Monument to Hans Sachs
Statue of Hans Sachs
after the British bombing of Nürnberg
The statue of Hans Sachs managed to survive
the destruction of Nürnberg by Allied bombs on the night
of January 2, 1945, although all the buildings around it were
demolished. New modern buildings have replaced some of the historic
buildings that were destroyed.
Bomb damage in Nürnberg,
January 1945
Photo Credit: Charles
J. Sheridan
Hans Sachs lived from 1494 to 1576, during
the Renaissance period, and was a contemporary of Albrecht Dürer
and Martin Luther, who led the Protestant Reformation. Sachs
was a folk singer who belonged to the guild of Meistersingers
or master singers in Germany. In 1515, he established his residence
at Nürnberg after a period of traveling all over Germany
writing and singing songs. He became a shoemaker but continued
to compose thousands of poems and songs. His name was immortalized
by Richard Wagner (1813 to 1883) who based an opera on him, called
Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. A performance of this opera
always preceded the annual Nazi rallies at Nürnberg in the
1930ies.
This page was last updated on May 9,
2009
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