Nazi Rally Ground and Nuremberg Trial
July 8, 2022
Nuremberg was the center of the Nazi regime, and it was Hitler's favorite city. Nazi Party chose the city to be the site of huge Nazi Party conventions – the Nuremberg rallies we saw in the films. Several facilities were constructed solely for those rallies, some of which were not finished. Before World War II, they began to build larger and more spectacular gathering places, but before these works could be completed, World War II ended. Many examples of Nazi architecture can still be seen in the city. We went to see the sites this morning. Some buildings were demolished after World War II, and the rest are still abandoned. For example, the Congress Hall was never completed, but it is the biggest preserved national socialist monumental building still in existence. After the war, the question of what to do with the unfinished shell was raised. Converting it into a leisure and shopping center was proposed but was too politically sensitive to start. The northern wing of the Congress Hall is now home to the Documentation Center, a part of which opened as a permanent exhibition we visited. The southern wing houses the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra. Our walking tour started with visiting the permanent exhibition in the northern wing to pass by the courtyard of the Congress Hall. The courtyard looked like a construction dump site. However, we managed to get to the other side of Congress Hall and walked a U-shape 400-meter-long archway alone. On the granite walls, we still could see the bullet holes.
The round tour of the main areas of the rally ground was probably three to four miles long. Halfway, we were hungry but couldn't find any shops in this massive rally ground. Google Maps showed a couple of food options, but they were either closed or not there. Walking on the Great Road, we passed by the lake to head to the Zeppelin Field and hoped to find a place to sit and eat. We finally saw a restaurant next to the lake, and we walked in only to be told that it was closed for a private event. Near the Zeppelin Field, we found a food truck selling sausage and drinks. Since this was our only option, if we did not want to continue looking, we ordered the food and drink from the truck. We saw a picnic table with chairs beside the truck. When the guy saw us walking towards the table with food, he shouted, "no sit," in an unfriendly voice. We couldn't understand why we couldn't sit down to eat the food he had just sold to us. We didn't bother arguing with him and just walked away to find another place to sit down and enjoy the sausage.
After lunch, we visited Zeppelin Field and the Grandstand, where Hitler addressed his followers during the annual Nazi Party rallies. Both structures are massive, and the site is in the process of converting into a museum.
Done with the rally ground, we went to the Nuremberg Trial Museum, a significant landmark worth visiting. With the audio device, we walked through the exhibit, and there was a lot of information. Unfortunately, due to renovation, we could not visit the famous court No. 600. It took us six hours to see the rally ground and the Nuremberg Trial Museum, and we learned a little more history.
Because Nuremberg was the center of Nazi rallying and their military stronghold, it was one of the most bombed cities during World War II, and almost 90% of the buildings in the old city were destroyed. Unlike other German cities, Nuremberg decided to rebuild the old town after World War II by keeping the original traditional style. The old town we see today was rebuilt after World War II, which is exceptionally new and beautiful.
The downtown market was open every day from eight am to eight or nine pm; there was street food, vegetarian fruits, meats, etc., and we bought some green beans, mushrooms, and strawberries in the morning. We also had a pretzel with butter for breakfast from a stand in the market. The strawberries were fresh and sweet, and we stir-fried green beans and mushrooms with a bit of bacon for dinner in the evening.
After dinner, we went to see the Beautiful Fountain at the square. According to a local legend, if you turn the "golden ring" on the grille three times and make a wish, your wish will come true. The ring is relatively small and not immediately noticeable. We found it, turned it three times, and made a wish.
When visiting Nuremberg, the Nuremberg sausage, which has a history of hundreds of years, is on everyone's must-eat list. Tonight, as we strolled on the street, we were attracted to the charcoal smoking from the chimney of the Bratwursthausle. We could not control ourselves and had the second dinner, having a beer and a glass of white wine, more than a dozen Nuremberg sausages grilled on charcoal, and a sausage sandwich. It had a unique aroma and tasted really good. It was our first time trying the sausage, and we knew we would return for more. There was a live concert in the square at night, and we discovered that tomorrow would be a big music day.
欧洲游第四十九天：纽伦堡是希特勒最喜欢的城市，影片里看到的纳粹集会就是在那里举行的，希特勒把纽伦堡祢为纳粹党集会市。在二战前，他们开始建造更大更壮观的集合场所，但这些工程没有完成前，二战就结束了。今天上午就去看了一下那些遗址，因为政冶上的敏感性有些建筑在二战后就拆除了，剩下的至今还废弃着。有些地方刚开始准备对外开放。看完这些后又去了纽伦堡审判博物馆和当时的法庭，很可惜因装修的原因，我们未能参观著名的600号法庭。正因为纽伦堡是纳粹的集会中心，也是当时他们的军事要地，所以二战期间是被炸的最历害的城市之一，旧城的建筑几乎90%被毁，与德国其它城市不同，纽伦堡在二战后决定重新复造老城区。保持原来传统风格，现在所看到的老城区都是二战后重建的，所以特别新且漂亮。看集会中心及审判博物馆前前后后花了五，六个小时，博物馆里许多语音介绍还根本来不及听。
在市中心的集市每天早上八点开到晚上八，九点，有街头小吃，素菜水果肉类等，我们早上买了点四季豆，蘑菇和草莓，草莓很好，晚上炒个四季豆蘑菇加了一点培根。到了纽伦堡必须要尝尝纽伦堡小香肠，有几百年的历史。晚饭后去街上散步，找了一家饭店要了一杯啤酒一杯白葡萄酒凑个热闹，吃了十几根在木炭上烤过的纽伦堡肠，有种特别的香味，味道真不错。
