We drive by the Congress Hall. This huge building--big enough for an audience of 50,000--was originally intended to be topped with a roof and skylight. The Documentation Center, which we will visit later, occupies part of the hall.
We stopped at Zeppelin Field, the site of the Nazis' biggest rallies and where Hitler stood to survey the masses (up to 250,000 people at a time).
Photo of Hitler addressing the crowd.
The rally grounds were designed by Hitler's chief architect, Albert Speer, who went down in history as "the Nazi who said sorry" during the Nuremberg Trials.
The Tribune is based on the design of the ancient Greek Pergamon Altar. It was originally topped by a towering swastika, which was blown up by the Allies soon after the end of the war.
This photo is from the internet and shows what the Tribune looked like during Hitler's rule.
In 1945, in Room #600 of Nuremberg's Palace of Justice, 21 Nazi war criminals stood trial before an international tribunal of judges appointed by the four victorious countries. After a year of trials and deliberations, 12 Nazis were sentence to death by hanging, 3 were acquitted, and the rest were sent to prison.
We had time to stroll around Nuremberg's Old Town.
The round Frauentor tower was originally square, but was made round after the development of better cannons, so the balls would glance off rather than hit head-on.
The Holy Ghost Hospital spans the river. It was donated to Nuremberg in the 14th century by the city's richest resident. He funded this very scenic hospital to care for ill, disabled, and elderly Nurembergers. The wing over the river dates from the 16th century.
When Nuremberg began growing in the 13th century, it consisted of two distinct walled towns separated by a river. As the towns grew, they merged and the middle wall came down. This square, built by Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV, became the center of the newly united city.
The Frauenkirche (Church of our Lady), a beautiful Gothic church, built in place of a synagogue which was destroyed during a violent riot in 1349.
Every day without fail, at 12 noon precisely, a little gate on the clock opens and scenes depicting the Golden Bull Decree of 1356 with the seven electors bowing before the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.
This Mannleinlaufen clock pageant has taken place every day since 1509.
In the afternoon we visited the Documentation Center. This museum traces the evolution of the National Socialist (Nazi) movement, focusing on how it both energized and terrified the German people.
The exhibit's title is "Fascination with Terror". Special attention is paid to Nuremberg's role in the Nazi movement, including the construction and use of the Rally Grounds, where Hitler's largest demonstrations took place.
The center analyzes the Nazi phenomenon, to understand how it happened, and to prevent it from happening again.
That evening as we sailed away from Nuremberg, we passed under a number of low bridges. The wheelhouse was lowered and the captain stuck his head out of its roof to guide the ship under the bridges.
If we were sitting in the deck chairs, we could almost touch the underside of the bridges.
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