Location: Nuremberg, Bavaria Map
Constructed: 1105
Tel. +49 911 244 6590
Nuremberg Castle is located on a sandstone hill in Nuremberg in the state of Bavaria in Germany. One includes the Imperial Castle (Kaiserburg), Burgraves of Nuremberg (Burggrafenburg) and several buildings known as Imperial City (Reichsstadtische Bauten). Nuremberg Castle dates its origin to 1105 when it was constructed. It can be roughly divided into three regions. In 1140 king Conrad III turned the citadel into his royal residence, greatly expanding the fortress and its defenses. In the late 19th century Nuremberg Castle was designated as historic building with subsequent reconstruction. The fort still plays an important part in the folklore of the city. One of the local legend claim that a German robber baron Eppelein von Gailingen was arrested in 1372. He managed to escape the death sentence thanks to a horse that leaped across the wall into a moat. It is believed that marks from its hoofs are still visible in the castle walls. As he was speeding away from the fortress he met a peasant who was coming to his execution. The peasant asked Eppelein what time the criminal would be hanged. The famous robber replied: "The Nurembergians will hang nobody - if they hadn't him before (Die Nürnberger hängen keinen – sie hätten ihn denn zuvor!)".
The Nuremberg Castle is located north of the
Pegnitz on a sandstone ridge above the old town of Sebald. In the
west it borders on the Neutorgraben, in the north on the
Vestnertorgraben. The castle is part of the Nuremberg city
fortifications to the north. The castle offers a view of the
craftsmen's quarter below and the old town.
Overview
In
terms of ownership history, the castle consists of three parts, the
boundaries of which, however, can only be read with difficulty in
today's building stock:
The remains of the Burggrafenburg
with the pentagonal tower are in the middle. The Burggrafenburg was
most likely rebuilt in 1192, most of it was destroyed in 1420.
The Imperial Castle with Sinwell Tower, Deep Well, Double Chapel and
Palas extends to the west. The oldest parts date from 1200, after
which the castle was continuously expanded and rebuilt.
Further
(imperial) urban buildings are to be found in the north and east
(e.g. the former imperial stables of Hans Beheim the Elder and the
Luginsland tower).
In terms of building history, three phases
can be distinguished in two main styles:
in the first half of the
11th century the Salian royal castle in Romanesque style
around
1200 the Staufer imperial castle in Romanesque style
in the 15th
century the rebuilding of the palace and urban buildings in the
Gothic style
Subsequent modifications have changed the original
buildings.
In the early days, the imperial castle was the
focus of the Hohenstaufen power policy in Eastern Franconia. From
1192 the Burggrafenburg became the starting point for the
territorial formation of the Hohenzollern in Franconia, at the same
time the imperial city of Nuremberg gained power, fought the
Hohenzollern and was able to drive them from the castle in 1427. The
city took over the entire castle, which was included in the city
fortifications and supplemented with the castle bastions between
1538 and 1545. Later the castle was increasingly used only for
representational purposes. In 1806 Bavaria took over the castle. In
the romantic era as well as in the 1930s, the castle was redesigned
according to the respective zeitgeist.
During the Second
World War, the castle complex was badly damaged by the air raids on
Nuremberg, after which it was rebuilt in historical form.
Today the castle is mainly used for tourism.
History
The
remains of early buildings discovered in archaeological
investigations were dated to before 1000 - but there is no written
evidence for this period. Also in the so-called Sigena certificate
from Emperor Heinrich III. from the year 1050, nuorenberc is only
given as the location of the exhibition, without mentioning whether
it was used to refer to the castle. After King Konrad II "notarized"
on his travels from Regensburg to Bamberg in 1025 and 1030 in
Megelendorf an der Pegnitzfurt, today's Mögeldorf, it can be assumed
that the Sigena certificate was issued in Nuremberg Castle. The
castle does not appear in the sources until 1105. Between that time
and 1571, all emperors and kings of the Holy Roman Empire stayed
there temporarily.
Beginning among the Salians
The Salian
royal castle was a starting point for Henry III's eastern campaigns,
who made Bohemia, Poland and Hungary obligatory. In 1105 the Salian
king Heinrich V conquered the castle after a two-month siege in the
war against his father, Emperor Heinrich IV. In 1127, King Lothar of
Supplinburg besieged the castle, which was defended by the
Hohenstaufen brothers Konrad and Friedrich, for ten weeks without
success. In 1130 he succeeded in conquering the second attempt and
handed the castle over to Heinrich the Proud until it fell to the
Hohenstaufen in 1138.
Ascent under the Hohenstaufen
The
importance of the imperial castle grew under the Staufers, it was
extensively rebuilt and, together with the castles Altenburg near
Bamberg, Eger and the Wartburg, secured the eastern border of the
empire. In 1140 King Conrad III began with the construction of a
second castle, the Kaiserburg, which should serve as the royal
palace. He lent the newly established burgraviate with court and
administration to the noble free von Raabs (from Lower Austria).
Friedrich von Zollern inherited it in 1190/91. In the course of the
imperial city independence that Nuremberg gained in the 13th
century, the imperial castle was handed over to the city. Emperor
Friedrich I. Barbarossa stayed at the castle 12 times, Heinrich
(VII.), who also married at the castle in 1225, 21 times and
Friedrich II 16 times. The downfall of the Hohenstaufen (from 1254)
left a power vacuum.
Power struggle between the city and
Hohenzollern
Both the bourgeoisie of the city and the burgraves gained power;
their rivalry grew from the 14th century. The burgraves acquired
large areas in Franconia and therefore came into conflict with the
city. The city wanted to keep the burgraves away from the imperial
castle in accordance with the imperial interests. To do this, it
used structural means: it blocked access to the city and with the
Vestnertor also access to the north. In 1377 she began building a
high tower, the Luginsland, right next to the Burggrafenburg, from
which the interior of the castle could be monitored. Complaints from
the Hohenzollern to the emperor were unsuccessful. There was open
fighting and in 1388/89 the city occupied the Burggrafenburg, but
had to vacate it in a settlement. The power of the Hohenzollern in
the castle was at a low point when Bavarian troops destroyed the
Burggrafenburg in the Bavarian War in 1420. Then the last burgrave
Friedrich VI sold. the destroyed castle in 1427 to the city council
of Nuremberg and withdrew to the castle in Cadolzburg. After being
enfeoffed with Brandenburg in 1415, the interests of the
Hohenzollerns shifted to the north. Although the Franconian
Hohenzollern still had the addition of Burggraf zu Nürnberg in their
title, this sale meant the end of the existence of the
Burggrafschaft Nürnberg. In the period that followed, the two
Hohenzollern margravates of Brandenburg-Ansbach and
Brandenburg-Kulmbach emerged from their territory.
One
anecdote is the legendary jump of the robber baron's horse Eppelein
von Gailingen (* around 1320, † 1381) into the moat, with which he
is said to have escaped his execution on the gallows.
Representation and loss of meaning
Nuremberg Castle was now
completely in the care of the city. During the Hussite Wars, the
west and north sides were reinforced and the castle was included in
the city fortifications. In 1538–45, the west and north sides were
finally secured by the castle bastions. In 1440–42 the Romanesque
palace was replaced by a late Gothic new building and in 1487 an
extension was added. In 1494/95 the city built the "Kornhaus auf den
Vesten", later called the Imperial Stables. In 1524 the city took
over the Reformation, which led to an estrangement between the
emperor and the city. The living quarters of the castle were
redesigned for Emperor Charles V, and Ferdinand I had the palace
expanded again in 1559/60, but the castle had lost its importance.
During the Thirty Years' War, the area around Nuremberg was the
scene of a multi-year positional warfare between the warring
factions that led to the Battle of the Alte Veste in 1632. The city
and the castle were not conquered. After the war, the castle lost
its military importance and the Reichstag no longer took place in
Nuremberg, but from 1663 on in Regensburg.
In 1806 the castle
and town became part of the Kingdom of Bavaria. In 1828 Kaspar
Hauser was housed in prison in the castle for a few weeks.
With the romantic era, a historical interest in the castle arose.
Building conservation and redesigning measures began in 1834 under
Ludwig I .; The work of Carl Alexander Heideloff, August von Voit
and August Essenwein should be mentioned in particular. So was z.
For example, a high Söller was added on the west side, local
carpenters made historicizing furniture for the interior, but
original pieces from other castles (e.g. Willibaldsburg from
Eichstätt) were also used.
After the Bavarian defeat in the
German War in 1866, Ludwig II had to allow the Prussian King Wilhelm
I to share the "castle of his fathers".
After the NSDAP came
to power in 1933, work began on converting the Imperial Castle. As
part of the annual Nazi party rallies, the Imperial Castle was
intended to serve as a symbolic backdrop for the Nazi regime and as
accommodation for high-ranking state guests. The so-called
restoration in the sense of a "creative preservation of monuments",
in which the historicist furnishings of the castle from the 19th
century, perceived as a "weak style costume", was destroyed under
the direction of Rudolf Esterer from 1934 onwards. The trade journal
Der Baumeister rated the Nazi redesigning measure euphorically at
the time: “When we visit Nuremberg Castle today, we are no longer
greeted by a false theater magic that has nothing to say to us
inside, but we experience the old one again at every turn noble
imperial castle, which with a powerful size and austere beauty based
on its simple design, as a work of rediscovered old, dignified
German craftsmanship, casts its spell over us. It is indisputable
achievement of the men who have been at work here to have brought
this original greatness back to life. "
During the Second World War, the castle suffered severe damage in
1944/45; only the double chapel and the Sinwell tower remained
almost intact. In the post-war period, all assemblies were restored
in their historical forms, for example Luginsland, which was
completely destroyed in the war; however, the interior design of the
19th century, which had been almost completely eliminated in
1934/35, was not reconstructed. As a result, the interior of the
castle is largely in the shape that Rudolf Esterer's measures gave
it.
The long-neglected tourist use of the castle has been
attracting more attention since 2013. The permanent exhibition was
redesigned - in addition to the castle, the Holy Roman Empire of the
German Nation and the role of Nuremberg in the late Middle Ages are
shown. Many buildings and outdoor facilities are to be renovated and
the possible uses are to be expanded.
Buildings
Imperial
Chapel
The double chapel in Romanesque architectural style was
built around 1200 and is therefore one of the oldest parts of the
castle still in existence (see # Archaeological investigations and
"Castle 16" under the list of architectural monuments in Nuremberg #
Kaiserburg). In the chancel there is a crucifix by Veit Stoss, a
work of the late Gothic period.
Access to the upper chapel
was reserved for the high nobility. The lower chapel can only be
reached from the inner courtyard. The lower and upper chapels are
only connected by a ceiling opening. The imperial family took their
seats on the west gallery of the upper chapel, with a separate area
for the emperor. The three levels thus represent the hierarchy of
society at that time.
In 1216, the construction work on the
castle came to an end and Emperor Friedrich II assigned the lower
part of the double chapel, the so-called Margaret Chapel, to the
branch of the Teutonic Order, which it probably held until 1419 and
then handed it over to the city of Nuremberg.
Fountain
The
water supply to the castle was secured by two castle wells in the
event of a siege. The fountain of the former Burggrafenburg is
located a few meters south of the pentagonal tower. The
approximately 20 meter deep draw well drew water from the base of
the Lower Burgsandstein.
The deep well of the Kaiserburg is
probably as old as the castle itself. The shaft was carved into the
rock and has a diameter of 2.2 to 1.7 and a depth of 53 meters. It
leads through layers of castle and parlor sandstone to bubble
sandstone with the groundwater table of the Pegnitz.
Bastions
In the 16th century the fortifications had to be reinforced. As
early as 1527, a mighty round bastion was built at the northeast
corner of the city wall - outside the castle - the Kübler Zwinger,
also known as the Dürerbastei.
Between 1538 and 1545, three
large castle bastions (Vestnertor-, Large and Lower Bastion) were
built directly to the northwest in front of the castle according to
the plans of the Italian fortress engineer Antonio Fazuni. These
structures should strengthen the castle and city fortifications
because of the penetration power of the advanced artillery.
Imperial stables
In the east of the castle in 1495 Hans Beheim
the Elder built the "Kornhaus auf den Vesten" between the Luginsland
tower and the five-cornered tower, a two-story stone building with
five lofts one above the other. It served as the town's granary; the
rooms on the ground floor were also used as stables during the
imperial era.
The building was converted into the Reich Youth
Hostel in 1937, destroyed in World War II and rebuilt in 1953. The
Kaiserstallung is still used today as a youth hostel and after the
last renovation it has 93 rooms.
Archaeological research
In 1990, in the course of renovations in the knight's hall of the
imperial castle, the foundation walls of a Salic round chapel were
found. In 2001 the remains of a Salian keep with two meter thick
walls and a defensive wall were discovered in the courtyard of the
castle. This plant is dated around the year 1000 or a little
earlier. Even older foundations were found under the foundations of
this former keep, which presumably date back to pre-Sali times.
Excavations in the castle courtyard have revealed traces of
human settlement from before 1000. The foundation of a round tower
with a wall thickness of two meters was excavated, which, according
to the Bavarian State Office for Monument Preservation, was also
built before 1000.
What is certain is that the castle
stretched across the castle hill from east to west as early as the
11th century; At least since the 12th century, the Burggrafenburg
had been in front of the actual castle of the emperor to the east
like a bolt.
The oldest surviving building, the double chapel with the eastern
choir tower (Margarethenturm, also known as the "Heidenturm" as a
supposedly Roman building, see Regensburg's "Heidenturm") was
probably built in the second quarter of the 13th century and shows
architectural decorations in the forms of late Romanesque.
(In Matthäus Merian's Topographia Franconiae, the Roman military
leaders Nero Claudius Drusus - † 9 BC - and Tiberius Claudius Nero -
emperor from 14 AD - are considered to be the builders of the “Pagan
Tower”, perhaps on the occasion of a campaign in the Germania magna.
At that time the Rhaetian Limes did not yet exist, and the Romans
had only just been able to secure the banks of the Danube. Expansion
across the Danube to the north had to be abandoned in the 3rd
century until it collapsed in the 5th century only today's
Regensburg will be held as the closest place to Nuremberg. This is
about the keyword Neroburg in connection with speculative
interpretations of the name of the city of Nuremberg in the second
millennium AD.)
tour
Coming from the city, you normally
leave the Himmelstor on the Mount of Olives to the left and continue
up the ascent towards the former imperial stables (now a youth
hostel), at the east end of which the Luginsland towers high. To get
to the castle, turn left (to the west) past the pentagonal tower in
front of the imperial stables and, before passing the first gate,
you can visit the Walburgis chapel rising over the steep slope from
the outside.
If you then pass the first gate, you have to
orientate yourself again to the left (straight ahead you get to the
moat on the north side) and reach the clearing, from which the old
town and, if the weather is clear, the eastern, southern and western
city quarters can be seen well .
The clearance (also: castle
clearance) is in front of the Walburgis Chapel. It separated,
formerly belonging to the Burggrafenburg, this from the Imperial
Castle. Here persecuted people enjoyed the right of asylum
(exemption), according to medieval law. From the clearing, the
circular route continues through the castle gate under the “Secret
Guardian Walk”. Immediately after the gate on the right rises the 41
meter high round Sinwell Tower, which can be climbed as a lookout
tower as part of a guided tour; access to the deep well is also
possible. On the left is the heavenly stable and the heavenly gate,
through which you can also enter the castle courtyard. If you
continue west towards the inner castle gate, you will pass the
double chapel with the Heidenturm.
From the inner courtyard
you have access to the Imperial Castle as part of a guided tour,
while the Castle Museum as a branch of the Germanic National Museum
can be viewed separately.
On the way back you can look at the
possibly overlooked outbuildings and walk north across the moat to
be impressed by the mighty bastions.
If you want to continue
on an extended tour, you go outside the city wall to the
Tiergärtnertor, where you can enter the castle garden through the
wall in summer. It extends on the north side of the castle almost to
the pentagonal tower. On the Vestnertorbastei there is a monument to
Georg Christoph Eimmart, who built the first observatory in
Nuremberg at this point. The exploration tour ends there. The
Albrecht Dürer House is located near the castle.
An official
digital tour via the Kaiserburg app has also been available to iPad
users free of charge since June 2013.
Presence
The building is owned by the Bavarian Palace
Administration and is primarily used for tourist purposes.
Individual buildings are also used as residential, official or
museum buildings as well as temporarily for parties and state
receptions. One of the largest and most modern youth hostels in
Germany is located in the old imperial stables. The house with 355
beds was reopened in spring 2013 after renovation.
Castle
habitat
Due to its structural situation, the Nuremberg Imperial
Castle is of great importance as a habitat for animals and plants.
The multitude of cellars, walls, towers and green areas offer
diverse habitats for flora and fauna. As part of the "Burg Habitat"
project, biologists have so far identified around 1400 animal and
plant species in the area of the Nuremberg Imperial Castle in
mapping over an area of around 65,000 square meters - an
impressive biodiversity.
Geology
The sandstone rock is designated as Geotope 564A002 by
the Bavarian State Office for the Environment. The geotope is also
one of the 100 most beautiful geotopes in Bavaria. See also the list
of geotopes in Nuremberg. The geotope is the type locality for the
castle sandstone named after it, a geological layer unit of the
Keuper, which is widespread in Franconia.
Flagging the castle
Since the summer of 2008, the Bavarian and German flags have been
flying on Nuremberg Castle (as on official buildings of the Free
State) by order of the Bavarian Ministry of the Interior. Nuremberg
SPD city councilors requested the Free State to raise the Franconian
flag as well. However, the request was rejected by the Bavarian
Minister of the Interior, Joachim Herrmann. In the summer of 2009
the flag dispute was settled. However, the Franconian flag was not
hoisted: since July 15, 2009, the flag of the city has been flying
on the five-cornered tower, but it also contains the Franconian
colors red and white. In the summer of 2012, the flag changed again:
on the main building (Palas) of the castle the German flag was
replaced by the Bavarian flag. For this, the Franconian flag was
hoisted on the former place of the Bavarian flag (Heidenturm). The
black-red-gold flag now flies on a specially erected mast in the
clearing.
Cultural use
In the moat to the north of the
castle, music events took place in the 1980 / 1990s, which are no
longer possible today due to the narrow access routes. These
included:
Rock in the moat
a central stage of the
Bardentreffen
The following are organized today (as of 2014):
Castle Festival
Medieval market
Beer festival
In 2013
the special exhibition Kaiser-Reich-Stadt took place, which, with
only minor changes, was converted into a permanent exhibition.
During the Blue Night, a city-wide cultural festival, the castle
is the scene of elaborate projections as part of art installations:
2007: Installation Once upon a time by Katja Then
2008: Sound
and light symphony Lichtinseln
2009: Installation Light Drops by
Elke Harras
2010: Art flu - infected by pep Berlin
2011:
Expedition - Foreign Worlds by Lisa Lang, technical implementation
by Rezac from Vienna
2012: Master Noris by Gerd Bauer
2013: AD
ASTRA by Julian Vogel
2014: The dreams of Mr. Who by Anna
Bittersohl
Sporting use
In September 2005, the District
Ride in Nuremberg was held for the first time, a freeride mountain
bike event with 40,000 to 60,000 spectators. The start was at the
castle, the goal was the main market. Due to the unexpected success,
the major sporting event was repeated in 2006, 2011 and 2014 and
took place for the 5th time in 2017.