Rain threatened, but we set out nonetheless on a short tram ride to the Nazi Documentation Center and rally grounds. This is a Nuremberg city museum, illustrating the rise of Hitler and the Nazi party, with a focus on the city's role in the movement. It seems clear that Nuremberg never wants to be involved in anything like this again, and the site includes educational programs to keep the history uncomfortably alive. The exhibit is called "Fascination and Terror," emphasizing the deterioration of Germany after WWI and the growing power of the party, eventually taking over all institutions of government and culture. The Holocaust is only part of the story, which should give you an idea of how sobering the whole thing is. It's full of photos and films, with printed commentary in German and a good audio guide in other languages. Here's one image to give you a chill; it says "Nürnberg -- the German city."
The museum is in a modern addition to one corner of the building that Hitler intended as the Congress Hall, a structure that was never completed. In the 1920s the city had built a large park with a lake, and the Nazis turned it into a gigantic complex of exhibition grounds for the massive gatherings and orchestrated demonstrations of power that contributed to the party's growth and influence.
We walked along the lake for a bit, and it was very calm and beautiful after the grim history of the exhibits:
That's the Congress Hall in the background. We reached the Zeppelin Field, so named when Count Zeppelin's aircraft landed there in 1909. If you ever saw Leni Riefenstahl's movie "Triumph of the Will," you will recognize this small remaining portion of the huge rally ground -- the podium from which Hitler spoke to the roaring crowds. It's very quiet now, with grass covering the grandstands.
We returned to our hotel in the Old Town, waited out a short downpour with booming thunder, and walked to the Deutsche Bahn Museum, a terrific collection of trains and related history. Here's a replica of the first steam engine providing service in Germany
Just before the museum closed for the day, we finally reached the exhibit of model trains, including the same train in different sizes
and a layout, with benches on risers behind the engineer, that would make serious train lovers totally envious. A great way to end the day.
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