“The town hall (Rathaus), erected in the Italian style in 1616-19, contains frescoes by Albrecht Durer, and a curious stucco relief of a tournament held at Nurnberg in 1446. The building incorporated an older one of the 14"' century, of which the great hall, with its timber roof, is part. The most interesting secular buildings are the houses of the old patrician families. A special interest attaches to the dwellings of Diirer and Hans
Sachs, the cobbler-poet. The streets are embellished with several fountains, the most noteworthy of which are the Schone Brunnen. 1385-96. in the form of a large Gothic pyramid, adorned with statues, and the Ganseinannchen or goose-manikin.
The Germanic National Museum, established in a old Carthusian monastery, includes masterpieces by Holbein, Diirer, Wohlgemuth and others. The municipal library contains many thousands of manuscripts and books, some of which are of great rarity.”
Nurnberg has always taken a leading role in German affairs. It was here that the first diet, or meeting of rulers, of every Holy Roman Emperor was held.
And it was here. too. that Adolf Hitler staged the most grandiose political rallies of the National Socialist state . . .