1936 On the Continent

famous citizen.
    The population of Nüremberg is very different from that of Munich; the town, which has 420,000 inhabitants,has belonged politically for a long time to Bavaria, but is inhabited, like so much of the surrounding country, by Franks. They are not so southern in their temperament and manner of living as their Bavarian countrymen, but are some of the most industrious and able people in the German Reich. This is obvious from the fact that Nüremberg, which in the Middle Ages took the lead in handicrafts and trade, is now one of the most important economic centres. The Nüremberg toy industry dominates the world market. Should you buy Nüremberg Lebkuchen or honey cakes in Haeberlein-Metzger’s shop, you will understand why the Nüremberger Lebkuchen have such a reputation everywhere.
    The Nüremberg beers also, Reiffbräu, etc., are on an equality with the Munich beers. If you want to enjoy Nüremberg beer in true Nüremberg surroundings, you will—as I did—go to the beautifully decorated cellar of the Mauthalle, the old custom house, built in 1498.
    The guide-books describe all the countless sights of Nüremberg, but I did not have time to visit them all. The old castle, with its famous torture chamber, where stands the gruesome “Eiserne Jungfrau,” instrument of martyrdom, and the Albrecht Dürer house in Albrecht Dürer Strasse 39, one of the most beautiful Gothic houses of the fifteenth century, should without fail be visited. Here also, as in the Hans Sachs house, all remains as it was in the days gone by.
    It is fitting that the most beautiful collection of German handicraft productions should be housed in the Germanischen Museum at Nüremberg.
Rothenburg
    Rothenburg on the Tauber, a small town with only 9,000 inhabitants, is easier to reach by car or bus than by rail. It is justly world-famous, and got its name on account of the red colour of its houses. The unique character of this wonderful little town is explained by the fact that since the Thirty Years’ War it has not changed at all, the once powerful free city having been arrested in its development, first by chance and then later by design. In Rothenburg, no building must be added to and nothing changed, but in spite of this it is anything but a dead museum. Thetown is vivacious, busy and lively as it ever was. While larger towns can only be explored by much tiring walking, the beauties of Rothenburg can be seen in a stroll of about half an hour. The town even to-day remains anxiously hidden behind its walls, which were once its protection from the attacks of robber knights. Every house in the narrow alleys shows the hand of the master craftsman, with its panelling and its pointed roof. Between them are defensive gates and bastions, and everywhere are the most picturesque street scenes. Every corner, every turn surprises one afresh, and added to this is the gentle friendly setting of the calm green valley of the Tauber, and on the horizon the gentle slopes of the Frankish hills. If one has not time to spend the night in Rothenburg, one should at least drink a glass of Frankish wine in one of the many inns with such charming names as the “Goldenes Land,” the “Grüner Baum,” “Weisser Turm,” or in the Ratskeller. That one can always drink a lot in Rothenburg is shown by the story of one of its burgomasters, who by his artistry in drinking saved the town from Tilly’s army. In order to perpetuate this event, of great importance in the history of Rothenburg, there are festival plays in the town every year during the summer, in which the young people specially take part with great enthusiasm. The folk-dances of bygone days are also kept up with the plays, and the famous Schäfertanz is danced in the streets.
    Near Rothenburg are other medieval towns. They say of Dinkelsbühl that it is more beautiful than Rothenburg, and Nördlingen also has its admirers, but I had to be content with Rothenburg.
Bayreuth and the Festival Theatre
    Nüremberg is the best place from which to visit Bayreuth also; the town of the Wagner Festivals may be reached from there in an hour. The Festival Theatre, which stands on a hill surrounded by trees, is not beautiful to look at and its interior is to-day somewhat out of date, but the opera performances which take place there are perhaps the most famous in the world. The greatest conductors and artists have a high opinion of Wagner’s legacy, for the sake of which Bayreuth, with the supportof Ludwig