Excursion "Nuremberg in the Renaissance: Jewish History, Humanism, and World Exploration"

In the 15th and 16th centuries, Nuremberg was not only the second largest city in Germany, but also the centre of the German Renaissance and state-of-the-art industrial technologies at the crossroads of Central European trade. As an imperial city, it was also a political centre with close ties to the king and the repository of the royal insignia. From the 12th century onwards, a Jewish community developed here, that was persecuted more than once and finally expelled in 1499. Numerous traces still bear witness to its eventful history today.

Nuremberg was also home to famous Christian and Jewish scholars and artists such as Albrecht Dürer and Mordechai ben Hillel. They shaped Nuremberg as a centre of humanism, where new knowledge about the world was gathered and eagerly disseminated during the European expansion. To this day, the influence of the Renaissance and traces of medieval Jewish life can be found all over the city. However, pictorial representations and various locations also bear witness to anti-Judaism, which led to hostility and persecution.

In this course, we will explore Renaissance-era Nuremberg and learn how humanism and new knowledge about the world influenced the way of life at that time. We will see how art, technology, and world knowledge developed and shaped the beginnings of modernity and globalisation. At the same time, we will learn more about Jewish life in the city and in the medieval German empire and examine how Nuremberg's inhabitants behaved towards the Jewish community.

This excursion will take place together with students from Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich from 18 to 21 June 2026 in Nuremberg. The cost of accommodation in shared rooms and admission fees is approximately € 150 to € 180 per person, plus individual costs for meals and travel to and from Nuremberg.