then the countdown was on!
Sadly Stephola was unable to come with us, so her ticket went to waste, but after some logistical dramas for our BigSal & SurLee, the four of us managed to rendezvous in Villach and make our way to Klagenfurt for the concert! To say I was excited to share this experience with these guys is a huge understatement.
Creating memories, people! That’s what travel is all about!
Perfect! Just right of centre, and not too obstructed by the central flammage tower.
Four random Aussies in a huge crown of German and Austrians.
I think it was right after this pretzel that BigSal ‘friended’ a strange Nazi who was sitting right in front of us… his English was as broken as my German, but we had a short conversation where I managed to impart that we were from Australia, and he asked to ‘friend’ her on FB. Which they did – because why not? A few minutes later, she saw a selfie he had taken with her tagged on FB, and he had called her a ‘Comrade from Australia who was here to protest the ban on some super right-wing neo-Nazi magazine!’ Man, did that escalate quickly. Needless to say, mental notes to ‘unfriend and block’ him were made immediately!
The concert was amazing. The playlist was different enough from when I saw them a couple of years ago, but still with all the major highlights and their greatest hits. Additionally the smaller stadium call was a good one! Klagenfurt with it’s <50k people in it had far better sound quality and less distorted volume than the Lyon show, which was an awesome bonus… also, I was right about the flammage – all they high impact, burning-your-eyebrows pyrotechnics in a much smaller space was just so much more in your face!
We were having a much better time than the people behind us!
Du Hast… with the flaming arrows.
Concert landscape photography!
No Rammstein gig is complete without the ol’ penis foam cannon. lol.
I’ve been thinking a lot recently about how many truly memorable days I have had in my life, and so many really great memories I have also feel heavily clouded in pain. But this concert? With these amazing people? Well, fuck not even the 152 steps I walked up and then back down to get here (thanks for counting Angus!) on a severely torn meniscus will dampen my memories of this! So much pain, but I’d do it again tomorrow!
Did I mention that we were in the Austrian alps but it was 32C that day? Thankfully as soon as the sun passed over it was much cooler – but the locals weren’t having it at all.
BEST. DAY. EVER! I will never forget this. Big thank you to these guys, for joining in on one of my ridiculous flights of fancy.
^ This was our view as we waiting in line for a solid 30-40 minutes to get out of the car park. This and drunken locals staggering and yahooing, swaying and peeing on the side of the roads. lol. Didn’t care! Too hyped!
A few days later, I saw this from the Rammstein FB page… the smiley is where we were seated. <3
München! Oktoberfest, beer, pretzels, and mad kings!
We started off in the Marienplatz just in time to see the massive crowds turning up to watch/listen to the glockenspiel… and it was hot! Even though I know the cafes in the square have sandy lube prices so you can get into some shade to wait for the Thing, I felt today it would be worth it to escape the heat a bit.
Neues Rathaus.
The Nues Rathaus on Marienplatz is where the München mayor, city council and city administration are all headquartered. It was built in several phases starting in 1867 in a neo-Gothic style.
The Rathaus-Glockenspiel is a large mechanical clock located in the Marienplatz Square. It’s known for its life-sized characters which re-enact scenes from Munich’s history twice a day (three times in summer, 11am, 12pm and 5pm). It show little stories of the Marriage of Duke Wilhelm V to Renata of Lorraine in 1568 and the cooper’s dance, aka the Schäfflerstanz which is about the plague of 1517… cheerful, huh? The story goes that the coopers were said to have gone out and danced through the streets encouraging people to leave their homes after being frightened by the plague – sounds familiar… the pandemic is over, come back to the CBD people! The coopers were loyal to the duke and their dancing symbolises loyalty and perseverance. Traditionally the dance is done in Munich every seven years, and was last performed during the Fasching in 2019.
The Glockenspiel has 43 bells, and 32 life-sized figures, and was added tot he Neues Rathaus in 1908, so it’s not as old as it looks. I took a video, but will have to upload it later of find someone else’s video.
We had about 15 minutes to wait for the glock-glock-glock to go off, so sat down for some over priced Coke Zeros and shared some currywurst.
Munich’s Old Town Hall, which now houses a Spielzeug Museum… Toy Museum!
Wiesn-hertz cookies! They’re an Oktoberfest favourite – gingerbread cookies covered in bright coloured icing that often say things like ‘Ich Liebe Dich’.
Did a bit of shopping – might not have been my smartest move to decide to go shopping for a windproof, waterproof snowy weather type jacket while I’m here, but Europe does do it’s cold weather gear so well and I have bought good outer layers in Germany before. I forgot that shopping centre ‘air-conditioning’ here is more of a theory than a practice. :/ It was so hot in the worm! But I did find a good jacket for my next cold weather adventure and because it’s mid-summer, steep discounts, so score!
Right downstairs was a Lego store – with a unique München flavour. Lego pretzels, barmaids, and junge in leiderhosen.
More weisenhertz cookies.
The München Frauenkirche (Cathedral of Our Lady) is late period Gothic church in München’s Altstadt. It is one of the main landmark of Munich and Bavaria. Construction started on the Frauenkirche in the 1460s and it was consecrated in 1494. It is one of the two largest hall churches in the world and one of the largest brick churches north of the Alps. It’s huge – but you know, we’ve just been to Cologne, so we’ve seen bigger.
The Devil’s Footprint.
Legend has it that the Devil wanted to destroy this church. He was sickened to see another church being built in Munchen, and so he decided to destroy it, so he sneaked into the entrance hall (apparently only able to do so because the church wasn’t consecrated yet), and he looked around, laughed out loud and stamped the ground hard. He is said to have left this footprint in the pavement and he left the church. The church was finished and consecrated anyway, and when the devil saw people coming to the new church he went into a rage and tried to bring the building down with a violent storm. But it didn’t work, and they say the Devil and his demons still ‘storm’ around the church today. Occam’s Razor would suggest that some lazy person stepped on this tile before it was properly finished and for whatever reason, they decided to use it rather than discard it… but you know, the devil’s footprint story is far more likely.
From the entrance of the church, the pillars hide the windows of the church hall, you can’t seem them at all until you enter further into the church.
Tomb for Emperor Ludwig the Bavarian, who died in 1347. Designed by Hans Krumpper in 1662. It’s actually a cenotaph or false grave… Old Lugwig’s bones are not in this tomb, they’re in the crypt under the cathedral.
The light in here was really bad and I couldn’t get a good pic – but had to try and record it. This is a medieval altarpiece that has obviously lost its side panel art… and it’s been replaced with (shock, horror!) modern art. Yikes!
The Munich Madonna of Mercy is modelled after the Altötting Madonna and was donated to the Cathedral by the citizens of Munich in 1659. Carved wood and ivory, garments were embroidered in the 18thC.
Couldn’t find any information on this amazing donor painting – will have to have a hunt for details later. But what an amazingly pious, and very large, family the donor had!
Middle section of the Memmingen, c.1860.
In mid 1995, four very weary Slappers arrived in München after a hectic six weeks or so on the road already… we had every intention of doing the Cathedrals and the Museums and seeing all the things! However when confronted with another hot day walking around another city, we instead made it to the Marienplatz, saw the Glockglockglock, and decided to get out of the heat and away from the people and (of all things) we decided to go hide in a dark, quiet air-conditioned space and went to a fucking cinema to see a movie and maybe see the Pinakothek after! Yes… extended travel will do that do you. Eventually you pike; though now we call it, ‘having a Sea Day’. The movie we chose? Forrest Gump.
We bought our tickets, confirmed like, three times, that it was in English and not dubbed. Picked up some popcorn and some drinks and head into the cool dark cinema. We watched the 20 mins of ads (all in German) and looked forward to a couple of hours of cool, dark, escapism. Now, I don’t know if anyone remembers the introduction to Forrest Gump, but it has a long panning scene following a floating feather that falls at Forrest’s feet…
And when Forrest leaned down and picked up that feather, and in something that was definitely NOT Tom Hanks’ voice, he said:
”Hallo. Mein Name ist Forrest. Forrest Gump. Willst du eine Praline? Davon könnte ich ungefähr Millionen essen. Meine Mama hat immer gesagt, das Leben sei wie eine Schachtel Pralinen.”
Well… FUCK. We burst out laughing and went out to see if we could get our money back, being just povo-backpackers in those days. I’ve never forgotten it – we tried! We never made it to the Altes Pinakothek in München that day. Until today, nearly 30 years later… thought I’d go find out whether we missed much
Muchner Biergarten – Max Liebermann, 1884.
The Cathedral – Odilon Redan, 1914.
Margaret Stanborough-Wittgenstein, Gustav Klimt, 1905.
Four Breton Women – Paul Gauguin, 1886.
Water Lilies – Claude Monet, c1915.
Nativity – Te tamari no atua – Paul Gauguin, 1896.
View of Arles – Vincent van Gogh, 1889.
Sunflowers – Vincent Van Gogh, c.1888.
First room… strong start from the Pinakothek!
Large Fish Market – Jan Brueghel, c.1603.
Mary with Child and St Margaret and Dorothea – Bartholomäus Bruny the Elder, c.1515-20.
The Annunciation – Fra Carnevale, c.1445.
LEFT: St Nicholas with a Benefactor – Agnolotti Gaddi, c.1393/96 RIGHT: St Julian – Agnolotti Gaddi, c.1393/96.
Paumgartner Altarpiece – Albrecht Dürer, c.1498/1504… another original as copied at the AD musuem.
Madonna of the Carnation – Leonardo da Vinci, c.1475.
The Lamentation – Sandro Botticelli, c.1490/95.
St Sebastian’s Altarpiece – Hans Holbein, 1516.
Altarpiece of the Church Fathers: St Jerome, St Gregory, St Augustine, St Ambrose. Michael Pacher, 1480.
Diptych: Madonna and the Rose Bower and St Georgie with Donor – Hans Memling, c.1490.
The Annunciation of Mary – Unknown artist, c.1380,
Enthroned Mary with child, the auxiliary virgins, Catherine, Agnes, Apollonia, Barbara and Angels playing music that look like swallows or even bats at at distance. Unknown artist, Cologne, c.1440.
St Luke Drawing the Virgin Mary – Roger van der Weyden, c.1484.
Adoration of the Kings, also known as the St Columba Altarpiece – Roger van der Weyden, 1455. FUCKING STUNNING! These pics do not do it any justice whatsoever once they have been shrunk for the inter-webs.
LEFT: Duke Wilhelm IV of Bavaria – Hans Wertinger, 1526. RIGHT: Duchess Maria Jacobea of Baden – Hans Wertinger, 1526. Marraige alliance portraits, with details of her frock because it’s fabulous! Beadwork lettering across her bodice reads: ‘A BON FINE’ (to a good end!).
Portrait of Oswolkt Krel – Albrecht Dürer, 1499… yes! The real Oswolkt, not the copy at the AD Musuem.
Self-Portrait with Fur Trimmed Robe – Albrecht Dürer, c.1500.
The Battle of Alexander at Issus – Albrecht Aldorfer, c.1529.
This is a gorgeous art gallery stuffed full of so many important and beautiful paintings!
The Crowing of the Virtuous Hero – Peter Paul Rubens, c.1613/14,
The Rape of the Daughters of Leucippus – Peter Paul Rubens, c.1618. “The abduction of the king’s daughters came to a deadly end when Castor und Pollux were killed during the pursuit. Although twins, they were the offspring of two different fathers. Castor was the son of Tyndareus, the King of Sparta, and therefore mortal; this was not the case with Pollux, the son of Jupiter. When Pollux asked not to be separated from his brother, both were transformed into celestial bodies. Through the complex composition that suggests a number of different views and the sensual rendering of textures Rubens demonstrates the superiority of painting over sculpture.”
This image feels a bit problematic to me… while those women look like they are being ‘ravished’ they don’t look like they’re fighting too hard, and the wee little cherub looking on innocently seems unconcerned and nonchalant. If it weren’t for the title and the blurb, you could mistake it for an unenthusiastic and ill-located orgy.
Madame de Pompadour – François Boucher, 1756 Official mistress of Louis XV of France, she is presented here in an elaborate tea dress surrounded by books and correspondence alluding to her political influence at court.
The Land of Cockaigne – Pieter Bruegel, 1567. Fabulous theme of the sins of idleness and gluttony/lethargy and surrendering to vice and how it pervades all social classes – the soldier, the peasant, and the learned man.
Twins of 33 Weeks – Aelbert Cuyp, c. 1625/49… is there something wrong with these kids?
Head of an Old Peasant Woman – Pieter Bruegel, c.1563.
Italia and Germnania – Friedrich Overbeck, c. 1828
I thought I would finish up on this image… because I can totally feel this woman! Vittoria Caldoni – Friedrich Overbeck, c. 1821.
Well, what an amazing museum! Chock full of gorgeous pieces and some truly iconic pieces of Northern Renaissance art. I have always regretted not seeing it years ago, but to be honest, I think I probably got much more out of it seeing it now with a couple of more decades of art history knowledge under my belt.
Short drive today to Nuremberg. Uneventful for the most part, though we were mightily amused by this road sign telling drivers to slow down to 120 kmph for roadworks… for serious, it was needed though. We were in a 130 zone on the autobahn and doing roughly the speed limit with people whizzing past us like we were standing still. I don’t know how there aren’t more accidents here… but I bet when they do connect it’s horrific.
Given Europe’s typical Mondayitis, there were quite a few places that were not open today, but thankfully the well famous Nuremberg Castle wasn’t closed. Also known as the Nürnberger Burg, the castle is actually a large complex of medieval fortified buildings built on a ridge that overlooks the historical Altstadt of Nuremberg. Well located in Bavaria, the castle and its formidable city walls are considered one of Europe’s most impregnable fortified castles. The whole place was designed to represent the power and influence on the Holy Roman Empire and the distinctive role the Imperial City of Nuremberg held.
The main entrance (above) isn’t that much to look at, but as soon as you make your way into the castle walls, the extent and size of the fortress becomes apparent.
The construction of the castle was originally started around 1000, and after that there were three main periods of expansion that can be seen. 1) the main castle built under the Salian kings and respective Holy Roman Emperors front he period of about 1027-1125, 2) a newer castle section that was built under the Hohenstaufen Emperors from 1138-1254 and the reconstructed areas of the castle that became more palace in the later medieval period.
In the Middle Ages, the city of Nuremberg was one of the larges and organised municipalities in all of Europe, and was at various periods the Imperial Capital.
I could not get over the sky today – the clouds just looked absolutely surreal, and the sky so blue, I thought we were in the tropics.
The stunning panorama from the ramparts of the castle looking over the medieval city of Nuremberg.
Inner courtyard of the main keep… the buildings are so beautiful and we were fortunately not swamped with people when we arrived that I went a little nuts with the photos…
The building on the left here has been converted into a super modern cafe, but thankfully on the outside, it is still in keeping with its medieval location.
Even the museum entrance/exit and gift shop are well hidden.
Views over the city through old glass windows.
Doorway from the palace hall to the private imperial chapel.
A strongbox… sadly without a description plaque.
The private imperial chapel – there is a large hole in the floor, and another hall below where commoners could come to hear services without interacting with the castle’s more elevated inhabitants! This double chapel saw daily masses since 1216. The Emperor’s, (top part of the) chapel was likely only used when the emperor/king was in residence and was only accessible through the upper hallways of the ruler’s chambers.
Stone relics ‘The Resurrection of Christ’ and ‘The Ascension of Mary’, Augsburg, c.1530.
The side altar of the Emperor Frederick III. Figures from the shrine are (left to right) Charlamagne, St Henry, St Kunigunde, St Helena of Nuremberg, c.1487/.
Figures below are wings from a larger, now lost, altarpiece, c.1401.
Mother of God, Nuremberg, c.1450-1460… this is one of a small collection of Nuremberg Madonna’s that are characterised by being life-sized and close to resembling natural people.
These frescos are believed to have been installed prior to a visit from Charles V, King of Spain who was crowned King in 1520 and referred to himself as the ‘Chosen Roman Emperor’. Frescoes attributed to Hans Weiditz, Augsburg, c.1519.
Looking down from the Emperor’s Chapel at the multi-layered chapel for the masses.
Relief of Emperor Ludwig IV the Bavarian, from the Nuremberg Town Hall, c.1340, cast after a model in Munich… sigh. Hate this shit : a lot of the info I’m saving is acquired by translating stuff after we leave a place. I’m looking at these things in situ and thinking, that doesn’t look right, get some time later and translate any info only to find out that we are looking at a late 18thC plaster replicas or something. :/
Same with this one… Monumental statue of Emperor Charles IV from the Old Town Bridge Tower of Prague’s Charles Bridge, Peter Parker, c.1370-1400. Original in sandstone, cast (below) in plaster.
Magnificne manuscript of the Golden Bull, Prague, 1400, leather, pen and parchment… reads the first half of the description. There’s a running them here; it’s a facsimile the original is in Vienna, in the Austrian National Library. The codex of constitution documents were commissioned by King Wenceslas c.1378-1400 and oh who gives a shit, this is a copy as well executed as some of my more proficient SCA calligrapher friends could make.
Humpback cup, Ellington & Co, Birmingham, c.1886. Copper brass, gilding… another fucking copy – is nothing in this museum original? The original 16thC cup is somewhere else and it doesn’t even tell us. The cup and other objects were part of the ceremonial table dictated for use in the Golden Bull.
Holy Lance: Replica! Holy Hand Grenade: Replica! Holy Dagger thing: Replica! The original objects symbolised the military strength of the head of the empire of Otto I (936-973).
The room had these neat – but obviously modern – reliefs that depicted the famous and important houses of Nuremberg. For some reason these didn’t bother me so much, as they weren’t accompanied by an info plaque and obviously weren’t pretending to be medieval artefacts. *shrug*
Coronation of Ludwig IV the Bavarian, in Milan as King of Italy on May 31, 1327, work attributed to Agostino Di Giovanni (c. 1310-1370)… or at least the original marble one was. This is a plaster case made in Munich.
Oh thank fuck!!! I really enjoyed looking at this glass tankard, and was just now sitting here thinking, it was probably painted by some dude named Hans last week!
Imperial Eagle Tankard, 17thC glass, enamel painted, Nuremberg. The double headed eagle was often the motif of imperial allegories and represented the structure and significant of the empire. The quaternion eagle has the individual coats of arms on its wings of the various imperial estates.
So, for the sake of representation there were some large information plaques which detailed these very famous objects associated with the Crown Treasury of Nuremberg and the Holy Roman Empire. The crown, dalmatic, and under tunic in particular are objects I am hoping to see at the Kunsthistoriches… but they’ve obviously been included here for education’s sake – and I’m really beginning to think this is a very well laid out place for school kids to come learn Stuff (which shouldn’t detract from my enjoyment of the displays – but it fucking does!).
The following Palace rooms were the private chambers of the emperor/s in the upper floors of the castle; they’ve been set up post WWII to give an impression of homeliness with some furniture, portraits… Baroque Chest, Tyrols, c.17thC.
Wappendecke: Coat of arms cover, Fritz Haeberlein, Nuremberg, c.1947…?
Prunkofen: a magnificent Stove, Nuremberg, c.1675. Timber exterior and tiled interior.
Four keys from the lock of the Imperial Regalia, c.16th/17thC. In 1423, Emperor Sigmund entrusted the City of Nuremberg with the safekeeping of the Imperial Regalia. The relics were kept safely locked in a shrine, in the church of the Holy Spirit Hospital, which was under the city council jurisdiction. Access to the chapel vault was secured by multiple persons holding different keys.
The views out to the courtyard… while walking through these rooms today, I was wondering what it must have been like for the high born womenfolk who inhabited these walls. Now, I reckon these windows were probably installed after WWII and no medieval women looked out these windows.
Armbrut: Cross bow, Nurember, c.16thC,. Bow: steel. String: hemp. Column: wood, black horn and white etched horn inlay.
LEFT: Bolt case, some labeled with the name of the Nurember patrician family, “Volckamer”, c.1595. Wood, fittings of iron, partly tinned, handle of brass. RIGHT: German crossbow crankequin. Heavy craniquins like this one were indispensable for drawing the bow-string on a robust steeel bow.
Drinking vessel in the shape of a richly ornamented cannon. When the cover is opened, it becomes apparent it is for dining. Citizen’s Artillery of Nuremberg, c.15thC.
Maximilian style armour. “The suit of plate armor is a complex artistic and technological masterpiece. In development since around 1300, full body armor made up of many different parts had reached its highest level of complexity by 1500. In principle, the individual parts had to be adapted to the individual wearer if the armor was to be fully functional. Not everyone could afford such tailor-made armor, however. Many fighters put together their protective equipment from parts that were already available. In order to increase mobility, individual parts of the armor could be left out at any time. A suit of plate armor is a complex artistic and technological masterpiece. It was developed from ca. 1300 on and reached its highest complexity around 1500. Generally, each part had to be fitted to the individual wearer, if the armour was to function properly. However, not every fighting man could afford customised armour. Protection often had to be improvised and adapted from available parts. In order to increase mobility, parts would be left off.” Sounds familiar…
Two breastplates of late Gothic Armour; from the town hall in Spittal, Carinthia, Austria. C.1450-1500. Iron, forged, steeled, filed, and originally polished.
Late Gothic armoured gloves. Germany, iron, forged, steeled, ground, polished, leather later addition, c.1450.
Two backplates of Late Gothic armour from the town hall in Spittal, Carinthia, Austria. C.1450-1500. Iron – forged, steeled, filed and originally polished.
Helms: 1) Bascine, 14thC. 2) Bascinet, German, late 14thC. 3) Kettle hat or Chapel-de fer, Tirol c1400. 4) Jousing helm, Tyrol, late 15thC. 5) Sallet, Frankie, c.1450/60. 6) Italian bascinet, Northern Italian late 15thC.
Gothic suit of equestrian armour – almost complete condition which is extremely rare apparently. Nuremberg armoury, the fancy shoe tips made it unsuitable for combat. It could have Ben worn only be a rider. The help is not original to this suit.
Nuremberg, c.1470/80. Iron – steeled, ground and originally polished to a high sheen.
Iron-clad door with iron fittings. . Dates from the reign on fate Bohemian and German Kings Charles IV or his son Wenceslas. 2nd half 14thC.
There was a very small section that dealt with the history of Nuremberg after the period of theHoly Roman Empire and glossed over WWII fairly quickly.
Ok… the Castle was very cool and I really enjoyed seeing the buildings a the layout of the fortress complex… but fuck me, I was so dirty when I discovered how many of the artefacts were just bloody modern replicas. I know it shouldn’t detract from the enjoyment of seeing these things in this context, but it fucking does! I walked up (and back down – which is sometimes even more painful) four storeys of stairs with a severely torn meniscus to see stupid copies of things? My heart rate was up around 150bpm the whole time, and I was overheating due to the excessive pain from my knee joint (and an involuntary habit of holding my breath inappropriately while in pain) and for what? To see shit that I would have been better off looking up high res images of the originals, online? It was so deflating.
Encountered this amazing vending machine in a shopping centre car park of all places – full of cheese and charcuterie! And here’s me thinking Japan has the best vending machines.
After the castle, we made our way to Haupmarkt to see the famous Schöner Brunnen fountain, a 14thC Gothic fountain locate next to Nuremberg’s main markets and the town hall. It is 19m high and in the shape of a church spire. It was built by Heinrich Beheim in 1385.
The Frauenkirche is not far away and is the Roman Catholic parish church of Nuremberg. It was built at the commission of Emperor Charles VI from 1352-1362 as a hall church. It is full of sculptures, many of them have been preserved from around the time of construction, so they are c.1360 also. There wasn’t a lot of information available in the church, an it was smaller than I expected.
The facade of the Frauenkirche has as clock called the ‘Männleinlaufen’ (Little Men Running) which is activated at noon, and has seven little men – representing electors of Nuremberg – that move with chimes. It was built/ordered by Charles IV in 1356 to commemorate the Nuremberg code of Laws, the Golden Bull. The clock was removed during WWII and stored in a Nuremberg Art Bunker.
The inner vestibule was full of brightly painted relief art work – I imagine this is what a lot of the old cathedrals looked like but haven’t been restored over the centuries.
The Tucher Alter c.1440/50 came from a demolished Augustinian Church – the Frauenkirche was used as a Protestant church for several centuries and much of the art and sculpture came back into he church when it was redesignated? reconsecrated? by the Catholic Church.
There has been an organ in this church since 1492, however this one is from the 1950s.
I got nothing on this sculpture, other than that Baby Jee looks stoned.
Pergenstorfer Epitaph.
Stopped by a bookshop, having decided to acquire a couple of well known books to try to read in German. I figure this immersion stuff has to help at some point. It’s sure not helping here; every time I try to speak with people in German they can tell I’m not a native speaker immediately and they switch to English. How are you supposed to get any better if people won’t talk to you? :/
St Seibald’s Church apparently began with a grave in 1070, and not long afterwards reports of healing miracles occurring at his grave are documented.
The Chruch that is here today was built in the first half of the 13thC as a late Romanesque pillared basilica with a double choir. It was around this time that Nuremberg was becoming an important centre of commerce in Central Europe. In the early 1300s the side aisles were expanded, and the high Gothic choir loft was added between 1361 and 1379. Seibald became the patron saint of aspiring commercial ventures, even though he was apparently not canonised until 1425.
Master of the Tucher Altar, c.1440 and Elizabeth Starch Epitath, c.1450.
’Schüsslesfeider’, Saint Christoper, c.1442.
Most of the partially preserved stained glass in this church was donated by the families of City Council members of the Free Imperial City of Nuremberg, in the 14thC. Some was replaced c.1500, and the ‘newest’ glass in the cathedral was installed in 1601.
Madonna on the Crescent Moon, c.1437.
Glass: Behaim Window with the Annunciation and the Nativity, c.1330.
Altar of Saint Peter, c.1477.
Memborial for the Schroeder-Landaeur families, c.1490-92.
Peter Vischer and Sons tomb of St Seibald, c.1508-1519.
The organ was a late addition – we were just discussing how it wasn’t up in a specific organ loft like we had seen in many cathedrals, and actually looked to be a free-standing object. Then we discovered it was only added to the church in 1975.
St Catherine – originally on the Exterior of the Last Judgement Portal c.1310.
And of course the bit I’m always curious about – during WWII, between 1943 and 1945, the church was repeatedly hit by bombs and severely damaged (hence the partially preserved stained glass). As late as April 20, 1945, both towers were bombarded until fires broke out and melted the medieval bells. The first phase of reconstruction lasted 12 years and ended in 1957. There are still repair and removal of war damage happening today.
Anna Oelhafen Epitaph, c.1528.
Having a very sparse breakfast, and having skipped lunch, we gave up on our churching and went hunting for some dinner. Angus found this place which is a local Franconian ‘field to table’ restaurant – the beers, wine, water, juice tea are all sourced from Franconia; vegetables are all grown locally in Knoblauchsland, fishes are sauced from Heinl an Erlangen fishmonger, sausages come from the Nuremberg butcher, and game is delivered by someone named Waffler from his local hunting ground. It made me think of the 40 Happy Cows that Le Cinq have on a farm some 20kms out of Paris just to make butter for the restaurant!
Angus opted for the bratwurst platter which came with rye bread and the most sour of sauerkraut you’ve ever tried in your life, and I opted for a pork shoulder because it seems I have a habit of panic ordering when I’m not speaking English! It was a sizeable and somewhat fatty portion that came with potato dumplings (which Angus enjoyed), and red cabbage – not sour.
After we finished our meal, we stopped in a grocery store for some toothpaste (weirdly, we both thought the other would have a decent sized tube and neither of us did!) and I saw these – these lemon wafer biscuits are, without a doubt, one of my FAVOURITE European snacks that I can’t get back home… it took all my ‘keine zucker’ willpower to not buy them, especially as they were selling them in packs of 5 for like €2.39. Insta-regret kicked in as soon as we got back! LOLi
Our next stop in Nuremberg was to ferret out Albrect Drurers house – which you wouldn’t think would be that difficult to find, but it’s easy to get turned around in the windy little medieval streets.
This is a cool house, but not Drurer’s house.
Finally found it – Albrect Dürer (1471-1528), is Germany’s most famous painter lived in this house now turned musuem.
St Jerome in his Study, Albrect Durer, c.1521
Paumgartner Altar, c.1498.
Portrait of Oswolt Krel, c. 1499.
Adoration of the Magi, c.1517. The covered chalices and chains demonstrate Durer’s background as a goldsmith.
The Four Apostles, Guardians of Justice, c.1526. Guardians of Justice.
Maria with the Pear Slice, c.1512.
Self Portrait with Eryngium, c.1493
Self Portrait, c. 1498.
Dürer originally trained as a goldsmith and in 1487, ended his goldsmith’s apprenticeship with his father in order to start anew as an apprentice at the workshop of the famous painter Michael Wolgemut. Additionally, he specialised in a completely new profession: that of book illustrator and free graphic artist. Before too long his talents attracted rich and highly educated customers. In 1496, he met the man who would become his most important patron, Elector Frederick of Saxony.
Dürer’s House is a typical Nuremberg Fachwerkhaus, where he lived from 1509 to 1528. It is in Nuremberg’s Altstadt near the Kaiserburg section of the Nuremberg Castle and the Tiergätnertor. It is the only artist’s house turned museum of its kind… apparently?
Living rooms and study spaces are furnished with period furniture. Dürer’s family life was rather out of the ordinary: in 1494, he married Agnes Frey, at the behest of both his father and hers. While Dürer’s mother had been pregnant eighteen times, his own marriage remained childless.
I love these windows… why don’t we make windows like this anymore?
A small cupboard and a hand washing space.
Wall clock… no information on these. But plenty of small plaques asking visitors to not touch things!
The downstairs kitchen is designed in such a way as the heat rises to warm the upper floors.
The upper floors contain a recreation of the artists workshop spaces.
An engraving plate and a glass sphere that could be used as a magnifier.
Printing systems.
Was very cool hour or so checking out Dürer’s house… even knowing most of the art works are replicas didn’t detract from how cool it is to be walking through this living museum space with its smoky hallway and centuries old furniture. The rest of the day was spent working before we moved on!
Having seen a very similar show in 2022 from the corporate boxes on the west side of Lyon stadium, I was really keen to get a front on view, with enough elevation to be well over the top of any beer tents or raised sound booths etc. I kept coming back to the website until FINALLY it offered up some seats that matched the criteria … then the countdown was on! 
There’s a running them here; it’s a facsimile the original is in Vienna, in the Austrian National Library. The codex of constitution documents were commissioned by King Wenceslas c.1378-1400 and oh who gives a shit, this is a copy as well executed as some of my more proficient SCA calligrapher friends could make. 
