View of Nuremberg from the Sinwellturm, 1945

The destruction of
Nuremberg on January 2, 1945, has often been compared with that of the ancient
city of Pompeii. Within a matter of hours, the "Treasure Chest of the
Reich" was reduced to a field of rubble. But though the city had been
thought lost forever after the air raid, it revived. A view from the time immediately
after the war shows how much energy the city's population had to summon to
rebuild. Architect Friedrich Neubauer was one of those who were confident that
this low point could be overcome. His post card photo documents conditions
after the January bombardment, which would go down in the annals as the worst
disaster in the city's history.