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The Secrets of Nuremberg

Where Imperial Power Meets the Weight of Memory

Nuremberg is a city that has lived many lives. For centuries it was the unofficial capital of the Holy Roman Empire, a fortress city where emperors stored their crown jewels and held imperial diets. It was the birthplace of Albrecht Dürer, the genius who made the Renaissance speak German. It gave the world the pocket watch, the globe, and Lebkuchen.

Then came the darkness. The Nazis chose Nuremberg as the stage for their rallies, exploiting its imperial symbolism. After the war, the Allies chose it again — this time for the trials that invented international justice. Today, the city carries both legacies honestly. Walk its medieval walls, stand in the courtroom that changed the world, and discover a Franconian soul that turns sausage, gingerbread, and red beer into high art.

10
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~2h
Journey
10
Riddles

How to Play

  1. Tap a stop to read its story
  2. Solve the riddle — tap your answer
  3. The truth (+ hidden history) is revealed!
  4. Tap the 📍 address to navigate via Google Maps
The Imperial Crown
The Castle Where Emperors Kept Their Jewels

For five centuries, every Holy Roman Emperor resided here. The crown jewels were stored in its vaults.

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Kaiserburg — Imperial Castle
Medieval · 1050–1571
📍 Auf der Burg 17, 90403 Nürnberg
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📖 The Story
You are standing at the highest point of the old city, inside one of the most important imperial palaces of the Middle Ages. From 1050 to 1571, every Holy Roman Emperor stayed at the Kaiserburg — most of them on multiple occasions. The castle is actually three complexes in one: the Imperial Castle, the former Burgraves’ Castle, and the city fortifications.

Peer down the Deep Well — it plunges 48 metres into the sandstone ridge beneath your feet. Then climb the Sinwell Tower for a panoramic view that lets you understand why this hilltop was chosen: you can see everything approaching for kilometres. The Imperial Chapel is a rare double chapel, with the emperor worshipping on the upper level and his court below — a literal hierarchy of devotion carved in stone. During World War II, the castle was severely damaged, with only the chapel and the Sinwell Tower surviving intact. What you see today is a meticulous postwar restoration.
🧩 Riddle
The Kaiserburg’s Deep Well is famous for its extraordinary depth. How deep does it plunge into the sandstone?
💡 Need a hint?
Think of a depth roughly half the length of a football pitch...
🎉 The Answer
C. 48 metres
From 1424 to 1796, the Imperial Regalia — the crown, orb, sceptre, and Imperial Sword of the Holy Roman Empire — were stored in Nuremberg. The city was chosen because it was considered the safest and most loyal of all imperial cities. The regalia are now in the Hofburg in Vienna.
The Renaissance
The House Where Germany Met the Renaissance

The only surviving 16th-century artist’s house in Northern Europe. Dürer lived and worked here for nearly 20 years.

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Albrecht-Dürer-Haus
Built c. 1420 · Dürer 1509–1528
📍 Albrecht-Dürer-Straße 39, 90403 Nürnberg
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📖 The Story
You are standing before the home of the man who single-handedly brought the Italian Renaissance north of the Alps. Albrecht Dürer purchased this five-storey half-timbered house in 1509, after the death of its previous owner, the astronomer Bernhard Walther, who had added small windows to the roof so it could function as an observatory. Dürer lived and worked here until his death in 1528.

Inside these walls, Dürer created masterpieces that changed the course of European art: his woodcuts, copper engravings, and paintings demonstrated a technical precision that had never been seen before. His self-portraits were revolutionary — no artist had ever painted themselves with such unflinching honesty. The city purchased the house in 1826 and opened it as a memorial in 1828, making it one of the earliest artist-dedicated museums in the world. It is the only surviving artist’s house from the 16th century in all of Northern Europe.
🧩 Riddle
Before Dürer bought this house in 1509, the previous owner had modified the roof for a very specific purpose. What was it?
💡 Need a hint?
The previous owner, Bernhard Walther, was fascinated by the night sky...
🎉 The Answer
B. An astronomical observatory
Dürer’s woodcut Rhinoceros (1515) was based entirely on a written description and a sketch — he never saw the actual animal. Despite its anatomical errors, the image was so compelling that it remained the standard European depiction of a rhinoceros for nearly 300 years.
The Patron Saint
The Church Named for a Hermit Nobody Can Prove Existed

Nuremberg’s oldest parish church holds the elaborate tomb of a saint whose very existence is debated by historians.

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St. Sebalduskirche
Romanesque/Gothic · 1225–1379
📍 Albrecht-Dürer-Platz 1, 90403 Nürnberg
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📖 The Story
You are standing before the oldest parish church in Nuremberg. Construction began in 1225, it achieved parish status in 1255, and the original Romanesque basilica was completed by 1275. But the building you see is not one era — it is layers. Between 1309 and 1345, the side aisles were widened and the steeples raised. Then, from 1358 to 1379, the stunning late Gothic hall chancel was added in the Sondergotik style.

The church is named after Saint Sebaldus, an 8th-century hermit and missionary who is the patron saint of Nuremberg. Here is the extraordinary thing: historians cannot agree that Sebaldus actually existed. The earliest reliable records date to centuries after his supposed life. Yet his elaborate bronze shrine, cast by Peter Vischer the Elder and his sons between 1508 and 1519, is one of the most remarkable works of German Renaissance sculpture. It took eleven years to complete. The church became Lutheran during the Reformation in 1525 and has remained so ever since.
🧩 Riddle
Peter Vischer the Elder and his sons created the famous Sebaldus shrine inside this church. How many years did it take to cast?
💡 Need a hint?
They started in 1508 and finished in 1519...
🎉 The Answer
C. 11 years
The Sebaldus shrine by Peter Vischer is one of the finest examples of German Renaissance bronze casting. Vischer included a self-portrait among the figures on the base — he depicted himself in his leather apron, holding a chisel, forever working on his own masterpiece.
The Golden Wish
The Fountain With a Secret Ring

A 19-metre Gothic spire hides a golden ring in its iron fence. Spin it three times, and your wish comes true — so they say.

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Schöner Brunnen
Gothic · 1385–1396
📍 Hauptmarkt 18, 90403 Nürnberg
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📖 The Story
You are standing before one of the most elaborate Gothic fountains in Germany. The Schöner Brunnen — Beautiful Fountain — was built between 1385 and 1396 by the stonemason Heinrich Beheim. It rises 19 metres, shaped like a Gothic church spire, and is adorned with 40 painted figures arranged in four tiers representing the worldview of the Holy Roman Empire: the seven Liberal Arts, the four Evangelists, the four Church Fathers, the seven Prince-Electors, and nine heroes of antiquity.

But the real treasure is hidden in plain sight. Look at the wrought-iron fence surrounding the fountain. Embedded in it is a small, smooth brass ring — the so-called golden ring. Legend says that an apprentice blacksmith secretly forged it into the fence to prove his skill. If you find it and spin it three times, your wish will come true. What you see today is actually a replica from the early 20th century — the original fountain is safely preserved inside the Germanisches Nationalmuseum.
🧩 Riddle
The Schöner Brunnen features 40 painted figures. Which group is NOT represented among them?
💡 Need a hint?
Think about the categories: Liberal Arts, Evangelists, Church Fathers, Prince-Electors, heroes of antiquity...
🎉 The Answer
B. The twelve Apostles
There are actually two rings in the fence. The famous brass “golden ring” grants wishes, but there is also a black iron ring on the opposite side. Local legend says spinning the black ring brings bad luck — or, more charitably, grants you lots of children. Choose wisely.
The Emperor’s Church
The Clock That Makes Electors Bow

Every day at noon, seven mechanical electors circle the emperor in a ritual of golden obedience.

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Frauenkirche — Church of Our Lady
Gothic · 1352–1362
📍 Hauptmarkt 14, 90403 Nürnberg
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📖 The Story
You are looking at the jewel of the Hauptmarkt. The Frauenkirche was built between 1352 and 1362 on the orders of Emperor Charles IV. It stands on the exact site where the synagogue of Nuremberg’s Jewish community had stood until the pogrom of 1349 — a fact the city now openly commemorates.

The church’s most famous feature is the Männleinlaufen, a mechanical clock installed in 1509 on the church’s west facade. Every day at noon, seven mechanical figures representing the Prince-Electors of the Holy Roman Empire circle three times around a seated Emperor Charles IV, paying him homage. The mechanism has been performing this ritual for over 500 years. The church’s Gothic architecture shows strong Bohemian influences — Charles IV was also King of Bohemia, and he deliberately imported his architects to leave a mark on the city. The porch features a remarkable relief of the Adoration of the Magi.
🧩 Riddle
The Frauenkirche’s Männleinlaufen clock shows seven figures circling an emperor. What do these figures represent?
💡 Need a hint?
They were the most powerful men in the Empire — they chose who wore the crown...
🎉 The Answer
B. The seven Prince-Electors
Emperor Charles IV issued the Golden Bull of 1356 from Nuremberg, one of the most important constitutional documents of the Holy Roman Empire. It codified how emperors were elected and established that every newly elected emperor must hold his first Imperial Diet in Nuremberg. The Männleinlaufen clock commemorates this decree.
The Masterpiece in Stone
The Church With 12,000 Voices

Two towers reaching 81 metres. An organ with 12,000 pipes. And a wooden angel suspended in mid-air for 500 years.

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Lorenzkirche — St. Lawrence Church
Gothic · 1243–1477
📍 Lorenzer Platz 10, 90402 Nürnberg
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📖 The Story
You are standing before the most impressive Gothic church in Nuremberg. Construction began in 1243 on the site of an earlier Romanesque chapel. The nave was completed by about 1400, but the crowning achievement is the late Gothic hall choir, built between 1439 and 1477 by Konrad Roriczer, with its intricate vaulted ceiling completed by Jakob Grimm.

Look up inside. Suspended from the ceiling of the choir is the Angelic Salutation by Veit Stoß, carved in 1518: a massive wooden medallion showing the Archangel Gabriel greeting the Virgin Mary, surrounded by a rosary of gilded roses. It has hung there for over 500 years. Below it stands the tabernacle by Adam Kraft, completed in 1496 — a 20-metre-tall stone canopy of breathtaking delicacy. And then there is the organ: with 12,000 pipes and 165 registers, it is one of the largest church organs in the world. The church became one of the first in Nuremberg to turn Lutheran, in 1524.
🧩 Riddle
Veit Stoß created the famous Angelic Salutation that hangs from the ceiling of this church. What scene does it depict?
💡 Need a hint?
An angel appears with divine news for a young woman...
🎉 The Answer
B. The Annunciation
Adam Kraft’s tabernacle is 20 metres tall and leans slightly against a pillar. At its base, Kraft carved three figures supporting the entire structure on their shoulders — one of them is a self-portrait of Kraft himself, identifiable by his stonemason’s tools. He literally carved himself holding up his own masterpiece.
The Outcast’s Path
The Bridge Only the Executioner Could Cross

A wooden covered bridge built so the hangman could enter the city without touching “honourable” citizens.

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Henkersteg — Hangman’s Bridge
Medieval · 1457 · Rebuilt 1595
📍 Henkersteg, 90403 Nürnberg
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📖 The Story
You are standing on one of the most atmospheric structures in Nuremberg — a wooden covered pedestrian bridge stretching across the Pegnitz River, connecting the old town to a small island. The Henkersteg was first built in 1457 for a very specific and darkly practical reason: the city’s executioner needed a way to cross into town without coming into contact with “honourable” citizens.

In medieval Nuremberg, the executioner was considered “unehrlich” — dishonourable — a social outcast despite performing a role the city required. He lived in isolation in the Henkerturm (Hangman’s Tower) on the island, and this bridge was his private passage. A severe flood washed away the original bridge in 1595, and it was rebuilt with an extension to the south. Next to the tower stands the Weinstadel, a massive half-timbered building from 1448 that served as a wine storehouse and later as a leper hospital. Today, the ensemble of bridge, tower, and Weinstadel is the most photographed view along the Pegnitz.
🧩 Riddle
Why was the Henkersteg originally built as a separate bridge for the executioner?
💡 Need a hint?
His profession made him a social pariah in medieval society...
🎉 The Answer
B. Because he was considered dishonourable
In 2007, a small museum of medieval criminal justice was opened in the executioner’s rooms in the Henkerturm. The executioner was not just a hangman — he was also the city’s torturer, surgeon, and animal carcass disposer. Despite being shunned socially, he was often one of the best-paid officials in the city.
The Treasure Vault
One Million Pieces of German Memory

The largest museum of cultural history in the German-speaking world, built inside a dissolved medieval monastery.

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Germanisches Nationalmuseum
Founded 1852 · Former Carthusian Monastery
📍 Kartäusergasse 1, 90402 Nürnberg
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📖 The Story
You are entering the largest museum of cultural history in the German-speaking world. The Germanisches Nationalmuseum was founded in 1852 by the Franconian baron Hans von und zu Aufseß, who wanted to create a comprehensive repository of German art and culture. Since 1871, it has held the status of Germany’s official national museum.

The collection is staggering: over one million objects spanning from prehistoric times to the present. You will find masterworks by Albrecht Dürer, Veit Stoß, and Rembrandt. But the real surprises are the curiosities: the museum holds the oldest surviving terrestrial globe — the Erdapfel, created by Martin Behaim in 1492, just before Columbus returned from the Americas (so the Americas are missing). It also contains what is believed to be the first pocket watch in the world — the Nuremberg Egg, from around 1510. The museum is built into the remaining structures of a former Carthusian monastery dissolved in 1525.
🧩 Riddle
The museum holds the oldest surviving terrestrial globe, the Erdapfel. What is notably missing from it?
💡 Need a hint?
It was made in 1492, the same year a certain voyage began...
🎉 The Answer
C. The Americas
The so-called Nuremberg Egg (Nürnberger Ei) was long believed to be the world’s first pocket watch, made by Peter Henlein around 1510. The name “Egg” likely comes from a mistranslation — the original word “Äurlein” meant “little clock,” not “little egg.” But the oval shape of early watches made the nickname stick for centuries.
The Reckoning
The Room That Invented International Justice

In this courtroom, the world put war criminals on trial for the first time. The principle established here still governs international law.

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Memorium Nürnberger Prozesse — Courtroom 600
Palace of Justice · 1909–1916 · Trials 1945–1949
📍 Bärenschanzstraße 72, 90429 Nürnberg
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📖 The Story
You are standing in Courtroom 600 of the Nuremberg Palace of Justice, where the most consequential trial in modern history took place. From 20 November 1945 to 1 October 1946, twenty-one senior Nazi leaders sat in the dock before the International Military Tribunal. For the first time in history, individuals were held criminally responsible for crimes against peace, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.

The building was chosen because it had survived the bombing in relatively good condition, was large enough for the proceedings, and included an attached prison complex. Extensive modifications were made: the judges’ bench was turned 90 degrees to face the windows, an IBM system enabled simultaneous interpretation in four languages, and the gallery was expanded to seat over 350 journalists and observers. Twelve defendants were sentenced to death. The trial established the principle that “following orders” is not a defence — a legal precedent that echoes through every international criminal tribunal since. Courtroom 600 remained in active judicial use until 2020 and is now open to visitors as a memorial.
🧩 Riddle
The Nuremberg Trials pioneered a technology to manage multilingual proceedings. What was it?
💡 Need a hint?
The courtroom needed to operate in English, French, Russian, and German simultaneously...
🎉 The Answer
B. Simultaneous interpretation via IBM headsets
The Nuremberg Trials established the legal concept of crimes against humanity as a prosecutable offence under international law. This principle directly led to the creation of the International Criminal Court in The Hague in 2002. Every war crimes tribunal since — from Yugoslavia to Rwanda — traces its legal foundations to Courtroom 600.
The Reckoning Continues
The Unfinished Monument to Megalomania

The Nazis planned a rally ground larger than anything Rome had built. They never finished it. The ruin is now a museum of memory.

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Dokumentationszentrum Reichsparteitagsgelände
Nazi Era · 1933–1938 · Museum since 2001
📍 Bayernstraße 110, 90478 Nürnberg
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📖 The Story
You are standing before the Congress Hall, an unfinished colossus of granite and brick modelled on the Colosseum in Rome — but designed to be larger. The Nazi Party Rally Grounds cover 11 square kilometres and were intended to be the permanent stage for the National Socialist mass rallies that took place here from 1933 to 1938. Albert Speer and other architects designed a complex of monumental proportions: the Zeppelin Field with its massive grandstand, the Great Road (40 metres wide, 2 kilometres long), and this Congress Hall, which was meant to seat 50,000 people.

It was never completed. The outbreak of war in 1939 halted construction. What remains is a haunting shell — deliberately left unfinished, deliberately unbeautiful. In 2001, the Documentation Centre opened inside the north wing of the Congress Hall, cutting through the building with a glass and steel diagonal that symbolically pierces the Nazi architecture. The permanent exhibition, “Fascination and Terror,” traces how the Nazis used architecture, ritual, and spectacle to seduce an entire nation. It is one of the most important memorial sites in Germany.
🧩 Riddle
The unfinished Congress Hall was modelled after a famous ancient building. Which one?
💡 Need a hint?
Think of the most famous amphitheatre in Rome...
🎉 The Answer
B. The Colosseum
The Nazi rally grounds were deliberately chosen in Nuremberg to exploit the city’s medieval imperial symbolism. The Nazis wanted to draw a direct line from the Holy Roman Empire to their “Third Reich.” After the war, the Allies chose Nuremberg for the trials for the same symbolic reason: justice would be delivered where the propaganda had been staged.

More Must-Dos

Top-rated experiences from locals and travellers

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Weißgerbergasse
A street of 22 colourful half-timbered houses from Nuremberg’s leather-trade boom. The most picturesque street in the city.
📍 Weißgerbergasse, 90403 Nürnberg
🎭
Nuremberg Toy Museum
From medieval dolls to modern Playmobil. Nuremberg has been the toy capital of Europe for centuries.
📍 Karlstraße 13–15, 90403 Nürnberg
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DB Museum — German Railway Museum
Germany’s first railway ran from Nuremberg to Fürth in 1835. See the original Adler locomotive.
📍 Lessingstraße 6, 90443 Nürnberg
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Neues Museum — State Museum of Art and Design
Contemporary art and design in a stunning glass-fronted building on the city wall.
📍 Luitpoldstraße 5, 90402 Nürnberg
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Nuremberg Zoo (Tiergarten)
One of the most beautiful landscape zoos in Europe, set in 70 hectares of ancient forest.
📍 Am Tiergarten 30, 90480 Nürnberg
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Bardentreffen Open Air Festival
Free world music festival every late July. Multiple stages across the old town. Nuremberg’s biggest cultural highlight.
📍 Hauptmarkt, Nürnberg (multiple stages)
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City Wall Walk
Walk the nearly 5 km medieval fortification ring. 71 towers, 7 gates, and underground casemates to explore.
📍 Frauentormauer, 90402 Nürnberg

"Nürnberg! Du vormals weltberühmte Stadt!" — "Nuremberg! You once world-famous city!" — Martin Luther

Est. 1050 — Norenberc
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