also known as Nuremberg
City (pop., 2002 est.: city, 491,307; metro. area, 1,018,211), Bavaria , southern Germany, on the Pegnitz River.
It grew up around a castle in the 11th century, and in 1219 it received its first charter. It became one of the greatest of the German free imperial cities, reaching the height of its power in the 16th century. In 1806 it became part of the kingdom of Bavaria. In the 1930s it was a centre of the Nazi Party ; the site of the Nazis' annual Nürnberg Rallies , in 1935 it gave its name to the anti-Semitic Nürnberg Laws . It was severely damaged in World War II. After the war it was the scene of the Nürnberg trials . The city was rebuilt and is now a commercial and manufacturing centre. Nürnberg's historic sites include the 11th-century royal palace. Its Academy of Arts (founded 1662) is the oldest in Germany. The city was the birthplace of Albrecht Dürer .