Founded by the Lords of Berg Buch in Nuremberg first appeared in records in 1273. King Rudolf of Habsburg granted the Nuremberg burgraves this area. Imagine the scene. A small village nestled in the Knoblauchsland. The Bucher Landgraben a stream divided the village in two. Nearby were Kraftshof Almoshof Schnepfenreuth and Höfles. Even Braunsbach in Fürth was a short trip away.
Buch’s landscape is flat Keuper. Blasensandstein and Coburger Sandstein formations define the geology. The softer Blasensandstein lies west. The harder Coburger Sandstein is to the east. Quaternary valley fillings are near the Bucher Landgraben. These connect with the groundwater aquifer. Good soil supports vegetable cultivation. Northwest of Buch are Regosols. The Bucher Landgraben’s floodplains have Gley soils.
In 1427 Buch became part of Nuremberg. The Second Margrave War in 1552 destroyed the village by fire. Historic maps show the Landgraben’s impact. The northern part is now a protected ensemble. Gable-roofed sandstone houses make up the historic core. Some buildings are half-timbered. The main street was part of an old trade route between Nuremberg and Leipzig.
A 17th-century inn still stands at the old northern edge. The Gasthof zum Goldenen Stern thrived near the imperial city. Its sandstone facade is striking. The upper floor features stuccoed richly ornamented timber framing. By the late 18th century Buch had 57 properties. Jurisdiction was a complex affair with various authorities overlapping.
From 1797 to 1810 Buch fell under the Erlangen district. In 1810 it became Bavarian. The 1813 community included Almoshof Bislohe Boxdorf Braunsbach Herboldshof Höfles Kronach Ronhof Sack Schnepfenreuth and Steinach. The Second Community Edict in 1818 created six separate rural communities including Buch. In 1862 Buch joined the Fürth district. Its courts changed too. Finally on May 1, 1924 Buch officially became a Nuremberg district.
Buch boasts several preserved buildings including several residential barns. There is also a storage building. The former Golden Eagle and Golden Star inns are noteworthy. Today Buch is a quiet residential area its history woven into the fabric of Nuremberg. Its past as a separate village still resonates in its architecture and layout. It stands as a testament to Nuremberg’s growth and the lasting impact of events centuries ago.