The City Museum is located in the center of Nuremberg, on Burgstraße, at the foot of the Imperial Castle Kaiserburg. The Fembo House is the only surviving large merchant`s courtyard from the late Renaissance period in Nuremberg. Today, within these walls, the City Museum (Stadtmuseum Fembohaus) is located, which introduces visitors to the thousand-year history of Nuremberg.
Architecture and History of the Building
The building was constructed between 1591 and 1596 for the Dutch merchant Philipp van Oyrl. The architect was Jacob Wolff the Elder. The main building of the estate was not damaged during the bombings of World War II, which made it possible to preserve the authentic interiors of the 17th–18th centuries. The house is a three-story building with a mezzanine, executed in the late Renaissance style with elements of Dutch classicism. The facade is decorated with rusticated pilasters and sculptural portraits of ancient heroes.
Permanent Exhibition
The museum`s exhibition occupies four floors and covers the period of Nuremberg`s history from the 11th to the 19th century, from the heyday of the imperial city to its incorporation into Bavaria and industrialization. The route is constructed as a narrative from the perspective of members of the merchant family who lived in the house in different eras. An audio guide is available in several languages, including Russian.
Description of the Interiors of the Largest Halls
Ballroom (Tanzsaal)
The largest hall in the museum, with an area of about 80 m², located on the second floor. The main element is a wooden coffered ceiling from 1668, divided into 56 caissons with carved ornaments and mythological painted inserts. The walls are paneled with oak panels up to 2.5 meters high, featuring portraits of members of the Fembo family. The floor is made of wide oak planks. A historic tile stove with green and brown tiles has been preserved in the hall.
Family Room (Familienzimmer)
A room for the daily life of the family, located on the second floor next to the Ballroom. The walls are completely paneled with natural oak panels. In the center of the eastern wall is a sandstone fireplace with the carved coat of arms of the Fembo family, with a mirror in a wooden frame above it. The ceiling has fine stucco along the perimeter. In the corner there is a tiled stove with white and green tiles. Original 18th-century furniture has been preserved: an oak table and chairs with high backs.
Entrance Hall (Entreehalle)
A ceremonial room on the first floor, about 4 meters high. The ceiling and upper parts of the walls are covered with Baroque stucco by the Italian Carlo Moretti Brentano, featuring motifs of acanthus, garlands and mascaron. In the center of the ceiling is a stucco allegory of "Trade and Abundance". The floor is laid with two-colored stone slabs. A massive oak staircase with carved balusters, leading to the second floor, has been preserved.
The Beautiful Room (Das Schöne Zimmer)
Moved to the Fembo House from the destroyed Peller Palace. An early 17th-century interior in the late Mannerist style. The ceiling is divided into 24 caissons with oil paintings on biblical and mythological subjects. The walls are paneled with carved walnut and ebony panels featuring depictions of hunting and musical instruments. A fireplace made of black marble with alabaster columns. The floor is parquet made of rosewood, pear and maple.
Other Elements of the Exhibition
• The "Crown – Power – History" Hall on the first floor: a 30-minute multimedia show covering 1000 years of Nuremberg`s history.
• The "Nuremberg Wit" Hall (Erfindungen und Handwerke): dedicated to the inventions and craft traditions of Nuremberg, including lathes, measuring instruments, toys and clocks.
• The Cartography Workshop (Homännische Landkartenoffizin): a reconstruction of an 18th–19th century workshop where maps and atlases were printed. Authentic printing presses, engraving plates and geographical maps of the time are on display.
• City Models: on the third floor, wooden and plaster models of medieval Nuremberg are presented, showing the city before the destruction of World War II.
• VR Tour of the Synagogue: on the fourth floor, a virtual reconstruction of the Great Synagogue of Nuremberg, destroyed in 1938, is available.
The Fembo House is a unique museum of its kind, where the authentic atmosphere of a Renaissance merchant`s dwelling has been preserved. Four floors of exhibition, three large historical halls (Ballroom, Family Room, Entrance Hall) and the unique "Beautiful Room" provide a complete picture of the life, art and crafts of Nuremberg from the 11th to the 19th century. The museum is recommended for anyone interested in urban history and architecture.
