Nuremberg; Monday, 21 December, 2009

With a “full-German” breakfast inside me I headed out into the snow to take the tram out to my first destination of the day, the Dokumentationszentrym and Reichsparteiagsgelände. Long titles, short description – Nazis. Nuremberg is a city that has been badly tainted by the Nazis, it was here that they enacted the racial laws which turned the Jews into second-class citizens. It was here that the largest of the Rally’s were held, the biggest propaganda events. But it was also here that the world held the Nazi leaders to account at the end of the war. Partly because the courthouse had a prison attached which meant there were no chances of escape or assassination of the defendants, but partly, symbolically, to prove a point.

I had a long wander around the Documents Centre and then followed the signed walk around the Third Reich’s parade grounds. Some of the most infamous pieces of propaganda were filmed here and it’s slightly weird to wander through the now slowly decaying remains of what was once supposed to be the “Reich to last a thousand years”.

By the time I got back into the city centre it was already mid-afternoon, and I was starting to think about a late lunch. I got off of the tram and after a couple of minutes wandering found myself at the Hauptmarkt where the Christmas market was taking place, so I grabbed some food from there, before heading off up the hill to the imperial palace.

I spent quite a bit of time up at the palace, going on a guided tour of the apartments as well as climbing one of the towers for stunning views over the city, made more stunning by the snow on the roofs.

By the time I left the castle it was already dark so I wandered back to the hotel and dropped some of my stuff off before heading back out to the Christmas market to do some final Christmas shopping.

I staggered back to the hotel, more weighed down by the amount of sausages I had consumed (and gluhwein drunk) than the presents, and turned in for a good nights sleep.

Weather

Slight Snow Showers Cloudy
AM PM
Cold (-10-0C, 14-32F)
-1ºC/30ºF