The Fleischbrücke, the Meat Bridge, carries the main route from Nuremberg's Hauptmarkt south across the Pegnitz towards St Lorenz. Finished in 1598, its single, very flat stone arch was the widest masonry span in Germany at the time, and a stone ox lying above its portal has watched over the crossing since 1599.
The Fleischbrücke at a glance
- Where: just south of the Hauptmarkt in Nuremberg's old town, linking the St Sebald and St Lorenz halves of the city across the Pegnitz.
- Built: 1596–1598, replacing earlier bridges on the site; the ox portal was added in 1599.
- By: foundations and falsework by the master carpenter Peter Carl, stonework by the master mason Jakob Wolff, under the city's building master Wolf Jacob Stromer.
- What it is today: a listed bridge still in everyday use, named a Historic Landmark of Civil Engineering in Germany in 2011.
- Time needed: 10–15 minutes, longer if you walk down to the riverbanks for a side view.
From wooden crossing to Renaissance arch
A crossing has existed here, at the narrowest point of the Pegnitz, since around 1200, and a 'Fleischbrücke' is first recorded in 1335, named after a meat hall next to it. The early bridges did not last: a wooden one burned in 1418, a flood destroyed its successor in 1432, and a stone bridge with a central pier, built in 1487, was so badly damaged by floodwater in 1595 that the city decided to replace it. The new bridge was to have no pier in the river, so it would not block the flow, and to be as flat as possible for carts.
The answer was a single segmental arch with a clear span of 27 metres and a rise of only 4.2 metres, built of reddish sandstone between 1596 and 1598. The flat arch pushes hard sideways, so the abutments rest on more than 2,000 wooden piles, about 400 of them driven in at an angle, a technique very rarely used in the 16th century. Stromer kept a wooden model of Venice's Rialto Bridge, which uses a similar foundation, but research suggests the Nuremberg design was not a copy. The bridge came through the Second World War almost undamaged and has hardly changed since 1599.
What to look for
- The ox portal on the north bank, crowned by a reclining stone ox. The present figure is a 1951 replacement for the original.
- The Latin inscription under the ox, which jokes that 'the ox you see here was never a calf'.
- The arch itself: walk down to the riverbank to see how low and flat it is for its width.
- The two small balconies in the middle of the bridge; on their outer sides are the stone coats of arms of the seven city councillors of the time, visible from the water rather than from the bridge.
- The plaque at the southern end towards Kaiserstraße, marking the bridge as a landmark of engineering history.
The bridge that numbers the houses
Since the 1860s the Fleischbrücke has been the zero point for house numbers in Nuremberg's old town: on each street, numbering starts at the end nearest the bridge. The bridge's narrow passage has a downside, though. During the great flood of 1909 water backed up behind it and flooded much of the old town, and after 1945 there were even plans to remove it. Instead, an underground relief tunnel was built to carry floodwater around it.
Tips for your visit
- Look at the bridge from the riverside below as well as from the top: from above, it barely feels like a bridge at all.
- In Advent the Christkindlesmarkt fills the Hauptmarkt just north of the bridge, so expect crowds on the crossing.
- Combine it with the walk east along the Pegnitz to the Museumsbrücke for the view of the Heilig-Geist-Spital over the river.
- Come early in the morning if you want the crossing and the ox portal without crowds.
Nearby
- Hauptmarkt and the Schöner Brunnen: the main square with its Gothic fountain in the shape of a spire, a minute's walk north.
- Frauenkirche: the Gothic church on the Hauptmarkt with the Männleinlaufen clock, where little figures parade at noon.
- St Lorenz Church: the great Gothic church of the southern old town, a few minutes' walk away.
- Heilig-Geist-Spital: the medieval hospital built over the Pegnitz, best seen from the Museumsbrücke.
See Nuremberg with World City Trail
Our Nuremberg scavenger hunt turns the old town into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops and takes around 2 hours, with about 41 minutes of walking. Among the places it includes are the Frauentor, St Lorenz Church and the Schöner Brunnen on the Hauptmarkt.
For people who prefer a different format, there is also a self-guided walking tour and an outdoor escape game in Nuremberg.
Play the Nuremberg scavenger hunt →
Take the self-guided walking tour of Nuremberg →
Play the outdoor escape game in Nuremberg →
Facts checked in October 2026.