The Battle Over Nuremberg

On April 14, 1561, the citizens of Nuremberg, Germany witnessed a spectacular aerial phenomenon—hundreds of spheres, cylinders, and cross-shaped objects appearing to battle in the sky at dawn. Hans Glaser’s famous woodcut preserves this extraordinary event.

The Date

April 14, 1561 occurred at dawn, around 4-5 AM on a clear morning as the sun was rising, with mass observation across the city.

The Witnesses

City residents included thousands who saw the event across all social classes. It was a public spectacle that couldn’t be missed, with widespread observation throughout Nuremberg.

The Objects

People saw spheres (hundreds), cylinders (several), crosses, a large black spear, and objects of various colors filling the sky.

The Colors

Objects appeared blood red, blue, black, orange, and metallic in appearance.

The “Battle”

Observers described objects fighting, moving aggressively, some falling, smoke rising, and chaos in the sky above the city.

The Large Cylinders

Notable objects included tube-like shapes with spheres inside and emerging from them, like carriers deploying smaller craft.

Duration

The event lasted about an hour as the sun rose, gradually faded, then stopped—a complete spectacle from beginning to end.

The Aftermath

After the display, some objects fell and appeared to burn out on the ground outside the city, producing black smoke with physical traces claimed by witnesses.

Hans Glaser

Local artist Hans Glaser created a woodcut that was published in April 1561, the same month as the event, providing a detailed depiction that serves as a primary document.

The Woodcut

The famous image shows the sun and sky, multiple objects, various shapes, the ground below, and stands as an important piece of contemporary art.

The Gazette

The Nuremberg Gazette published an account that described the event, interpreted it religiously as God’s warning, and provided contemporary documentation.

Religious Interpretation

People believed this was a divine sign, a warning from God to repent sins, a heavenly portent interpreted through a 16th century worldview.

Modern Analysis

UFO researchers note the specific shapes, mass witnesses, contemporary documentation, complexity too unusual for natural phenomena, and details that suggest structured objects.

Natural Explanations

Some suggest sun dogs, atmospheric phenomena, or parhelion effects, but the complexity is unusual and doesn’t fully explain the observations.

The Basel Event

Five years later, a similar event occurred in Basel in 1566 involving black spheres, documented in another woodcut, suggesting a pattern emerging in the region.

Significance

Nuremberg is significant for being a mass witness event with contemporary documentation, an artistic record in a pre-modern context, and historical importance in the study of unexplained phenomena.

Legacy

The 1561 Nuremberg event stands as one of history’s most documented ancient UFO sightings. Hans Glaser’s woodcut preserves an event that, whatever its explanation, amazed an entire city nearly 500 years ago.