Exploring Nuremberg, Germany

Nuremberg was our first "road trip" from Munich, as we wanted to see some fascinating historical sites, as well as the Nazi Documentation Center. 170 kilometers north of Munich via the A9 Autobahn with a pleasant view of the Bavarian countryside along the way.

The city's well-preserved medieval old town is a sight to behold, with a beautifully reconstructed imperial castle and an awe-inspiring city wall. The Hauptmarkt (Main Market Square) is the heart of the old town, where the famous Nuremberg Christkindlesmarkt (Christmas Market) takes place, filling the air with festive cheer during the holiday season.

Nuremberg is also significant in terms of its historical importance. The Palace of Justice was the site of the Nuremberg Trials, where Nazi war criminals were prosecuted after World War II. The Documentation Center Nazi Party Rally Grounds offers an in-depth look at the city's role in the Nazi regime.

As you can see in the above image, the Nazi Documentation Center was across the Dutzendteich pond from the original Nazi Party Rally center ("Zeppelinfeld") where Hitler's podium was located. Click here to read the full Wikipedia article about this site.

Note in the above image that route 4R parallels the Center site, this road connects to the B8, which is how we drove to the Center from Munich.

This is the Nazi Congress Party Hall interior court yard - A self-supporting roof construction was to have spanned this area at a height of approximately 70 metres. The monumental building would have provided space for over 50,000 people and would thus have been almost twice as big as the Coliseum in Rome. The unfinished shell (1937–1939) was put up to a height of 39 metres. Construction work was abandoned late in World War II.

Grosser Dutzendteich Lake

This lake sits between the Nazi Party Rally Center and the Nazi Documentation Center.
Prior to walking over to the area where Hitler used to review his troops, we had explored the Documentation Center Nazi Party Rallying Grounds museum. This is an incredible museum, and it utilizes video, still photography, artifacts, and documents, to display to visitors what took place during the Nazi era. This picture to the left, was taken of the area immediately behind the museum, which was originally intended to be the Nazi Congress Party Hall. Since World War Two got in the way of the construction budget, that area was never finished.

This picture was taken from across the Lake that separates the Documentation Center from the Nazi Rallying grounds area. It is a beautiful site, and it is a pity that it is associated with such a horrifying past.

Hitler's plans were to construct a much larger complex, but once WW2 started, those plans were placed into a holding pattern and never completed because the German war effort consumed all of the building materials.

NOTE: Click here to view a website with details regarding the Nazi Congress Hall building construction & plans.

Image # 1 was taken through a window in the Nazi Documentation Center Museum of the unfinished "Congress Hall" interior. The Congress Hall is the largest preserved national socialist (Nazi) building. Contruction started in 1935 but was never finished. It was planned as a congress centre for the Nazi Party with a self-supporting roof and should have provided 50,000 seats. The building reached a height of 39 meters (a maximum height of 70 metres was planned) and a diameter of 250 meters.

The Documentation Center Museum provides a comprehensive view of Nazi tyranny and the history of the Nazi Party rallies via all types of media including imagery & video. In some cases where video was available of young Germans during the Nazi rallies, they also show those same Germans years later who attempt to explain why they were enthusiastic about the Nazi party.

Image # 2 is a picture of the entrance to the Documentation Center, an impressive entrance!
Click here to go to the Museum Website.

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