Nuremberg: The Malleus that Never Struck

Abstract

The old city of Nuremberg is built on the banks of the Pegnitz river, surrounded by thick, high walls. The cityscape, now as then, is dominated by the Kaiserburg, the imperial fortress at the apex of the hill that rises on the left bank. Nuremberg straddles the usually sleepy river, covering it with many bridges. At the beginning of the fifteenth century these bridges were wooden, and when the Pegnitz flooded during the spring thaw they were sometimes damaged or even destroyed by the rushing water. The late fifteenth century witnessed a transformation of the bridges of Nuremberg. By the end of the century many of the city’s main bridges were solid and stately structures, with stone arches resting on pillars in the river.¹ The rebuilding of the bridges of Nuremberg was only a small part of the creative and constructive energy of the city on the threshold of the early modern era. This was the golden age of Nuremberg, which was one of the preeminent cities in the empire. The city was presented as a model by the men of letters who lived within its strong walls, and with success. Nuremberg was widely admired and praised for its laws and good governance, and the institutions of the city were copied by other urban polities.² Aeneas Silvius, who had commented on justice in Basel, lavished praise on Nuremberg, writing:

What a splendid appearance this city presents! What a beauty of location, what learning there, what culture, what a superb government! Nothing is missing to make a perfect civic community. How clean the streets, how elegant the houses!³