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| LorenzKirche |
Sorry about the title – we
absolutely could not resist. We slept in to the decadent hour of 8 today! The
only thing on the itinerary was wandering the city of Nuremberg. This is
another of the places that the destruction by the allied bombing was so
comprehensive that you can hardly imagine they ever pulled it back together.
Pictures of the city in 1945-6 show a wasteland; glorious medieval cathedrals
and whole districts reduced to gravel. The dedication and love the citizens had
for their city is incredibly moving. To painstakingly rebuild – with the
original material harvested from the wreck - seems one of the labors of
Hercules.
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| Marriage fountain, Ehekarussel Brunnen |
We
first passed through the Handwerkhof, a reconstruction of the medieval
craftsmen’s quarter. Nothing was open yet, but fortunately it was on the way
back to the hotel. The Lorenzkirche was next along our route with its twin
crown-like, beautifully patinated steeples and a rose window 9 meters across.
We were on our way in to look around when we discovered that a service was in
progress. Monday morning at before 10 seemed like an odd time for church to us,
but we left with plans to see it on the way back. Our walk took us to a former
city wall tower in front of which sit the Ehekarussel Brunnen. It’s a fountain
showing scenes from married life based on a poem Hans Sachs. He apparently held
a dim view of marriage which is reflected in the fountain, dragons, a man in
chains, two skeletal figures strangling each other, and so on. A middle school tour
group was in hysterics over the somewhat crude verse and explicit images!
The
first church we entered was St. Sebalduskirche which is the city’s oldest. St. Sebald
was actually from Nuremberg. It is primarily constructed from a beautiful rusty
colored sandstone. Like everything else in town, it was heavily damaged in
World War II and restored. There is a series of photographs inside showing the
post-war devastation. They make the restoration efforts seem that much more
remarkable when you see what it was all reduced to.
We
roamed up to the Kaiserburg, the city’s hilltop fortress, passing the Albrecht
Drurer House and monument along the way. Next to the Kaiserburg is a small
garden that affords views of the city, though not of the best parts. The
Tiergartnertor, an old gate into the city sits nearby. In front of the tower is
a bronze rabbit statue inspired by the drawings of Albrecht Drurer. However,
the sculptor opted to use glass for the eye instead of metal which has
deteriorated over time giving the rabbit a bit of a possessed look.
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| St. Sebalduskirche |
At
the Frauenkirche a huge disappointment was in store. We had really wanted to
see the Schoner Brunnen, but it was covered in a layer of scaffolding and then
the scaffolding was draped in Tyvek! It was that printed drape so you can see
an image of what you aren’t actually getting to see, but that turns out to not
be very successful with multi-tiered ornamental fountains. However at noon the
clockwork on the bell tower performed its trick - Mannleinlaufen. This is the
procession of seven figures, representing the electoral princes, around the
central figure of King Karl IV. The church is another remarkable reconstruction
and as such an impressive testament to the indomitable spirit of the local
population.
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| center aisle in St. Sebalduskirche |
Finally
we made our way back to Lorenzekirche where the service had ended so we could
go inside. This was probably the most beautiful of the churches we saw. The
columns along the center aisle are adorned with life-sized carving of biblical
figures. The huge rose window is framed by the pipes of the organ which we were
lucky enough to hear being played as the organist was practicing. Near the
alter is a tabernacle dating from the 15th century that reached to
the top of the column it is next to and bends into the arch above. The small
shop had a Playmobil Martin Luther figure complete with a Bible in German
commemorating the upcoming 500 year anniversary of the 95 Theses.
Obviously, we needed to get one.
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| detail of St. Sebalduskirche |
Next
we made our way through the maze of food vendor stands. The produce on display
in the markets is absolutely gorgeous. The proliferation of gorgeous still life
paintings in Northern Europe is now fully explained. We also sampled the famous
Nurnberg elisenlebkuchen. Lebkuchen are a German Christmas requirement, but the
Nuremberg version is the uber-cookie. Its name is regionally protected and any
cookie carrying it must be made in Nuremberg to the exact standards. They were
delicious and quite interesting – the cookie base is an enlarged communion
wafer; this is due to their origins in a 14th century German
monastery. All the ingredients are held to have healing properties and
religious significance.
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| Tiergartenertor |
A visit to a bakerei offering samples of
handmade breads and spreads, and to a couple of chocolatiers (no samples)
displaying a phenomenal range of truffles, marzipan masterpieces, and all the
gummi candies on earth left us in need of a break!
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| demonic sculptural tribute to Albrecht Drurer |
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| Frauenkirche |
On
our way back through the Handwerk Hof we refreshed from our sightseeing and
shopping labors at the biergarten. We sampled more of the local bread, cheese,
and beverages. Everything was wonderful! After acquiring an emergency stash of fresh
pretzels, we decided to call it a day!
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| interior of Lorenzkirche |
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| above the high alter in Lorenzkirche |
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| 15th century tabernacle in Lorenzkirche |
The
first church we entered was St. Sebalduskirche which is the city’s oldest. St. Sebald
was actually from Nuremberg. It is primarily constructed from a beautiful rusty
colored sandstone. Like everything else in town, it was heavily damaged in
World War II and restored. There is a series of photographs inside showing the
post-war devastation. They make the restoration efforts seem that much more
remarkable when you see what it was all reduced to.
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