“The Zeppelin Field is an authentic place for learning. We know that many people need to deal with the past, particularly by visiting such sites. The further the Nazi era recedes into the past, the more important these buildings which can be seen and entered will become. By providing more information, the City of Nurnberg therefore wants to make sure that the stone vestiges will continue “speaking” to us in the future.” Dr Ulrich Maly, Mayor of Nurnberg

Location and environment Nurnberg (English-Nuremberg) is an important city in region of Franconia, in the southern

German state of Bavaria. It lies on the Pegnitz River and is surrounded by rolling, wooded hills,

mostly made of sandstone. There are large areas of forest outside the city for people to enjoy,

with walking, riding and cycling being popular. It was an important medieval market town, and

was at the centre of many trade routes leading to other European cities. The maps shows

Nurnberg’s strategic situation.

In the Middle Ages Nurnberg was the most important city

in the Holy Roman Empire, a group of countries and cities

in central Europe controlled by powerful nobles. During

the Nazi period, Nurnberg was a key city in Hitler’s Third

Reich. The Nazi Party held many military rallies here, at

the Zeppelin Fields, but later in the war the City was

almost completely destroyed in Allied bombing raids.

Today, the city is rebuilt in the medieval style, and is an

important business and trade centre, with fast rail, air and autobahn links, as well as being a port

on the Rhine-Main-Danube canal, an impressive piece of civil engineering that connects North

Sea ports with the Black Sea. They also have some interesting museums which tell people about

the Nazi times, such as the Dokumentationszentrum.

Climate

Nurnberg is at latitude 49° N, which is about 7° further south than Glasgow. At altitude of 309 m, it is much higher above sea level than Glasgow (40m), or East Kilbride is (166 m) Because it is far inland, away from the effects of the sea, it gets a continental climate. This means it is hotter than us in summer, but colder in the winter. Mean temperatures in summer can be 25°. No month is dry, and in fact, the heaviest rain falls in the summer months. This is often caused by thunderstorms that build up in the summer heat. There can be some some snow, but winters are more likely to be cold and frosty.

Education

Education in Bavaria, and in all of Germany’s 16 states (called “lander”), is free and compulsory. There is no national “Curriculum for Excellence”; each state in Germany has its own educational policy. Pupils start school at 5 and spend 12 years at school, before going to college or university. Our partner school is an academic grammar school called the Hans Sachs Gymnasium. It is a bilingual school, in that pupils receive some lessons in English. In their last year, pupils take the abitur, which is the final examination. Each year pupils from Hans Sachs visit us at Christmas time to take part in the Winter Fair. They sell typical foods from the Nurnberg Christmas market, such as lebkuchen, a type of gingerbread and Spekulatius, a spicy biscuit.

Children come to Hans Sachs after 4 years at primary, aged 10, and start at class 5. A typical 13 year old will be in class 8. Pupils at Hans Sachs come from Nurnberg and the surrounding suburbs and towns, such as Furth and Erlangen. As in other European schools, many children cycle to school, while others will take the Metro-there is a stop just outside the school. School starts at 8 am and finishes at 1pm. But at the age of 13, they usually have one or two days with afternoon lessons, probably until 3.15pm or 4.15pm. And there are some Clubs/sports they can join voluntarily in the afternoon. They have a new sports hall, but much less open space than we have.Lessons are in German, with some classes taught in English, too. In class 7 and 9 they do history bilingually and in class 8 they do geography bilingually. They study very similar subjects to pupils in our S2. Everything is compulsory, although they can choose some additional Intensivierungsstunden if they do well. If not they must take the subject which they aren’t good at. Favourite activities for girls include RSG (Rhytmische Sportgymnastik), which is gymnastics with ball, rope, for girls, and for boys and girls it’s Football, Handball, hockey, and climbing. Most years, 6 or 7 students from the Hans Sachs Gymnasium visit our school in November to take part the Christmas Market. We have also welcomed their choir to sing with us.

Pupils from Hans Sachs Gymnasium join with Hutchie pupils in the Royal Concert Hall

“Class 6a ( 11 years old) are sponsoring a boy from Chennai, India. His name is Prakash and he is eleven years old. Prakash is HIV positive and he is an orphan since his parents both died of AIDS. He lives with his grandmother, who is so poor that she can barely take care of both of them. Through our sponsorship Prakash can go to school. He is very happy there and his favourite subject is math. When he grows up, he wants to be a policeman. “

The community

The population of Nurnberg is just over 500 00. About 30% of the population is Catholic, 30% Protestant and 40% from other faiths. Nurnberg is major destination for migrant workers and their families. The number of foreigners in Nuremberg has risen by about 36,000 within the last 20 years. About 40% of residents are from an immigrant background, either from other EU countries ( especially Poland) or Turkey. Many of these work in lower paid jobs.

Standards of living and Quality of life

Nurnberg Glasgow (UK)Average income per person per year

$45 000 $36,901

Life expectancy 85 years 80 yearsAverage number of calories eaten per day

3480 3440

Literacy rate 99% 99%

Nurnberg is a prosperous city, in one of the wealthiest parts of Germany. This is not surprising when you think of some of the companies that have their headquarters in the city or nearby: multinational engineering company Siemens, world famous pen manufacturers Faber–Castell and Audi. Other items made locally include electrical equipment, mechanical and optical products, stationery products, and printed materials. The city is also strong in the fields of automation, energy, and medical technology. One third of German market research agencies are also located in the city. The Nuremberg International Toy Fair is the largest of its kind in the world. The city also hosts several specialist hi-tech fairs every year, attracting experts from every corner of the globe. Bavaria is the number one agricultural state in German, relying on hundreds of small farms to produce a great variety of crops and livestock. Hops (for beer) and vegetables like asparagus are typical crops.

Ways of life

Nurnberg has changed out of all recognition from its reputation as the centre of the Nazi philosophy. It is a popular tourist destination, not only because of its castle, but because of the world famous Christkindlmarkt, or Christmas Market.

Each year thousands of people visit the city to enjoy the many stalls selling traditional foods and drinks. It has many beautifully restored buildings, and in the main square is the Schoner Brunnen, or beautiful fountain, a major meeting point. Nurnberg is one of Glasgow’s 8 twin cities.

The Nurnberg Reichswald, one of Germany's largest forests, and the meadows beside the River Pegnitz form a green belt right through the city. Nurnberg’s citizens are committed to the environment. “Nurnberg Agenda 21” has hundreds of volunteers working in different project groups, to help make a more sustainable Nurnberg. Their message is that “Sustainability starts in your head and in your own four walls! Everyone can do something. In the family, in school, in the city; Participate!”

In 1993 a sculpture called the Way of Human Rights was built. It was designed by Israeli artist Dani Karavan and has 27 round pillars made of white concrete, 8 m high. Engraved in each pillar is one article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in German and another language, one for each pillar-Polish, French, Hebrew, Russian, Arabic, etc,. This has helped to get rid of the City’s negative image and tell the world that Nurnberg was a

Tips for a sustainable everyday life! Buy products with less packaging and forgo plastic bags. Take a backpack or a great

colourful basket with shopping

Take old CDs, games etc to the Nurnberg Oxfam shop.

Take a nice bike ride instead of driving to a lake or the woods! You are in the fresh air are active and t and at the same time you’re doing something for the environment!

There are free brochures from Project "Nurnberg - intelligent mobile" with great ideas for bike rides in and around Nurnberg.

"City of Peace and Human Rights. Nurnberg won the UNESCO Prize for Human Rights Education for this sculpture.

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