Germany Guide
Northern Bavaria: Franconia
St Martha
Opening time: Mon 10am–2pm, Thurs 10am–4pm
Address: Königstrasse
On the east side of Königstrasse is the inconspicuous church of St Martha, remarkable chiefly as the place where the guild of Meistersingers of Nuremberg – the artisan folk singers immortalized by Richard Wagner – performed and practised from 1578 to 1620, the church having been secularized during the Reformation. The Meistersingers composed verses based on strict formulae of medieval melody and rhyme; the most famous of them all was Hans Sachs (1494–1576).