# Security in Nuremberg, Germany

Canonical page: https://closeprotectionhire.com/cities/nuremberg/

Security briefing for Nuremberg, Germany. Trade fair capital hosting Spielwarenmesse and BrauBeviale, with IHK-qualified close protection for corporate visitors.


## Threats

- **Trade Fair Crowd and Logistics Density**: NürnbergMesse is one of the world's largest exhibition venues and hosts Spielwarenmesse, described by its own organiser as the world's biggest toy trade fair, drawing roughly 2,800 exhibitors from around 60 countries and some 67,000 trade visitors each year, alongside BrauBeviale for the beverage industry and Consumenta. Fair weeks bring exceptional hotel occupancy, taxi and transfer scarcity, and congestion around the exhibition centre, which is a genuine logistics-planning factor for any executive visiting Nuremberg during a major show.
- **Terrorism Awareness (National)**: FCDO Germany travel advice states that terrorists are very likely to attempt attacks, with enhanced security at public buildings, transport hubs, and major events nationwide. This is a Germany-wide assessment covering both Islamist-extremist and far-right threat actors rather than intelligence specific to Nuremberg, but it applies to any high-profile gathering in the city, including trade fair opening events.
- **Petty Crime at Transport and Retail Nodes**: General travel-safety guidance consistently flags Nuremberg's Hauptbahnhof, Hauptmarkt, and Konigstrasse retail corridor as the city's higher-footfall areas where opportunistic bag and pocket theft is more likely, particularly during the Christkindlesmarkt Christmas market season when pedestrian density in the old town rises sharply. No official Bavarian police statistic specific to these precise locations was identified during research for this page; treat this as a consistent travel-advisory pattern rather than a cited crime figure.
- **Institutional and Diplomatic Visitor Profile**: The Palace of Justice remains an active Bavarian courthouse, and its former Courtroom 600, site of the 1945-46 Nuremberg Trials, now operates as the Memorium Nuremberg Trials memorial within the same complex, alongside the Documentation Centre Nazi Party Rally Grounds. Both draw a steady flow of institutional, educational, and diplomatic visitors whose itineraries and security profile differ from standard corporate trade fair traffic.

## Regulations

- **Licensing**: Anyone who guards the life or property of others commercially needs a permit under section 34a of the Gewerbeordnung from the competent local authority. The person running the business must pass the Sachkundeprüfung before the Industrie- und Handelskammer (IHK). Every guard needs at least the IHK Unterrichtung certificate, and the Sachkundeprüfung is also required for listed activities such as patrols in public areas, door work at nightclubs and leading roles at large access-controlled events. Since 1 June 2019 businesses and their guards are entered in the national Bewacherregister, run by the Federal Statistical Office since 10 October 2022.
- **Firearms**: Under section 28 of the Waffengesetz, a security business may acquire and hold firearms only where it takes on assignments that require them to protect an endangered person or object. Each guard who is to carry the firm's weapons must first be reported to the authority, which must approve that guard, and the weapon may be carried only while the specific assignment is being carried out. Most private close protection in Germany is unarmed.
- **Foreign operators**: The section 34a permit applies to anyone carrying on the business in Germany, wherever the firm is based. A provider established in another EU or EEA state that wants to serve clients in Germany temporarily must notify the authority under section 13a of the Gewerbeordnung, and the authority may check the provider's qualifications before the first service (Bewachungsverordnung, section 13). Ask any provider for its section 34a permit and each officer's IHK certificate.

Sources, checked 2026-10-07:

- [Gewerbeordnung, section 34a (text, dejure.org)](https://dejure.org/gesetze/GewO/34a.html)
- [Waffengesetz, section 28 (text, dejure.org)](https://dejure.org/gesetze/WaffG/28.html)
- [Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie, Bewacherregister](https://www.bundeswirtschaftsministerium.de/Redaktion/DE/Artikel/Mittelstand/gewerberecht-bewacherregister.html)
- [Bewachungsverordnung 2019, section 13 (text, lxgesetze.de)](https://lxgesetze.de/bewachv/13)

## Zones

Lower-risk areas:

- Gostenhof and St. Johannis: mixed residential and commercial districts west of the old town, lower footfall, good for accommodation away from fair-week congestion.
- Nuremberg Exhibition Centre district (Frankenstadion area) outside major fair dates: modern, well-managed venue infrastructure with limited ambient crime.

Elevated-risk areas:

- Hauptbahnhof and immediate surroundings: the city's highest-footfall transit node and the most consistently flagged petty-crime concentration point in general travel guidance.
- Altstadt (Hauptmarkt, Konigstrasse) during Christkindlesmarkt (late November to late December): exceptional pedestrian density and elevated opportunistic theft risk.

## Emergency contacts

- Police emergency: 110
- Fire and ambulance: 112
- Klinikum Nurnberg (Nord campus): +49 911 398 0

## Warnings

- FCDO Germany travel advice (2026): normal precautions with heightened awareness at transport hubs, public buildings, and large events given the national terrorism assessment.
- Nuremberg Airport (NUE) is approximately 5km north of the city centre; U-Bahn line U2 connects the airport to the Hauptbahnhof in around 12 minutes.
- Fair weeks (Spielwarenmesse in late January to early February, BrauBeviale in November) bring severe hotel and transfer scarcity across the city. Confirm accommodation and vetted transport well in advance of these dates.
- Klinikum Nurnberg is one of Europe's largest municipal hospitals, with campuses at Nord and Sud, and is the primary point of reference for any medical contingency planning.

Nuremberg's corporate travel profile is defined almost entirely by its exhibition calendar. NürnbergMesse ranks among the world's largest trade fair venues, and its flagship event, Spielwarenmesse, is described by its own organiser as the world's biggest toy trade fair: roughly 2,800 exhibitors from about 60 countries and some 67,000 trade visitors each edition. BrauBeviale, running since 1978, and Consumenta add to a calendar that brings a concentrated, recurring wave of international business travel to the city several times a year. Siemens maintains a major operational presence across the wider Nuremberg metropolitan region, and Adidas and Puma, both headquartered a short distance away in Herzogenaurach, add a further layer of corporate travel demand that touches Nuremberg directly through hotel, transport, and event infrastructure.

The security environment itself is straightforward. Bavaria consistently posts among the lowest crime rates of any German state, and the practical planning considerations for Nuremberg are logistical rather than threat-driven: severe hotel and transfer scarcity during major fair weeks, and the general German-wide terrorism awareness that FCDO guidance reflects for any high-footfall public event. Neither factor is unique to Nuremberg, but both are worth building into any visit that coincides with Spielwarenmesse or BrauBeviale specifically.

Nuremberg also carries a distinct institutional dimension that most German business-travel destinations do not. The Palace of Justice remains an active Bavarian courthouse, its former Courtroom 600 now preserved as the Memorium Nuremberg Trials memorial, and the Documentation Centre Nazi Party Rally Grounds operates as a City of Nuremberg museum nearby. Diplomatic, educational, and institutional visitors form a real and distinct segment of the city's international visitor traffic, with security and access needs that differ from a standard trade fair itinerary.

## Security Services in Nuremberg

Executive protection here is built around the exhibition calendar: teams with direct knowledge of NürnbergMesse's layout and access points cover Spielwarenmesse, BrauBeviale, and Consumenta hospitality and delegation movements. Vetted transfers from Nuremberg Airport, roughly 5km north of the centre, are the practical answer to fair-week transfer scarcity, and advance booking well ahead of major show dates is a genuinely useful precaution rather than an excess of caution.

For related security services, see our [executive protection](/executive-protection/munich/) coverage in nearby Munich and our [security drivers](/services/security-drivers/) page, and our [Germany security briefing](/countries/germany/) for the national IHK licensing framework. For regional context, see our [Munich](/cities/munich/) and [Frankfurt](/cities/frankfurt/) city briefings.

Source: NürnbergMesse and Spielwarenmesse eG event data. FCDO Germany travel advice (2026). Bayerisches Landeskriminalamt annual crime statistics context. Klinikum Nurnberg (klinikum-nuernberg.de). Bewachungsverordnung and Section 34a Gewerbeordnung.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is Nuremberg safe for executives attending Spielwarenmesse or BrauBeviale?

Yes. Nuremberg is a low-risk German city by any standard measure, and Bavaria consistently records among the lowest crime rates of any German state. The practical considerations for trade fair visitors are logistical rather than security-driven: exceptional hotel and transfer demand during Spielwarenmesse and BrauBeviale weeks, and the general German-wide terrorism awareness that FCDO advice reflects for any large public gathering. Standard travel security practice and pre-booked, vetted transport cover the realistic risk picture well.

### What is the Sachkundeprufung and why does it matter for hiring a bodyguard in Nuremberg?

The Sachkundeprüfung is the IHK competency examination under Section 34a of the Gewerbeordnung. The person running a security firm must pass it, and so must staff in listed activities such as patrols in public areas and leading roles at large access-controlled events. Other guards, including close protection officers, need at least the shorter IHK Unterrichtung. Both set a training floor. It is a baseline rather than an elite qualification by international CP standards, so operators with additional specific close protection training beyond the regulatory minimum are the stronger choice for high-profile Nuremberg assignments.

### How far is Nuremberg Airport from the exhibition centre, and how should transfers be arranged during fair weeks?

Nuremberg Airport (NUE) sits about 5km north of the city centre, with U-Bahn line U2 reaching the Hauptbahnhof in roughly 12 minutes. During major fair weeks such as Spielwarenmesse or BrauBeviale, taxi and transfer availability tightens considerably across the city, so pre-arranged vetted transport booked well ahead of arrival is the practical approach rather than relying on ad hoc pickup.

### What should visitors to the Palace of Justice and Documentation Centre know about security arrangements?

The Palace of Justice remains a fully working Bavarian courthouse, and access to its grounds for institutional visitors is managed through the relevant host organisation rather than general public entry. The former Courtroom 600 now operates as the Memorium Nuremberg Trials memorial within the same complex, and the nearby Documentation Centre Nazi Party Rally Grounds is a separate City of Nuremberg museum. Diplomatic or institutional delegations visiting either site should coordinate advance access arrangements through their host well before arrival.

### What medical facilities are available for visiting executives in Nuremberg?

Klinikum Nurnberg is one of the largest municipal hospitals in Europe, with campuses at Nord and Sud covering acute and specialist care. For most corporate visitors, this represents a comprehensive, readily accessible medical resource without needing to travel to Munich or Frankfurt for anything short of highly specialised treatment.