Today was a super exciting day! We drove to Nuremberg, where we toured MAN Truck & Bus. For safety reasons, we got to wear some super stylish safety vests before walking onto the factory floor.
We toured the facility, where they primarily manufacture battery packs and diesel engines for trucks and buses. Similar to what we saw at BMW, the beginning of the production process was mostly completed by robots. What stood out to me was that many of the robots were made by KUKA, which was interesting to see again after recently touring their facilities. It was cool to see the company I am researching actually being used in a real manufacturing environment.
Later in the assembly process, the factory shifted to a long production line where workers had an average of 117 seconds to complete their specific task before the engine moved to the next station. Our tour guide also showed us older diesel engines compared to modern electric systems, which provided a great comparison of how technology has evolved and where the company plans to go in the future.
After the tour, I had the opportunity to visit the Courtroom 600, where the famous Nuremberg trials took place. I mentioned in my last blog my interest in World War II history, as well as the Holocaust class I took before college. During that class, we watched the movie Nuremburg (2000), which offered a close depiction of the events of the trials. Although I also watched the newer Nuremburg film released in 2025, the 2000 version is more historically accurate and even includes dialogue taken directly from the trial transcripts.
Visiting the actual courtroom had been a dream of mine for a long time. These trials were not only significant in the aftermath of World War II, but they also helped establish a framework for future international war crimes trials. Walking into the courtroom gave me a strange feeling. The room looked different than it did during the trials, largely because it has since been modified to include more viewing space. It also continued functioning as an active courtroom for many years after the trials. Knowing that some of history’s most notorious Nazi leaders once sat in the same room felt incredibly powerful. I sat there for several minutes just reflecting on the events that had unfolded in that space.
Afterward, I walked through the museum, which explained the trials, the people involved, and the planning required to carry them out. One of the most interesting things I noticed was the authentic benches where the defendants sat during the proceedings. They were intentionally designed to be plain and uncomfortable, avoiding any sense of privilege or importance for those being tried. It was interesting to see how even the courtroom design reflected the seriousness and symbolism of the trials.
Later, I rejoined the group to tour a Kunstbunker, an underground bunker used during the war to protect valuable artwork from Nuremberg and across Europe, including pieces from Poland. The most interesting part of this tour for me was learning about the reconstruction of Nuremberg after the war. Because the city was an industrial center and was described by Hitler as the “most German city,” it was heavily bombed during the war. Afterward, citizens had to decide whether to rebuild the city to resemble its original historic appearance or completely modernize it with new architecture and skyscrapers. They ultimately chose to restore much of what had existed before, which is why the city still maintains so much of its historic charm today.
I am so thankful for the opportunity to visit a city with such important history, expand my understanding of the past, and visit a dream destination all in one day.