Tourismus Nürnberg: Albrecht Dürer

Albrecht Dürer

Nuremberg's most famous son: Albrecht Dürer

A greatly admired Renaissance artist with many gifts

Albrecht Dürer's works are on show in all of the most important art museums in the world. But the visitor to his home city of Nuremberg can also find traces of him there. The Germanische Nationalmuseum is one of the most important research centres on Albrecht Dürer and shows a number of his most important works. The Albrecht-Dürer house, part of the Albrecht-Dürer Trail, and his residence from the year 1509, allows a fascinating insight into his life and his art.

The "Praying Hands" and the "Young Hare" by Albrecht Dürer are among the most reproduced motifs in art history. One can only speculate whether this most famous artist of the Renaissance would have been pleased to find his art reproduced on bars of chocolate or on Christmas baubles. Because, born into the deeply religious late Middle Ages, he worked on the perfection of technology and expressive power with an earnestness and meticulous scientific approach yet to been seen in northern Europe. As well as his work as a painter, draughtsman and graphic artist, Albrecht Dürer wrote works on the study of proportion, geometry and fortress design.

The rich life of Albrecht Dürer - in brief

Albrecht Dürer was born on 21 May 1471 in Nuremberg and died there on 6 April 1528. He is buried in the Nuremberg Johannisfriedhof.
His father Albrecht Dürer the elder had come to Nuremberg from Hungary in 1455 and married the daughter of a Nuremberg goldsmith. Of their 19 children, only three sons survived, all of whom died childless.
During his apprenticeship in his father's goldsmith's workshop, Albrecht Dürer's first self-portrait that still exists – dated to the year 1484 – was painted. Many more were to follow.
Since Albrecht Dürer wanted to become a painter after completing his apprenticeship as a goldsmith, his father sent him to the workshop of painter Michael Wolgemut from 1486 to 1490 for further training in painting, woodcutting and copperplate engraving.
His journeyman apprenticeship took Albrecht Dürer from 1492 to 1494 to Basel and Strasbourg, among other places, where he earned a living illustrating books.
In 1494, Albrecht Dürer received a dowry of 200 guilders at his marriage to Agnes Frey, the daughter of a Nuremberg coppersmith, which enabled him to set up his own painting studio. Through the relatives of his mother in law, Albrecht Dürer gained access to the upper classes in Nuremberg.
During his life, Albrecht Dürer went on three long journeys, which were to have a strong influence on his artistic work: from 1494 to 1495 to Venice, via Innsbruck, from 1505 to 1507 to Venice and Bologna and from 1520 to 1521 to the Netherlands.

Further information on Albrecht Dürer

Albrecht Dürer's House

Albrecht Dürer's House, which has recently been restored, presents in a new concept the living and working quarters of one ofthe most famous painters and graphicartists in art history, namely Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528).

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Albrecht-Dürer-Denkmal (Albrecht Dürer Monument)

First monument in Germany dedicated in honor of an artist.

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Museum Theater at Albrecht Dürer House

"An Honorable Household", the historical musical theater with and without Albrecht Dürer offers a different kind of museum tour with saucy tunes plenty of information on Albrecht Dürer's House.

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