The Pegnitz is a river in Franconia, in the German state of Bavaria. Its source is in the town of Pegnitz (population ~15,000), about 27 km south of Bayreuth. The river runs for about 113 km (70 mi) before meeting the Rednitz in Fürth to form the Regnitz. Along its course, it flows through Nuremberg (population ~545,000), the largest city in Franconia, the second-largest in Bavaria, and the 14th-largest in Germany.
Nuremberg is famous for its castle and extensive city walls, with their many towers—among the most impressive fortifications in Europe.
Nuremberg in the Nazi Era
From 1933 to 1945, Nuremberg held special significance for the Nazi regime. The city was chosen as the site of massive Nazi Party rallies, staged in 1927, 1929, and annually from 1933 to 1938. These events were designed as propaganda spectacles.
- The 1934 rally was filmed by Leni Riefenstahl, resulting in the propaganda film Triumph des Willens (Triumph of the Will).
- At the 1935 rally, Hitler convened the Reichstag in Nuremberg to pass the Nuremberg Laws, which stripped Jews and other so-called “non-Aryans” of German citizenship.
After the collapse of Nazi Germany, Nuremberg again became a focal point of world history. Between 1945 and 1946, the surviving top Nazi leaders were tried for war crimes and crimes against humanity at the International Military Tribunal. The proceedings took place in Courtroom 600 of the Nuremberg Palace of Justice. (The cross visible today in the courtroom was added later by the postwar German government and was not present during the trials.)
