It is exciting to wake up in Nurnberg for a couple of reasons. We are happy to be back here and it also represents the resumption of our tour to Italy. It is strange how things cam work out. Once we got our bike fixed and determined that we wanted to proceed to Italy. it seemed like a natural fit to ride the trains again and have a break here. As well, we were able to take advantage of a special offer and get a very nice hotel, Hotel Azimut for two nights.
Nurnberg is a medieval city filled with beautiful, well maintained buildings of historic note. It is a joy to just wander and take it all in.
We visited Nurnberg a number of years ago on a previous cycle trip, but we only had a day here and we missed so much. We are thrilled to return here and give this historic city the time it deserves.One of the places we wanted to visit is Albrecht Durer's Haus. He is one of the great figures of the European Renaissance. He undertook 3 long journeys to Italy and the Netherlands, associated with rulers, scholars and magnates. Thousands of his woodcuts and paintings are in circulation which make him famous throughout the world. He is also well known for his portraits and altar pieces. The Museum gives us a good sense of his domestic life, his brilliance as an artist and his position in the community. Interestingly, in his time he gained affluence and great success as an artist.Albrecht Durer was in communication with the major Italian artists of his time, Raffaelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Giovanni Bellini, and patronized by Maxmillian I.Brecht was a proud and philanthropic citizen of Nurnberg. He bequeathed numerous paintings to the city.
We were able to get a replacment Schwalbe Marathon tire for one of our trailer wheels. We had to put a cheaper tire on in Poland and we don't think it can handle the trip. Outside of Germany, it has been hard to find good quality 16" tires as most shops stock cheap Chinese tires for kid's bikes.
Albrech Durer Haus - a must see for any visitor. This museum set in his home from the 15th century (lived here with his wife Agnes for 21 years). Miraculously, it has survived time and wars over times. It is the only renaissance artist's house outside Italy to survive in its original form.
His self portrait was lauded for the brilliance of his painting but there was some controversy about his "christ-like image". It is not known if this was his intent.
The altar piece shown below, The Paulmgartner commissioned by the Nurnberg family of the same name, depicts a nativity scene (centre), St. George (left) and St. Eustace (right). The faces of the saints are drawn from members of the donor family. Other family members are depicted as small figures in the centre.This piece was infamously one of the 3 paintings attacked with concentrated sulphuric acid by serial art vandal, Hans-Joachim Bohlmann. It suffered 12 million dollars of damage and 21 years of restoration. The original is in an art museum in Munich.The museum has some copies and some originals. Unfortunately many are in private collections.
Even though this is a copy, it is impressive to see this piece.
When we visit Nurnberg, it always rains - it must be us. Nonetheless it doesn't deter us from getting out and enjoying ourselves. This quirky bronze piece required a look from every angle. Lots of amusing and macabre touches.
