Fischbach () was an independent municipality near Nuremberg (officially Fischbach b. Nuremberg) and is a district of the city of
Nuremberg
Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...
(Statistical District 9 - Eastern Outlying City, Statistical District 96) since July 1, 1972.
Geography
Fischbach is located in the southeast of Nuremberg, surrounded by the
Lorenzer Reichswald (
de), a 60 square mile large forest, and traversed by the Fischbach creek. The town is also bordered by the
Federal Highway 9 in the east and the
Federal Highway 4 in the south and southwest.
History
Fischbach was first mentioned in a document in 1339 with the name “Fischpekken”. Fischbach was created by imperial
ministerials as part of the development of the
Nuremberg Reichswald (
de), the imperial forest around Nuremberg, as a place for
honey hunting (in
Franconia
Franconia ( ; ; ) is a geographical region of Germany, characterised by its culture and East Franconian dialect (). Franconia is made up of the three (governmental districts) of Lower Franconia, Lower, Middle Franconia, Middle and Upper Franco ...
''Zeidelgut''). The “Vischebekken von Vischebach”, first mentioned in 1330, were granted to
burgmann
From the 12th century in central Europe, a ''Burgmann'' (plural: ''Burgmannen'' or modern term ''Burgmänner'', Latin: ''oppidanus'', ''castrensus'') was a knight ministeriales or member of the nobility who was obliged to guard and defend castles. ...
s of the
burgraves of Nuremberg as
fiefedoms from 1339. Around 1350 they became over-indebted and had to sell their possessions to the imperial city. Their likely seat was probably at the location of the Harsdorf's Mansion (see
Harsdorfsche Schloss below).
The village was set on fire during the
Feud
A feud , also known in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, private war, or mob war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially family, families or clans. Feuds begin ...
between the city of Nuremberg and the
Margrave
Margrave was originally the Middle Ages, medieval title for the military commander assigned to maintain the defence of one of the border provinces of the Holy Roman Empire or a monarchy, kingdom. That position became hereditary in certain Feudal ...
Albrecht Achilles of
Brandenburg-Ansbach
The Principality or Margraviate of (Brandenburg) Ansbach ( or ) was a principality in the Holy Roman Empire centered on the Franconian city of Ansbach. The ruling Hohenzollern princes of the land were known as margraves, as their ancestors were ...
in 1449. It was burned down again in the
Second Margrave War
The Second Margrave War () was a conflict in the Holy Roman Empire between 1552 and 1555. Instigated by Albert Alcibiades, Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach and Brandenburg-Bayreuth, who was attempting to form a Duchy of Franconia under his ru ...
. The ''Harsdorf'sche Schloss'' and the ''Pellerschloss'' were also completely destroyed. During the
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...
Fischbach was also exposed to
arson
Arson is the act of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, watercr ...
and looting. After the war, numerous Austrian exiles settled there.
Mansions
Fischbach, like
Mögeldorf and
Erlenstegen, had a high density of mansion buildings belonging to families of the
Nuremberg Patriciate:
Harsdorfsche Schloss
The “Harsdorfsche Schloss”, Fischbacher Hauptstraße 197/199, was sold by Veit
Pfinzing to his brother-in-law Karl Holzschuher in 1405. In 1515, Karl Holzschuher's grandsons Pankraz and Hans “
opened” their headquarters to the city of Nuremberg. In 1537, Wolf, Peter and Christoph Harsdörffer acquired the castle from Hans and Sebastian Holzschuher, which is still owned today by the old Nuremberg patrician family, who later became barons
Harsdorf von Enderndorf. When it was rebuilt after 1553, the so-called “old” castle was given its current shape by reusing existing components. In the years after 1771, the Nuremberg governor Jobst Christoph Harsdorfer (1721–1786) built the New Palace on the site of the old seat and on the site of the old dilapidated barn on the street. In 1943 both houses were badly damaged by bombs, but were restored.
Scheurlsche Schloss
The “Scheurlsche Schloss”, Fischbacher Hauptstraße 164/166, was located on an old Zeidel estate in the Lorenz Forest and was therefore an imperial
fiefdom
A fief (; ) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of feudal alle ...
. Supposedly owned by Rummel around 1369, it later passed to Sebald Holzschuher (died 1483). A manor house is mentioned in 1497 when it was sold to Michael Behaim, whose son Friedrich opened it to the imperial city of Nuremberg in 1517. The other owners were Anton Koberger in 1532, a son of the well-known printer and publisher
Anton Koberger, who, among other things published the
Nuremberg Chronicle
The ''Nuremberg Chronicle'' is an illustrated encyclopedia consisting of world historical accounts, as well as accounts told through biblical paraphrase. Subjects include human history in relation to the Bible, illustrated mythological creatures, ...
(which in Germany is known as ''The Schedel World Chronicle'') in 1493, but he died in Fischbach that same year. In 1535, the humanist and Nuremberg councilor
Christoph von Scheurl
Christoph Scheurl or von Scheurl (11 November 1481 – 14 June 1542) was a German jurist, diplomat and humanism, humanist who became famous for arranging a humanistic friendship between Johann Eck and Martin Luther.
Life
Scheurl was born i ...
acquired the mansion for the widow of his brother Albrecht, who was murdered in 1531. Since then, the castle has been owned by the well-known patrician family, who were elevated to Baron Scheurl von Defersdorf in 1884. The house has been preserved in the form it got after the destruction in 1552. The entrance is a two-story sandstone gatehouse built in 1729 with the Scheurl coat of arms above the basket arch gate.
Pellerschloss
The “Pellerschloss”, Pellergasse 3a, is one of the few examples of a typical 16th century mansion that has been preserved in its structural integrity. Two protruding half-timbered upper floors with a gable roof and dwarf hip rest on a stone base with only embrasures, and slanted support beams emphasize the expansive superstructure. The choir was planned into the wooden structure. Above the arched entrance on the north side is the coat of arms of the Peller von Schoppershof patrician family, which died out in 1870 and owned the castle from 1687. It was once surrounded by a moat that has now been filled in. It belonged to a number of patrician families over time. Today it belongs to the city of Nuremberg; Wedding ceremonies are held in the ground floor hall and the rooms can be rented for events.
Modern history
During the
First World War
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, a camp for Russian
prisoners of war
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...
was set up between Regensburger Straße and Fischbach; The area has since been called ''Russenwiese''.
During the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, a
Gestapo
The (, ), Syllabic abbreviation, abbreviated Gestapo (), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe.
The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of F ...
penal camp known as a labor education camp (in German
:de:Arbeitserziehungslager) was located there from October 1942 to August 1943. The prison conditions were comparable to an
SS concentration camp
A concentration camp is a prison or other facility used for the internment of political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or ethnic minority groups, on the grounds of national security, or for exploitati ...
. After the destruction caused by the air raid in August 1943, the camp was relocated to
Langenzenn
Langenzenn is a town in the Fürth (district), district of Fürth, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated 15 km west of Fürth.
The town lies on the river Zenn (river), Zenn and has a population of 10,339 (31 December 2012).
Geography
It bel ...
in the
Fürth district.
During the two bombing nights in Fischbach on August 10th/11th and 27th/28th 1943, strong British bomber units targeted both the Gestapo camp and an 8.8cm
anti-aircraft gun battery stationed nearby.

After the end of the war, the so-called Moll Railway to Fischbach existed from 1947. This narrow-gauge railroad was built to transport large quantities of rubble from Nuremberg's old town, 90% of which had been destroyed, to a designated forest area near Fischbach for final storage. There was a separate depot for the up to 18 steam locomotives on what is now the FCN site. The route near Fischbach changed frequently in order to ensure that debris was deposited in the forests as evenly as possible and not to build up another mountain that could be seen from afar, such as the Silberbuck or the Föhrenbuck, at the harbor. The rubble railway ceased operations in 1950.
On July 1, 1972, the community of Fischbach with its parts of Altenfurt, Birnthon and Moorenbrunn was incorporated into Nuremberg as part of the municipal reform.
[{{cite book , isbn=3406096697 , title=Handbuch der bayerischen Ämter, Gemeinden und Gerichte 1799-1980 , lang=de , publisher=Beck , location=München , year=1983 , page=602]
References
Districts of Nuremberg