Was this once a hilltop stronghold? Steinbühl in Nuremberg boasts a history as rich as its name suggests. The very name Steinbühl meaning stone hill hints at a possible medieval structure a seat perhaps for the Lords of Stein Breitenstein. Imagine these powerful figures surveying their lands from this very spot. Around 1330 the prestigious Pfinzing family may have owned the area. However a fortified manor house was likely not built until around 1517. Sebald Gartner a notable figure granted the right to open the gates in case of war.
This Steinbühl manor changed hands often. It passed between various Nuremberg families. The Lords of Breitenstein remained feudal lords for longer. They eventually sold all their fiefs to the Nuremberg council in 1608 due to debt. The family died out in 1666. From 1689 to 1804 the Weller merchant family owned the estate. Interestingly the exiled Austrian poet Catharina Regina von Greiffenberg resided in the manor’s upper floor in the late 1680s. The ground floor housed a school.
The manor situated at Wiesenstraße 19 fell into disrepair. It was destroyed in 1945. There might have been a second manor near Wiesenstraße/Heynestraße 14. However its existence is uncertain as it vanished in the 18th century. By the late 18th century Steinbühl comprised 35 properties. Jurisdiction was a point of contention. The Imperial City of Nuremberg claimed High Justice. This was disputed by the Brandenburg-Ansbach office in Schwabach. Various Nuremberg landowners held properties there. These included the Teutonic Order Commandery in Nuremberg. Several Nuremberg families also held properties.
In 1796 Steinbühl fell under Prussian rule then to Bavaria in 1806. From 1797 to 1808 it was under the Schwabach court and chamber office. The Steinbühl tax district including Tafelhof formed in 1808. The rural municipality of Steinbühl emerged that same year. It was under Nuremberg’s jurisdiction and Fürth’s financial administration. Some properties were under various patrimonial courts until 1836. Tafelhof was integrated into Nuremberg in 1825. Steinbühl became part of the Nuremberg district office in 1862. Since 1880 the Nuremberg district court handled legal matters. Nuremberg’s revenue office took over financial administration in 1865.
Large factories sprang up from 1889. They were built along Landgraben Gugel and Humboldtstraße. The Christuskirche church was built around 1893/94. Steinbühl suffered extensive damage during World War II. Only parts of Gründerzeit buildings remain. The Steinbühl mansion was also destroyed in the bombing raids of early 1945. Today Steinbühl remains a vital part of modern Nuremberg. Its history is etched into its streets and buildings. The spirit of Steinbühl continues.