The first mention of the "Norenberc", or rocky mountain that gave the city its name, was in 1050. It soon grew into a great trade centre, and flourished during the 15th and 16th centuries as a hub of culture, art and innovation. The painter and printmaker Albrecht Dürer; sculptors Adam Kraft, Veit Stoss, and Peter Vischer; and the painter and woodcarver Michael Wolgemut, created famous works here, while inventive technicians gave the world the first pocket watches, known as Nuremburg eggs.

A darker era in the city's history came in the early 20th century, when Hitler chose Nuremberg as the seat of the Nazi party and made mesmerising speeches in great rallies at the Zeppelin stadium. After the war, 13 trials - presided over by judges from the major Allied powers - convicted 142 Germans and Austrians of war crimes.

Largely rebuilt after the second world war, Nuremberg today is half modern metropolis, half medieval hamlet. Part of the 14th to 17th century walls are still intact and one of the largest medieval castles in the country, Kaiser Castle, towers over the city. Don't leave without sampling Nuremberg's culinary speciality, Lebkuchen - gingerbread shaped into witches' houses of the Hansel and Gretel variety.

Rob Castell adds ...

Symbolic for both the rise and fall of the Third Reich, this famous city in northern Bavaria thankfully retains a sense of its historical charm despite having been heavily bombed during the Second World War: the medieval town, or Altstadt, has been magnificently restored.

Nuremberg is the largest city in the Franconian region, and it couples its antiquity with a modern metropolitan feel. There is a particularly exciting bustle around Christmas time, when the Christkindlesmarkt warms the streets with mulled wine and festive fun.