The Imperial Castle appears in history through a love story. In 1050, a nobleman wanted to marry his maid Sigena. Emperor Henry III freed her by knocking a coin from her hand, and the Sigena document recording this became Nuremberg's first written mention.

The castle gave the city its name. Built into the hill as much as onto it, "Norimberga" means "nur ein Berg" in old German: only a hill, or rock hill. Where the emperor loved to live, everyone else wanted to live. Settlements grew on both banks of the Pegnitz below. The castle hosted imperial meetings, judicial sessions and banquets. Charles IV's Golden Bull of 1356 decreed every new emperor must hold his first Reichstag here.

The citizens never furnished the castle permanently. Before each imperial visit, they cleaned and furnished it. After the emperor left, they emptied it again.

VoiceMap's self-guided audio tours reveal how the castle anchored the Holy Roman Empire's power, connect its unfurnished halls to the crown jewels stored nearby for 350 years, and trace Nuremberg's evolution from imperial seat to independent city.