Day 6 - Wed. June 15, 2011: Nuremberg and Rothenburg

This morning's activities started with a visit to Nuremberg's Palace of Justice where the famous Nuremberg Trials were held. These trials consisted of charging and trying 21 top Nazi officials with conspiracy, crimes against the peace, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. These trials were a joint effort between the United States, the Soviet Union, France, and Great Britain. 12 defendants were sentenced to death by hanging and 7 were sentenced to various prison sentences. On our tour through Court Room 600 and the exhibit, our group met an American who was a guard during the Nuremberg Trials. He is 87 years old from Kansas and is currently writing a book about his experience.
Our next stop was at Hitler's grandstand in Nuremberg. This is where Hitler would host Nazi rallies consisting of 200,000 people. Hitler would stand on the grandstand while Nazi soldiers marched passed it and saluted.
We then traveled to a small walled city called Rothenburg. Rothenburg has been around since the 12th century and has not been "updated" since medieval times. This town consists of cobbled roads and half-timbered houses. They are also known for their Christmas ornaments.
After an afternoon in Rothenburg, we traveled back to Nuremberg (about a 90 minutes drive) and had dinner at a modern Italian restaurant. I had a roasted chicken breast with mashed sweet potatoes and an apple chutney.
This is our last night in Nuremberg. Tomorrow we will take a train to Weimar.

Above: Outside of the Nuremberg Palace of Justice

Above: The Zeppelin Field is where Hitler would hold Nazi rallies. This is the view that a Nazi soldier would see as he marched past Hitler, who would be standing on the grand stand.

Above: Street scenes from Rothenburg.

Above: Rothenburg is known for a dessert called Schneeballen, or snowball. It is fried dough covered in assorted toppings. The one I ate was covered in chocolate and chopped nuts.

Above: Scenes from Rothenburg.

Above: The view of Rothenburg from a corner of the wall surrounding the city.

Above: You can climb stairs and walk around the wall that surrounds Rothenburg. This is the view from a walkway on the wall.

Above: My wonderful dinner of roasted chicken, sweet potatoes, and apple chutney.

Above: The famous Court Room 600 where the Nuremberg Trails took place after WWII.