The Handwerkerhof is a small walled courtyard of half-timbered houses just inside the Königstor, the old town gate opposite Nuremberg's main station. It looks medieval, but it was built in 1971 for the 500th anniversary of Albrecht Dürer's birth, and it was meant to be pulled down again a year later. Visitors liked it so much that it stayed, and today craftspeople still work and sell here: pewter casters, potters, glassmakers, leatherworkers and gingerbread bakers.
The Handwerkerhof at a glance
- Where: inside the Königstor at the southern end of Königstraße, between the city wall and the Frauentor tower, across the road from the Hauptbahnhof.
- Created: in 1971, the 'Dürer Year', in the former Waffenhof (weapons yard) of the imperial city.
- By: the Nuremberg trade fair company AFAG, which ran the courtyard until 2015, when it handed it over to the city of Nuremberg.
- What it is today: a pedestrian lane of workshops, craft shops and Franconian restaurants, with a tourist information office.
- Time needed: 20–30 minutes to walk through; an hour or more if you stop for bratwurst or shop.
From fortress yard to craft village
The courtyard sits in the gap between two gates of the city fortifications. The Frauentor, named after the nearby convent of St Clare, was completed by 1386. In 1558 the master builder Jörg Unger wrapped its square tower in the massive round casing you see today and built the inner gate, closing off a walled yard between the two. This was the Waffenhof, part of the defences that made Nuremberg one of the most strongly fortified cities of the Holy Roman Empire.
In 1971 Nuremberg celebrated the 500th birthday of its most famous son, the painter and printmaker Albrecht Dürer, born here in 1471. For the Dürer Year, AFAG restored the old yard and filled it with new houses with half-timbered fronts, built to evoke the narrow medieval lanes of the old town, and invited craftspeople to set up shop. The village was planned as a temporary attraction and was due to be demolished in 1972, but it proved so popular that it was repaired and kept. After 44 years under AFAG, the courtyard passed to the city in 2015.
What to look for
- The gateway: the entrance from Königstraße passes under the old wall, with the name 'Handwerkerhof' above the arch and the huge round Frauentor tower beside it.
- Workshops at work: in several shops you can watch the craft being done, such as pewter figures being cast, glass being shaped or candles being made.
- Tin toys and wooden toys: a nod to Nuremberg's long history as Germany's toy-making city.
- Nuremberg gingerbread (Lebkuchen): a protected regional speciality, sold here fresh, along with chocolates.
- Nuremberg bratwurst: finger-sized grilled sausages, served six or twelve to a plate with sauerkraut or potato salad, or 'drei im Weggla', three in a bread roll.
Why the sausages are so small
Nuremberg Rostbratwurst is a protected speciality, and its rules fix its small size. Many stories try to explain why. One legend says they were made small so they could be passed through the keyholes of taverns after closing time; another that they were meant to be easy to sell in large numbers to market crowds. Neither has any evidence behind it, so enjoy them as legends. What is certain is that they are grilled over a beechwood fire in the traditional way, and that the Handwerkerhof is one of the easiest places in the old town to try them.
Tips for your visit
- Come in the late morning on a weekday, when the workshops are open and the tour groups from the station have moved on.
- Many shops close on Sundays, as is usual in Bavaria, so plan your shopping for Monday to Saturday.
- During Advent, when the Christkindlesmarkt is on, the whole old town is crowded; visit the courtyard early or late in the day.
Nearby
- Frauentorturm: the round tower right next to the courtyard, one of the four big round towers of the city walls.
- Neues Museum: Nuremberg's museum of modern art and design, with a curved glass façade on Klarissenplatz, a few minutes' walk away.
- Germanisches Nationalmuseum: the largest museum of cultural history in the German-speaking world, with works by Dürer, a few minutes' walk west along the wall.
- St Lorenz Church: the great Gothic church with twin towers at the top of Königstraße, a short walk north.
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. Its stops include the Frauentor beside the Handwerkerhof, St Lorenz Church and the Schöner Brunnen on the Main Market.
If you 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.