Welcome to the next instalment of our Nuremberg visit, part of our 2022 Eurotrip. If you haven’t read the first one yet, you can > here.
After our epic first day, we had a fairly relaxed morning the next day. Partly because I had some work to do and partly because it was hot as balls. The weather didn’t feel like it was easing up and we didn’t want to waste the rest of our time, so we cracked on in the early afternoon.
I’d read about the Imperial Castle of Nuremberg – there was rubble to visit and I was NOT missing out on Europe’s most formidable medieval structure! We got the bikes out but Jon wasn’t ready so I went ahead for a meander on the bike and he was going to catch me up.
Lost in the City
Somehow, I over meandered and managed to get myself lost. Thinking I had time, I texted Jon and sent him a pin of where I was so he could meet me and we could carry on together. I sat on the bench waiting for him to show, smiling like a pillock at the locals as they went by, thinking I couldn’t be that far out.
I finally got a text back saying he was at the Castle entrance waiting for me, asking where on earth I was and how did I stray so far off route. Apparently it’s a skill as it turns out, I was way out in the wrong part of the city. Germany is so epic though, I didn’t mind being being lost.
Riding up that hill (or not)
For someone who wanted a nice easy cycle, I outdid myself on doing the opposite. I battled one slight uphill as I cycled past the river and through some of the amazing architecture. No probs I thought, as I got to the top and realised I was going the right way.
I realised why Jon had not gallantly offered to come and rescue me
As I glided through some parts of the city I recognised from last night, I started to feel more confident. But then as I turned the final corner, I realised why Jon had not gallantly offered to come and rescue me.
Do you remember the travelator from the tv programme gladiators? Well the road up to the castle was like that but on crack. My plan to not sweat that day was well and truly ruined. I hopped off my bike and began pushing it up, trying not wheeze too loud in front of smug locals who were all walking up like it was a casual Sunday stroll.
Was the climb worth the reward?
Seeing Jon laughing when I got there was annoying. Annoyingly endearing, how does he get away with it? Anyway, once I had got my bearings, we locked the bikes up and headed in. The path leading through the gates was another delightful incline, I was expecting to have calves like an olympic runner by the time I made it to the ticket office.
It was so worth it though. We can see why this place is a highly regarded structure, not just because of it’s imposing silhouette or the incredible architecture, but because of the views it offers across the city. Standing on that balcony was like standing on top of the world. Ok, slightly dramatic, perhaps it was the high speaking from the achievement of conquering the travelator.
But the views were epic.
Entrance fee even a Jester could afford
We got to the ticket office and were pleasantly surprised to find it was only €7 each for full access to the interior exhibitions. €7! Even better value when you consider that the Imperial Castle of Nuremberg is not one standalone castle, but a complex made up of 3 separate sets of buildings.
We got our tickets but didn’t go straight in, the first stop was food, naturally. We had worked up an appetite after all. The onsite cafe was open but serving limited food options. We had quiche which was actually really nice, washed down with ice cold diet cokes. We were now ready to hit the cobbles.
Not one, but two museums
We started with the tour of the castle. It begins in the Knight’s Hall, goes through to the Double Chapel, up via the Emperor’s Gallery to the upper floor rooms and then ends up in the castle museum exhibit.
From there, you move through to the Bower, which is the Imperial Castle Museum. This is devoted to the castle’s history and has so many amazing pieces on display; weapons, armour, paintings, excavation findings, reconstructions and ornamental building parts.
The Deep Well
The little unassuming building in the middle of the Bailey turned out to house the most fascinating part of the whole complex. It is where the deep well is. Sounds pretty standard, right? What’s so interesting about a well?
Well (see what I did there), this well dates back to the 14th Century, probably earlier in fact. It would have been built along with the very first buildings of the original castle complex. It is so important because, back then, a castle needed its own, protected water supply. This well is around 50 metres deep!!
Part of the tour is a 20 minute guided visit to the well, which is locked, where they tell you about it and show you just how deep it goes. They have a candle with a little camera on and screens so you can see when it goes all the way to the bottom. There is also a display cabinet with all the things recovered from the well after the timber framed building around the well was destroyed in the war. Miraculously, the well was not damaged in any way!
Sinwell Tower
Originally constructed in the 13th Century, the tower was added to in the 16th Century. Sinwell translates to ‘extremely round’ in upper German, so it is literally the extremely round tower. It served as a keep and was mainly there for defensive purposes, its height meant enemies could be easily spotted approaching (not to mention they would have to get up that hill first).
Despite being so prominent, the tower survived the Nuremberg bombing. Your ticket gets you access to the tower, which means more climbing, but again, totally worth it. The views from the top of the tower are incredible over the city and at each viewpoint, there is a board showing you what that section of the city looked like after it had been bombed during WWII.
It was quite haunting actually. It was also a testament to the sympathetic rebuild of the city as, even though there is a definite mix of old and new, it isn’t blindingly obvious that a lot of the buildings have been reconstructed.
Doner for the road
I have to say, going down the hill on the bike was a lot more fun than walking up with the bike. The cobbles made it a slightly more interesting, teeth chattering type affair but we definitely got down a lot quicker than we went up.
Before retiring back to the Motorhome, we decided we needed a bite to eat and hit up the doner place we went to yesterday. Our visit to the Imperial Castle of Nuremberg worked up an appetite. Besides, how can we fairly say that the food was good if we didn’t give it a second test run? After all it was now our unofficial duty to test all the kebabs in Europe.
After food, we continued our leisurely ride back, making one final stop in the market square to admire the interesting, and very beautiful, Schöner Brunnen (beautiful fountain). The 40 figures that decorate the fountain are said to be the world view of the Holy Roman Empire. There are also two brass rings in the fence around the fountain, apparently they bring good luck to anyone who spins them!
Thank you so much for reading, we are really enjoying sharing our travels with you. Don’t forget, there are YouTube videos slowly being rolled out to go alongside these blogs plus all of our trip was documented on our Instagram and Facebook pages, go check them out!