Nuremberg
Nuremberg, Germany
Day 8, Thursday, July 6, 2023
Marc's Journal
Yesterday, we enjoyed FaceTiming with Olivia and Cristina. Olivia is only two years old, so we’re not sure how she’s making sense of where Diane and I disappeared to. We loved watching her bake bread in her fancy oven and even tried a piece that she stuffed into my mouth (via the phone screen, sorry Cristina). Apple’s next iPhone upgrade path is clear: first smells, then teleporting a toddler’s hands through the phone.
Today was a day of local exploration and land travel to our next destination. We’ve needed to be flexible with our trip expectations since there is a section of the Danube River that the boat is unable to navigate because of low water levels. In the morning we had a tour of a World War II art bunker where the Germans stashed valuable treasures anticipating the Allied bombings. I brought up WeatherBug on my iPhone to look up Tucson temperatures which helped remind me not to complain as we descended into the very chilly underground hallways. We need a Nazi art bunker in Tucson in the summer.
At noon, all 190 passengers from our boat descended upon a local restaurant for a traditional German meal. We then made our way over land to another Viking boat on the other side of the low water obstacle. The passengers of the other ship, traveling the opposite way, did the same — basically a boat swap mid-journey.
Diane's Journal
What a day! We started our day in Nuremberg. We put our packed bags in the hall by 8 am, ate breakfast, and then said goodbye to the lovely warm and friendly Vali crew. Alina, our crew director, is the only person coming with us to the Tir.
We took a 45-minute bus tour through Nuremberg, passing segments of the old city walls and towers. Today, people live in some of these towers. We passed large SS Barracks buildings that are now used to process immigrants. (Take that, Hitler!) We saw the place where they held annual Nazi rallies and the courthouse where the war trials were held. This city made me pause and see the reality of WWII in a way I have not seen before. It’s hard to fathom the events and destruction that took place here.
Our tour today was The Secret Art Bunker of Nuremberg, located within the old walled city. Again, it was crazy to think about the realities of war. The city of Nuremberg had lots of breweries. It was city law to have space underground to store your beer if you owned a brewery. As business grew and businesses brewed more, the owner was obligated to create more storage often resulting in additional floors underground. So, in some places, these underground storage areas can be four stories deep. During the war, it was a safe underground bunker. Looking back, many Germans say, "It was the beer of Nuremberg that saved our lives." We toured the section of this underground storage where they stored the art and learned how this art was protected during the bombing.
After the tour, we had lunch in town—potato salad, sausage, and sauerkraut—best ever!!
Outside the old city wall.
The passageway into the city.
Just inside the city wall.
Then we started a very long adventure. We had to travel by bus to Passau where our new Viking ship, the Tir, was waiting. Just shy of a 2.5-hour drive with an added 30-minute potty stop. First, we got stuck in a traffic jam due to a car fire 3.5 miles up the road. We were stopped for over an hour. Adults and kids were out of their cars, walking around and talking. Finally, we were able to travel again. Our driver made a bathroom stop. Let me just say, it took longer than half an hour for everyone to use the bathroom (there were only two stalls for the women). During the stop a lady on the bus was not feeling well and was having difficulty using the bus restroom. Because of her frailty, our guide was not comfortable leaving, so we waited and waited. Finally, once we were on the road again, we encountered lots of one-lane road construction. Our supposed two-plus hour trip turned into a six hour ordeal. We arrived back on the ship at 8 pm with our bags in our room. Needless to say, I’m decided not to take the 1:15 hour bus trip back to Regensburg for our scheduled visit. We will explore Passau instead.
St. Sebald's Church
We visited yet another church and while I've been feeling a sense of sameness in the spectacular grandeur of the art, St. Sebald's Church in Nuremberg still captured my attention. Nearly 80% of the city was destroyed during WWII since it was an industrial center for the Nazi war machine. Yet St. Sebald's was mostly spared, only a portion of the roof was destroyed. The medieval vibe was fully present. It was hilarious (to me) that some of the burnt timbers were carved with images and on-sale inside the church to raise funds.
Legend has it that Sebaldus was a missionary to Nuremberg circa 1000 AD. He asked that when he died, parishioners would load him onto a cart for a journey and wherever the donkeys stopped, they would bury him. This is the present location of the church. There is an elaborate shrine around a box which is purported to contain his bones.
I think my "former Catholic now Protestant Puritanism" is beguiling me during historic church visits. So many paintings, sculptures and other artwork have no issue with displaying fully nude females. In church! I imagine after church discussions with your 13-year old boy could be quite interesting.
For more detail, click photo for a hi-res version.
The Nazi Art Bunker
Breweries in Nuremberg were required to have underground storage, which would be both cool and dark, ideal for preserving freshly brewed beer, of which there is much. (Do you want deadly disease from polluted water or bier? Beer! of course.) During WWII, these storage areas became perfect places to keep treasures safe from Allied bombing. At first, cities would box up much of their art, the majority from their churches (surprise!) and store them in these cellars. Later, after the Nazis plundered both Jews and other nations, their plunder was also stored in these art bunkers. Since the tunnels were also used as bomb shelters, the treasures were locked away, out of sight. Event the guards were unaware of the valuables stored inside.
This is a view of the bunker entrance from inside.
(Above) Ventilation and humidity were controlled carefully. (Below) There was a huge diesel generator which powered the bunker.
Of course, the most interesting part of any historical tour is how the locals use the facilities. Right?! Fortunately, visitors had to stay behind the red cord and wait their turn.
The headless statues; the only art that remained in the bunker. The careess movers were probably sent to the front lines.
There was no actual art still in the bunkers, but plenty of photos which showed the stored art (black and white) and the art in its original environment (color).
