"Willlkommen in... Nämberch!" a Nürnberg Travel Page by Mikebond

Let's start by testing your geographical knowledge:
Question 1: "What's the name of this city?"
Your answer: "This is Nürnberg" (or Nuremberg, Norimberga, and so on)
A local's answer: "This is Nämberch"
Question 2: "What region does Nürnberg belong to?"
Your answer: "In Bayern, of course!"
A local's answer: "In Franken, selbstverständlich!" ("In Franconia, of course!")
Both you and the local would have given two correct answers, but from very different points of view.
If you look at the administrative subdivision of Deutschland into Länder, Nürnberg lies in Bayern (Bavaria). Apart from that, every local will tell you that this is Franken. Franconia is a historic region that todays belongs to Bayern (it is also an administrative unit of Bayern), but it has its own cultural features and its people still feel proud of their Franconian heritage. They also speak their local language, called fränkisch.
While walking across the streets of the city centre you will see a lot of shops selling any kind of products with the city coat of arms and the name of Franken.
Welcome to a cultural and historical island in the heart of Bayern!