Nuremberg belongs to the most beautiful cities in Germany. I visited the Bavarian town twice in 2023. If you think that my main intention was to eat sausages with Sauerkraut and drink beer, you are “partly” mistaken. Most of all, I went on a cinematic journey to make comparison shots of places, where scenes for the courtroom drama ‘Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)’ were made. Join me, and of course Spencer Tracy, on a trip to the Palace of Justice, the old city section, the Former Nazi Rally Grounds and many more. Have you ever visited Nuremberg?
Interlude
About 80% of the film was made in a Hollywood studio. If you have seen ‘Judgment at Nuremberg (1961),’ it´s pretty clear that this majority are the courtroom scenes. Stanley Kramer´s intention was to shot in the original place at the ‘Palace of Justice’ to reach a maximum of authenticity. However, the rooms where unavailable for filming and still in use for trials. He and his team created a replica of the room. Down scaling was used to obtain the best possible efficiency, which saves time in the shooting process. Most of the other scenes were shot on location in Nuremberg. The courtyard scenes of the prison were made in Hollywood, as Burt Lancaster didn´t want to film outside the US for this movie. A few scenes were also shot in Berlin. It is not entirely clear whether this includes the arrival of Judge Haywood and his drive through a destroyed city.
Palace of Justice (Justizpalast) / Location of the Nuremberg Trials / Fürther Straße 110
The ‘Palace of Justice’ during shooting. This setting appears shortly before the first day of the trial starts.
In 2023, the scenery changed. But not the building.
Judge Haywood (Spencer Tracy) starts his stroll towards the old section of Nuremberg. He is walking through the main gate of the ‘Palace of Justice.’
It was closed, when I arrived on a Saturday afternoon. But I think the gate is still the same.
Frauentorturm / Main Train Station / Haywood´s stroll / Bahnhofsplatz
Haywood is in a hurry to get the next tram towards the old section of Nuremberg. In the background, you can see the lower half of the famous ‘Frautentorturm,’ the entry to the ‘Handwerkerdorf’ and the ‘Bahnhofsplatz.’ The rubble and dirt was probably put there by the crew to visualize a more realistic post war Germany. The story of ‘Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)’ takes place in 1948.
In 2023, the ‘Bahnhofsplatz’ and ‘Frautentorturm’ are right where they belong. It still has tram connections to all city areas.
Haywood gets on a tram towards ‘Maxfeld,’ which is located in the North of Nuremberg. If he had gotten off there, it would be a 1.25 Mile walk to his next location the ‘Hauptmarkt.’
Not as crowded as in the movie. Nevertheless, a major ‘Hop On Hop Off’ point to explore the city.
Behind the fellow with the sun glasses, you can see the ‘Frautentorturm’ on the right.
Frauenkirche / Haywood´s stroll / Hauptmarkt 14
A close up of the clock and some statues. Nuremberg´s ‘Frauenkirche’ is located at the ‘Hauptmarkt,’ which is the main square of the old section.
There are 62 years between the original footage of the movie and this picture. The statues received a safety net, probably against birds, and aren´t moving anymore.
The ‘Frauenkirche’ in October 2023 …
… and in December 2023 at the opening day of the famous ‘Christkindlesmarkt.’ A market during Christmas season.
This scene has a very special charm. The woman on the right says “Auf Wiedersehen Opa!” and leaves. Haywood asks: “What did she say?” The woman on the sales desk replies: “She said, Goodbye Grandpa!” The young woman isn´t mentioned in the credits. Does anyone know her real name and if she is still alive?
Same place. Same Scene. But in 2023! 😉
Former Nazi Party Rally Grounds / Haywood´s stroll / Zeppelinfeld / Zeppelinstraße
Haywood visits the ‘Former Nazi Party Rally Grounds.’ During Hitler´s dictatorship, there was a huge stone ‘Swastika’ (Hakenkreuz) at the top of the building in the middle. At the beginning of the movie, the Americans literally bomb away this mark of shame.
In 2023, you can clearly see that the stone pillars were removed and the whole tribune got fenced. I assume that these were dilapidated and removed for safety reasons.
A thoughtful Judge Haywood looks to the point from which a shouting and extatic Hitler screamed his hate-filled words to the German people.
Many years later, an enthusiastic On-Location Traveler looks at the same spot. Here, too, you can (not) see the missing columns. The building in the background is partly deconstructed.
The balcony where Hitler held some of his most infamous speeches.
In 2023, I used a similar camera angle for the shot. The fence is still the same as in 1961. The stones just have some minor damages in comparison to the picture from the beginning of the 60s.
I went on top of the ‘Zeppelintribüne’ to have a look … it makes your skin crawl in a bad way …
… Never forget …
Spezialausschank Löwen Bräu / Zum Löwenbräu / Königstraße 74
On their walk through a Nuremberg by night, Mrs. Bertholt and Judge Haywood are walking nearby a place called ‘Spezialausschank Löwen Bräu.’ ‘Löwenbräu’ is a beer brewery located in Munich. In Germany, it is a common practice for breweries to open pubs, often as a combination with a restaurant, in other cities. This shot was probably filmed in the studio but …
…‘Zum Löwenbräu’ was definitely a pub in Nuremberg, which is closed now. A Hotel replaced the watering hole at the old location in the ‘Königstraße 74.’
Mrs. Bertholt´s Apartment / Karolinenstraße 115 (Goof or Not?) /
Earlier in the movie, Haywood´s Driver Schmidt (Paul Busch) drives Mrs. Bertholt to her apartment. She states the address “Karolinenstraße 115.” Later, Bertholt and Haywood end their stroll at the mentioned apartment. Whether this scene was really shot on location is questionable.
The ‘Karolinenstraße’ ends with house number 57. Therefore it is not possible that Berthold´s apartment was located at number 115. However, maybe the street was larger in the 1948. Are any city historians of Nuremberg around, who could answer this? What also could have happened is that the screenwriter Abby Mann wrote a random number without checking if it really exists. Goof or not? At the beginning of the ‘Karolinenstraße,’ you can see the ‘Lorenzkirche.’
Haywood (Spencer Tracy) and Mrs. Bertholt (Marlene Dietrich) are drinking coffee in her apartment. Maybe the window in the back …
… is still illuminated from the inside today? Check the light in the window above! 🙂 The building of ‘Karolinenstraße 57,’ serves as my personal template for ‘Karolinenstraße 115.’
Additional Nuremberg locations related to ‘Judgment at Nuremberg’
There is a museum next to the courthouse called ‘Memorium Nürnberger Prozesse (Memorium Nuremberg Trials),’ which offers lots of interesting information. It is located at ‘Bärenschanzstraße 72.’
The ‘Nuremberg International Human Rights Film Festival’ took place during my stay. However, I didn’t have time to visit the festival. There´s another chance in 2025 from the 15th of October until the 22th of October.
Right next to the ‘Hauptmarkt’ is the ‘Bratwursthäusle,’ where you can eat the famous ‘Nürnberger Rostbratwürste’ and drink local beer. The smoke from the chimney is a nice characteristic and in the background you can see the church ‘St. Sebald.’
It has even more flair during the ‘Christkindlesmarkt.’
The view from the ‘Kaiserburg Nuremberg’ in October 2023. You´ll find the castle at the address ‘Burg 17.’
The view in December 2023. In the center of the picture, you can see a light. This is the ‘Hauptmarkt,’ where Spencer Tracy bought a ‘Bratwurst’ in the movie.
The ‘Platz der Opfer des Faschismus’ is a square in honor of the victims of National Socialism.
The ‘Dokumentationszentrum Reichsparteitagsgelände’ is located at the ‘Bayernstraße 110.’ It´s the entrance to the large area where the Nazis held their rallies.
The ‘Kongresshalle’ is another of Hitler’s insane building projects that remained unfinished. It was actually supposed to have a roof and was planned for gatherings of up to 50.000 people. It´s located at ‘Bayernstraße 100.’
The lookout at the top belongs to a Museum. This leads people up and into the interior of the congress hall.
The ‘Große Straße (Great Street)’ was actually supposed to be used for Nazi parades. In the end, the road was not used for its actual purpose.
There is a lake in the middle of the former Rally Grounds. It is called ‘Dutzendteich.’
Remember the ‘Lorenzkirche’ at the beginning of the ‘Karolinenstraße?’ Mrs. Bertholt´s apartment was at the end of this street.
Have you read my detailed Rating & Review? > Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) – Finding Responsibility
Thanks for reading.
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