Erlangen and Nuremberg have much to offer in the way of leisure activities. A stroll through the old town centres and new shopping areas is a good way to get to know your host town. You might, on the other hand, like to do something more athletic such as walking or cycling, hiking or climbing in the surrounding countryside, known as Franconian Switzerland (“Fränkische Schweiz”). As a student you will also be able to take advantage of special reduced-price tickets for the region’s broad range of cultural events (theatre, opera, cinema, concerts, festivals etc.).
If you travel a little further away from Nuremberg and Erlangen, you will discover that southern Germany is also dotted with many very attractive towns. Among the most historically interesting places, within easy travelling distance, are Bayreuth, Würzburg, Bamberg, Ansbach, Aschaffenburg, Coburg, Eichstätt, Dinkelsbühl and Rothenburg ob der Tauber. All these towns are situated along what is known as “the Romantic Road” (“Romantische Strasse”).
If you are fond of water-sports, such as swimming, windsurfing or yachting, the “Fränkische Seenland”, a leisure and holiday park built around a number of beautiful lakes some 30 km south of Nuremberg is the place for you in summer time. In the northeast of Erlangen, between Bamberg and Bayreuth, you can experience the unique landscapes of the “Fränkische Schweiz” natural park (Franconian Switzerland). Cycling or walking is the best way to explore this area. You will soon find a diversity of impressive sights: tranquil river valleys and massive outcrops of rock (the “Walberla” is the most popular). Here, too, you will find majestic castles and castle ruins.
www.fraenkische-schweiz.com, www.seenland.de
The city of Nuremberg also has many fascinating museums, for example, the National
Museum of German Art and Culture (“Germanische Museum”) or the Documentation Centre at the Nazi Party rally grounds (“Reichsparteitagsgelände”). Nearby in Fürth there is a Franconian
Jewish Museum (“Jüdische Museum Franken”). If you would like further information on leisure
opportunities in general, take a look at the following websites:
www.frankentourismus.de - Frankentourismus e.V.
www.bayern.by - Bayern Tourismus Line
A harmonious quartet of towns
Together with the neighbouring towns of Fürth and Schwabach, Nuremberg and Erlangen make up a quartet of communities which draws large numbers of tourists to the Franconian region. Each of the towns brings its own special charms to this “family city”. Nuremberg, which was once a free city of the Holy Roman Empire, has, while retaining its medieval flair, become a centre for international fairs and exhibitions, Fürth, Nuremberg’s close neighbour, boasts a medieval town centre, Erlangen, a centre of excellence for scientific and medical research, is a town of splendid Baroque architecture and Schwabach boasts a romantic marketplace and genteel town houses.
www.erlangen.de, www.nuernberg.de, www.fuerth.de, www.schwabach.de
Tours organised by a group known as ‘History for All’ (“Geschichte für Alle”) in Nuremberg, Fürth, Erlangen and Bamberg are highly recommended: www.geschichte-fuer-alle.de
Erlangen
Erlangen, with a little over 102,000 inhabitants, is Bavaria’s eighth-largest city. Its social infrastructure provides a wide range of opportunities. Erlangen was first mentioned in documents dating from 1002, but its real history began with the influx of Huguenot refugees from France in 1686. The town was specially rebuilt for the Huguenot settlers, which can still be seen to this day from the layout of the streets and the style of architecture. In Germany there are few examples of the “ideal cities” of the Baroque period that are as well-preserved as Erlangen.
One of Erlangen’s best known and best loved attractions – aside from the extensive network of cycle paths – is the Bergkirchweih, (www.der-berg-ruft.de) the local beer festival, though local is hardly an apt description. The beer festival has taken place at Pentecost ever since 1755. It is one of the most enjoyable festivals in southern Germany and each year it attracts around 1 million visitors from near and far. Among the other highlights of the colourful cultural year in Erlangen are the International Comic Salon (www.comic-salon.de), the Figurentheater-Festival (puppet theatre), the silent film festival and the Poets’ Festival. This panoply of the arts has ensured Erlangen’s reputation as a unique cultural venue.
Erlangen is home to the second largest university in Bavaria, with a highly regarded School of Engineering and Medical School, and is also one of the most important Siemens AG locations outside Munich and Berlin.
With its broad range of privately and publicly-funded research facilities, Erlangen has developed into an important European centre in the field of microelectronics. The basis of this success has been the close co-operation between research and industry. Erlangen is also firmly establishing itself as a significant centre in the fields of Medicine and Health.
The city of Erlangen website provides information about festivals and other cultural events:
www.erlangen.de
Nuremberg
The history of Nuremberg is an illustrious one. The history of the town of “nourenberc“ (rocky mountain) begins in 1050 with the freeing of the serf Sigena, an event recorded in a document issued by the Emperor Henry III. The town initially spread randomly around the southern face of the rocky hillside on which the castle is built. The rise of the city was based on foreign trade and tradesmanship and these enabled the town to grow, supplied funds for charitable foundations and guaranteed for the inhabitants a prosperous lifestyle and supported a flourishing of the arts. Emperor Charles IV often held court in Nuremberg for months on end, and with the “Golden Bull” decree of 1356 he determined that each newly-elected German king must hold his first Imperial Diet in Nuremberg.
In 1424, the free city of Nuremberg on the Pegnitz was charged with keeping the imperial treasure and thus reached the height of its influence. This European metropolis became a centre of German Humanism (Celtis Pirckheimer, Schedel), of science, and of painting and sculpture. Martin Behaim designed the first globe of the earth, and Peter Henlein created the first pocket-watch. Koberger employed up to 100 workers in his printing press, and the work of Hans Sachs and Hans Rosenplüt demonstrated great skill in poetry and master-singing. Some of the finest works of art in Europe were created in the workshops of the woodcarver Veit Stoß, of the stone mason Adam Kraft, of the iron-casting family Vischer and of the painter Albrecht Dürer.
The Thirty Years War and the discovery of trade routes at sea dealt Nuremberg near fatal blows. The city of 40,000 inhabitants sank into a long and troubled slumber from which it awoke only with the era of industrialisation, and the building between Nuremberg and Fürth of the first railroad in Germany. In January 1945 ”the jewel casket of the German Empire” was razed to the ground by Allied bombing. The rebuilding process after the apocalypse was long and hard.
Today it is again possible to imagine the lost power and majesty of the “Medieval cosmopolis”. The city now has approximately 500,000 inhabitants and boasts fine town houses, magnificent churches, a castle and 5 kilometres of city wall. Millions of visitors from all around the world are attracted each year to Nuremberg by international fairs and conferences, cultural events of international standing and by cultural amenities such as the Museum of German Art and Culture.
Nuremberg, with a total of 300,000 jobs, is the second largest economic centre in Bavaria, specialising in the technologies of information and communication, in traffic technology and logistics, in energy technology, in automation and manufacturing, in measurement technology and control engineering, and in entertainment technology. Brand leaders in the fields of typesetters and food production can also be found in Nuremberg. In addition to this, Nuremberg is of great economic importance as Germany’s principle centre for engraving, as an international centre for trade fairs and for service industries (consumer research, computer centres, facility management, banking, and insurance).
You can find useful information about Nuremberg at: www.nuernberg.de
Tourist Information, Hauptmarkt 18: www.tourismus.nuernberg.de
Fürth
The city of Fürth is located between the cities of Erlangen and Nuremberg and has approximately 115,000 inhabitants. Just 5 km away from Nuremberg, Fürth is an important intersection in the region. Fortunately, the city was largely undamaged in the Second World War and so many of its charming historical buildings remain
