I went to Nuremberg because I am a history nerd who felt compelled to visit the city where the Nazi war criminals were tried for their crimes against humanity. While there, I visited the Documentation Center of the Nazi Party Rally Grounds. The next day, I went to the zoo because I needed a day to not think about how Nazis ruin everything.
Like I said, I went to the Documentation Center of the Nazi Party Rally Grounds while in Nuremberg. I’m not sure that I can properly convey the combination of disgust and horror that I still feel when I think about that place. Something that we have a hard time truly grasping in the United States is the sheer magnitude of what happened in Europe. I don’t know what I expected when I went to the grounds, but I definitely wasn’t expecting an 11 square kilometer park with mixed green spaces and unfinished Nazi architecture.
The self-guided audio tour is well worth doing, but be prepared to be horrified and disgusted. It is an important experience, but not a pleasant one.
After the horrors of the Documentation Center, I needed something light and fluffy, that didn’t make me think of war and suffering. So, I went to the Nuremberg Zoo. This place doesn’t even really feel like a zoo. It feels more like a big park that happens to have animals in it, which is quite enjoyable. You’re walking along, looking at the trees, and BAM! There’s a giraffe. I definitely recommend this zoo, if you like zoos.
