Rising 342.7 meters, the Hasenbuck is Nuremberg’s third-highest hill. It dramatically rises 40 meters above its surroundings. It is a typical island mountain.
The Hasenbuck’s earliest written record dates back to 1730. It is stored in the Nuremberg State Archives. Back then, it was all about hunting rights. People mentioned a Small and a Large Hasenbuck. The Small Hasenbuck is now gone because of MAN factory.
Today, we are standing on the remaining hilltop. The hilltop proudly hosts the Lutherkirche built in 1937. The area is a well-ventilated high-altitude park.
In 1899, Nuremberg expanded. The city grew up to the Hasenbuck. In 1911, construction started south of Frankenstrasse. This is near today’s FrankenCampus. Homes for the State Railway Administration and the Transport Administration were built.
Construction of the Hasenbuck settlement began in 1927. It was created by the building cooperative of the Reich Association of German War Victims. Building continued here during the Nazi era.
Let’s talk about the Lutherkirche. As the population grew, the community needed its own church. Before that, it belonged to the St. Peter parish. Construction of the Lutherkirche, including a kindergarten, began in 1936. It was consecrated in July 1937.
The Trolley Mission pilots flew over the MAN factories. That is when they took the aerial photo of the Lutherkirche. The photo shows the Katzwanger Straße in the middle. The MAN factory lies in ruins behind it. The Hasenbuck green space stretches in front.
To the right, you can see the houses along Rieppelstraße and Defreggerstraße. You can also spot the Südtriol Square. The Klett machine factory moved here in 1897. It moved from Wörth to Lichtenhof at the foot of the Hasenbuck. Over the years, it became the MAN group. Around the turn of the century, the nearby marshalling yard was built. With it came the first railway settlements. In 1911, the building cooperative built the first apartments. They were for the Royal Bavarian Transport Authorities on the Hasenbuck. More houses followed in the 1930s.
The Hasenbuck: a hill, a neighborhood, and a testament to Nuremberg’s evolving story.