Der Hase (The Hare) is the large bronze sculpture by Jürgen Goertz on Tiergärtnertorplatz in Nuremberg, below the Imperial Castle and a few steps from Albrecht Dürer's House. Installed in 1984, it turns Dürer's gentle watercolour of a young hare into something much stranger: a wide-eyed giant hare bursting out of a wooden crate with its young, one clawed paw resting on a human foot.
Der Hase at a glance
- Where: Tiergärtnertorplatz, the small square inside the Tiergärtnertor gate at the north-western corner of the old town, just below the castle.
- Created: installed in 1984, after the city commissioned a sculpture to honour Dürer on his 500th birthday.
- By: the German sculptor Jürgen Goertz.
- What it is today: one of the most talked-about pieces of public art in Nuremberg's old town, and a favourite photo stop on the way to or from the castle.
- Time needed: 10 minutes to walk round it, longer if you visit Dürer's House next door.
From Dürer's watercolour to a bronze monster
Albrecht Dürer painted his Young Hare (Feldhase) in 1502, in watercolour and gouache. It is probably his best-known study of nature, and it has been printed on everything from posters to mugs. Dürer lived and worked in the large half-timbered house on this square from 1509 until his death in 1528. His 500th birthday in 1971 was celebrated in Nuremberg with a Dürer Year, and the city commissioned a sculpture in his honour; Goertz's hare was installed here in 1984.
Nuremberg did not expect a monster. When the sculpture appeared, many people disliked it, and it caused real public anger. Goertz never explained the work himself, so it has been read in many ways. The most common reading sees it as a lament about the commercialisation of Nuremberg's most famous artist: a cuddly icon, endlessly copied and sold, bursting out of its packing crate. Over the years the hare has become part of the square, and many visitors now come looking for it.
What to look for
- The hare's huge, staring eye and its oversized, twisted body, nothing like Dürer's calm and precise animal.
- The wooden crate, splintered open as if the hare had just broken out of its packaging.
- The young hares tumbling out of the crate alongside it.
- The human foot under one clawed front paw: walk around to see how much of the person is hidden underneath.
- The nails lying in front of the hare's mouth, as if it were eating them.
- The square itself: Dürer's House on the corner and the tower of the Tiergärtnertor gate, so you can compare the hare with the world Dürer lived in.
Hares all over Nuremberg
Goertz's hare is not the only time Nuremberg has played with Dürer's animal. In August 2003 the artist Ottmar Hörl placed more than 7,000 green plastic Dürer hares on the Hauptmarkt, at the foot of the Schöner Brunnen, to mark 500 years of Dürer's other famous nature study, the Great Piece of Turf of 1503. At the end of the installation, people could buy a hare and take it home. Dürer's original Young Hare is kept far away, in the Albertina in Vienna, and as a fragile watercolour it is only rarely put on display.
Tips for your visit
- Walk all the way round the sculpture: some of the strangest details, like the foot and the nails, are easy to miss from the front.
- Come in the morning for a quieter square and good light; on summer evenings the square fills with people sitting outside.
- Look up Dürer's original Young Hare on your phone before you arrive, so you can compare the two.
- Combine the hare with Dürer's House and the climb up to the Imperial Castle, which starts right here.
Nearby
- Albrecht Dürer's House: the artist's home from 1509 to 1528, now a museum, on the corner of the square.
- Imperial Castle (Kaiserburg): the castle on the sandstone rock above the old town, a short climb from the square, with views over the roofs of Nuremberg.
- Tiergärtnertor: the medieval gate tower that gives the square its name, part of the old town walls.
- Dürer Monument: the bronze statue of Dürer on Albrecht-Dürer-Platz, unveiled in 1840, a few minutes' walk downhill.
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 gate, 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.