Nürnberg - Hauptmarkt

Each year for about two weeks before Christmas, Nurenberg becomes Christmas City. The marketplace is transformed by stands selling ornaments, Christmas foods and specialties and gifts. Given that the area is the center of the glass ornament industry in Germany, the decorations for sale often qualify as works of art. The city of Nurenberg comes alive with events, children's programs, and festival lighting.

On the north side of the Hauptmarkt in Nuremberg can be found the new Town Hall (Rathaus; 1954). Behind it, to the north, is the old building (by Jakob Wolff, 1616-22; magnificent doorways on west side); under it are the old dungeons and torture chamber (which can be visited). Between the two buildings is the famous Gänsemännchen fountain (c. 1555), depicting the figure of a Franconian peasant carrying two geese, with the water flowing from their beaks.