The cobbled streets of Nuremberg in Germany are haunted by dark shadows. It’s Nazi territory where local Jews were murdered during the Kristallnacht, also known as the ‘‘Night of Broken Glass’’. Several hundred Jews were arrested and sent to Dachau concentration camp to perish. The Nazi Party Rally Grounds was the actual location where the Nazis held their propaganda rallies.
But Nuremberg is also where justice caught up with the Nazis during the famous trials. You can learn about the city’s dark past at two iconic city museums—Courtroom 600 and the Nazi Party Rally Grounds. Between November 1945 and October 1946, the hallowed ‘Courtroom 600’ hosted the Nuremberg trials or the ‘trial of the century’.
While these well-known WW II edifices offer insights into a rather dark period in Germany’s history, the Spielzugmuseum or the Toy Museum on Karlstrasse transports you to Nuremberg’s, joyful history of toy production. The alleys are not just lined with stunning half-timbered houses in every possible colour but also feature numerous museums and galleries, showcasing everything from the history of toy manufacturing in Europe to the evolution of the iconic German bratwurst sausage. Located in the German state of Bavaria, Nuremberg has a long and illustrious history. Art, architecture, trade and industry always flourished here. However, the city reached its lowest point during WW II when it served as a Nazi base and was repeatedly bombed, resulting in the destruction of more than 90 per cent of its Old Town or the Altstadt.
In the 17th century, the city was a trading centre for wooden toys. By the 19th century, it had established itself as the world’s toy-making capital. The Toy Museum, a collection of Lehmann mechanical toys made by the popular EP Lehmann Patentwerk, displays almost 1,00,000 pieces—medieval dolls, Victorian dollhouses, shadow puppets, pewter figurines, and tin toys.
Take your world-in-miniature experience a notch higher as you visit the DB Museum in Nuremberg. Here you can discover a whole new world of railways in mini and macro sizes. One of the world’s oldest railway museums, it provides a comprehensive overview of German railways and its evolution. Train enthusiasts can explore the original vehicles on display.
The highlight of the museum is ‘Versailles on Wheels’— an opulently furnished royal coach with KIBALA, a special interactive section for children where kids can ride a miniature train, dress like train crew and learn all about diesel, steam and electric locomotives.
The Nuremberg Bratwurst Museum dedicated entirely to the history and evolution of the famous German sausage, is most intriguing. The first German bratwurst suposedly originated in 1313 here, which explains why the city has a sausage museum in the first place. After nearly a decade of horror and massacres, the city’s original charcater has returned with old colours and taste— the esssence of a fairytale city it always was.