Hauptmarkt with the Schöner Brunnen and Frauenkirche
Hauptmarkt with the Schöner Brunnen and Frauenkirche is one of the narrated stops on the self-guided Nuremberg audio walking tour in Gingerguide. Plan about ~30 min here. Press play at the spot for its two to three minute story, or ask the AI guide anything about it.
- Type square
- Suggested visit ~30 min
- Nuremberg Nuremberg guide
About Hauptmarkt with the Schöner Brunnen and Frauenkirche
Nuremberg's main market square holds the pinnacled Schöner Brunnen and faces the Frauenkirche, whose 1509 Männleinlaufen clock stirs at noon. The square was laid out after the 1349 pogrom.
The Hauptmarkt is the main market square of Nuremberg's old town, a roughly trapezoidal space of about 5,000 square metres on the Sebald side. It was laid out around 1349 to 1350 on the ground of the former Jewish quarter, after the medieval ghetto was destroyed in the pogrom of 1349, which took place with the approval of Emperor Charles IV; German Wikipedia records that almost 600 Jews were killed. On the site where the destroyed synagogue had stood, Charles IV founded the Frauenkirche, built between 1352 and 1362.
The brick Gothic hall church, whose design is attributed to Peter Parler, carries the Männleinlaufen clock of about 1509, which marks the Golden Bull of 1356 with prince-electors circling the emperor. The square's Schöner Brunnen, built by Heinrich Beheim from 1385 to 1396, rises about nineteen metres like a Gothic spire. Today the square hosts the Christkindlesmarkt and a weekday market.
Did you know? The Männleinlaufen clock on the Frauenkirche, installed around 1509, marks the Golden Bull of 1356. Once a day its figures of the prince-electors move in procession around the Holy Roman Emperor.
How long should you spend at Hauptmarkt with the Schöner Brunnen and Frauenkirche?
Plan about ~30 min at Hauptmarkt with the Schöner Brunnen and Frauenkirche. That is enough to take it in and hear its narrated story; stay longer if it grabs you. The tour is self-guided, so there is no rush.
Is Hauptmarkt with the Schöner Brunnen and Frauenkirche worth visiting?
Hauptmarkt with the Schöner Brunnen and Frauenkirche is one of the 13 sights the Gingerguide team researched and narrated in Nuremberg, so it earns a place on a self-guided walk. Its story explains why it matters, and you can ask the AI guide anything the story leaves open.
Nearby stops in Nuremberg
Day 1 of the Nuremberg in 2 days itinerary →
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Hear the story of Hauptmarkt with the Schöner Brunnen and Frauenkirche
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