CONSTRUCTION SITE IN NUREMBERG

Nuremberg was already booming in the 15th century: stone buildings, fortified roads, new water pipes – the growing city needed to be organised. This was the responsibility of the city architect appointed by the council. He supervised construction sites, managed building materials, planned major events such as visits by the emperor, ensured fire safety and controlled the use of the forests and quarries around the city.
From 1464 to 1475, the then master builder Endres Tucher (1423–1507) recorded his experiences in a unique manuscript – the Baumeisterbuch (Master Builder's Book). On almost 250 pages, he wrote down everything that was important for his successors: work processes, responsibilities, hazards and proven solutions.
On the occasion of the 550th anniversary, a studio exhibition focuses on this extraordinary testimony. On display are selected pages from the original, important sources on construction, and objects from the collection of the Germanisches Nationalmuseum and lenders that bring Tucher's notes to life: tools and materials, depictions of craftsmen, evidence of disaster control and the organisation of festivals.
The exhibition shows how close the tasks of the past are to our present: sustainable use of resources, safe infrastructure and the negotiation of interests with power imbalances continue to shape urban life today. The Baumeisterbuch thus opens up new perspectives on coexistence in the city – then and now.
The presentation was created in cooperation with the Tucher Cultural Foundation and the Otto Friedrich University of Bamberg.

Last edited on 23.03.2026