Nuremberg had great symbolic importance because of the Nazi Party rallies, while the surrounding region also contained important industries. Both factors made the city a major Allied target.
The raids struck industrial targets but also devastated the historic imperial city, including its castle, churches and medieval residential quarters. Major attacks took place on:
29 August 1942
26 February 1943
9 March 1943
28 August 1943
30/31 March 1944
3 October 1944
2 January 1945
20 February 1945
16 March 1945
5 April 1945
Nuremberg’s Old Town, with its narrow winding streets and medieval half-timbered houses, burned rapidly and was almost completely destroyed.
6,369 dead
Thirty of the city’s forty Protestant churches were destroyed or severely damaged.
Albrecht Dürer’s historic house was also damaged by fire and bombing.
The raid of 30–31 March 1944 was particularly heavy, involving 795 aircraft and about 2,500 tons of bombs.
A total of 61,000 dwellings were destroyed, representing around half of the city’s housing stock.
Many historically important buildings and valuable cultural assets were lost.
U.S. aerial mine
The raid of 3 October 1944 devastated parts of the historic centre, including areas around the castle, St Sebald Church and sections of the city fortifications.
Large-scale attacks continued into 1945, especially on 2 January, when the Old Town suffered catastrophic destruction.
During the attacks, the castle complex was badly damaged. The Pentagonal Tower, the Castellan’s Building, the Walpurgis Chapel, the Ottmar Chapel and administrative buildings were among the structures hit.
The imperial stables, Well House and other parts of the castle complex were also damaged or destroyed. The figures presented here state that 93 per cent of Nuremberg’s historic buildings were lost.
A total of 13,807 tons of bombs were dropped on Nuremberg, and 6,369 people were killed according to the figures cited here.
From a record of the dead
