In the city of Nuremberg, in the federal state of Bavaria, Germany

 "The Nuremberg trials of Nazi leaders, in open court before an international tribunal, had a profound long-term effect in bringing Germans back to democracy and humanity." -- Anthony Lewis

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(in Germany) Nuremberg (German: "Nürnberg") the second-largest city of the federal state of Bavaria, after its capital Munich, is found on the Pegnitz River, where it emerges from the uplands of Franconia ("Franken"), south of Erlangen. Regnitz, a tributary of the River Main) and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, lies in the Bavarian administrative region of Middle Franconia, and is the largest city and the unofficial capital of Franconia.

+ The city was first mentioned in 1050 in official records as Noremberg, but it had its origin in a castle (now known as Kaiserburg [imperial castle]) built about 10 years earlier by the German king Henry III, duke of Bavaria, who became Holy Roman emperor in 1046. A settlement developed around the castle, and in 1219 the city was granted its first charter. The city soon gained full independence, becoming a free imperial city. By the latter part of the 13th century, Nürnberg was no longer solely a fortified settlement. It had developed into a city of craftsmen and patricians, and manufacturing and commerce had become the foremost sources of income.

+ For centuries, Nuremberg was the undeclared capital of the Holy Roman Empire and the favored residence of most German kings, who kept their crown jewels here. Rich and filled with architectural wonders, it was also a magnet for famous artists, though the most famous of all, Albrecht Dürer, was actually born here. By the 19th century, the city had become a powerhouse in Germany’s industrial revolution.

+ The inner city, divided into two parts by the Pegnitz, is encircled by a wall completed in 1452, and the older, inner line of fortifications, dating from 1140 and 1320, which can still be traced. The most important are the Gothic churches of St. Sebald and St. Lorenz and, adjoining the marketplace, the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady). The Heilig Geist Spital (Hospital Church of the Holy Ghost), rising above the Pegnitz, is now a home for the elderly. In addition, there are the Mauthalle (customs house) on the Königstrasse, the Weinstadel (wine storage house), the Renaissance City Hall, the Schöne Brunnen (a fountain), the Fembohaus (museum of the old city), and, towering above them all, the imperial castle.

+ The Nazis saw a perfect stage for their activities in working class Nuremberg. It was here that the fanatical party rallies were held, the boycott of Jewish businesses began, and the infamous Nuremberg Laws (outlawing German citizenship for Jewish people) were enacted. On 2 January 1945, Allied bombers reduced the city to landfill, killing 6,000 people in the process. After WWII the city was chosen as the site of the war crimes tribunal, now known as the Nuremberg Trials. Later, nearly all of the city’s main buildings were painstakingly reconstructed.