Big Rabbits and Small Trains

The Imperial Castle

Our ship Kara docked at Nuremberg on the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal beside another Viking ship.  Nuremberg is  the second largest city in Bavaria, Munich being larger. It was warm, summer day without a cloud in the sky. No umbrellas needed.  We boarded our bus for a tour of the city before lunch.  Our first stop was the old parade grounds of the Nazi Party. Adolf Hitler had made Nuremberg the headquarters of his Nazi Party prior to and during WWII.  Nuremberg was strategically placed in Hitler's empire. Also it had been the center of the Holy Roman Empire. Hitler believed that his third Reich would be the third great empire. Here were the huge parade grounds where the Nazi rallies were held from 1933 to 1938, seven rallies total.  These were huge propaganda events frequently seen in films of that era. The largest rally was to have been one million men but fell short of expectations. Today only ruins remain. We clamored off the bus inside what was to be a coliseum to rival Rome's, but it was never completed. The structure of which part is used for storage is owned by the city of Nuremberg.  However, the building in which the trials of the German war criminals were held is still in use.

Like most cities in this area the highest point is dominated by a castle, a medieval fortification. Nuremberg is no exception. The highest spot, literally, on the tour was the Imperial Castle.We walked around these fortifications, under arches and through courtyards. Claudette and I enjoyed a great view of the city of over one half million below.

"Do you see that orange house directly below us?" our guide asked. I think it was a rhetorical question. But we did see the house.
"It was one of the few houses not destroyed during the bombing in 1945. Ninety percent of the city was destroyed in one hour by Allied bombers!"

The city was finally captured by the allies in 1945 after heavy door to door combat. Much of the city has been restored to its pre-war style.

"I think that this is where they have the caves under the castle," Claudette said as we walked the cobblestone walkways around the castle.

"What caves?" I asked

"I read in the guide book that under this castle are caves the Germans used to brew beer in.  It seems the temperature and humidity was perfect for brewing," she answered.

"So..."

"Well, during the war many people hid in the caves, using them for bomb shelters," she continued.

"Okay, so Nuremberg didn't suffer as many casualties as some of the other cities?" I surmised.

"You got it!" she said with a smile.


One of the most famous citizens of Nuremberg was the fifteenth century artist, Albrecht Durer. Actually, he was much more that an artist.  He was an artist, engraver, author, scientist, and mathematician.  We saw his beautiful half-timbered house.  Near there is a statue of one of his most famous works. Young Hare was created as a watercolor when he was thirty years old, but the city of Nuremberg has reproduced it as a sculpture. "I know something about Durer," Claudette said, "Actually, two things."

sculpture of Albrecht Durer's
Young Hare

"Oh, yeah?" I said.

"Yes, he once drew a picture of a rhinoceros without seeing one. He based his picture on descriptions written by other people. It was amazingly accurate," she said in a rather authoritative voice.

"I know something about him too," I interrupted, "He made the Praying Hands."

"Well, phooey on you! That was my second thing!" she said with disgust

After the tour was over we went back to the ship for lunch. You may wonder why we always ate on the ship.  All meals were included with the price of our fare. The food was good, so why not?
We had lunch with friends and planned our afternoon excursions. We, or maybe, I decided on the Nuremberg Toy Museum.

The Toy Museum is located in the old part of the city. It has a renaissance facade and toys on three floors. At the entrance was one of the most disgusting signs ever displayed. "No Photos Allowed" The first floor is dedicated to wooden toys and dolls and dollhouses. In Germany the ground floor is not the first floor. My favorite was the second floor.  It had all the mechanical toys much like the ones I remember from my childhood. These were the metal toys of cars and airplanes and mechanical clowns. You wound them up.  No batteries required. Nuremberg has long been the center of the toy industry. In 1910 over 5,000 people worked in the toy industry in this city. On the second  floor were also the electric train layouts. One

Drawing from the Toy Museum
no photos allowed

train layout recreates a railroad junction of Omaha, Nebraska, circa 1950s. But the creator had never been there! It is said to be amazingly accurate. There was also an awesome collection of miniature steam engines.  The scaled down giants of the industrial age. I would hardly call these toys. Construction sets are also featured. I remember Erector sets as a boy and here were the European versions. There was a video presentation showing most of the toys in operation. The upper floor was dedicated to modern toys and play areas for children.  I did not get to see all 70,000 objects the Toy Museum has but then only 54,000 can be viewed. This was one of my favorite stops on the cruise. Incidentally, Nuremberg is home to the largest international toy fair annually.

We walked back to the bus stop and caught the bus back to the ship.  We would recount our adventures to our friends over dinner before retiring for the night.