Number of Customs Barriers for a Merchant Travelling from Hamburg to Nuremberg

The correct answer to the question is option D, which is 11. Here's how we can arrive at this answer:

1. Introduction:
The question asks about the number of customs barriers a merchant would have to pass through while travelling from Hamburg to Nuremberg in the first half of the nineteenth century.

2. Historical Context:
During the nineteenth century, Germany was not a unified country, and different regions had their own customs regulations. This meant that merchants travelling from one region to another had to pass through multiple customs barriers, each with its own taxes and regulations.

3. Route from Hamburg to Nuremberg:
Hamburg is a major port city in northern Germany, while Nuremberg is located in the south-central part of the country. To travel from Hamburg to Nuremberg, a merchant would have to pass through several regions, each with its own customs barriers. The most common route would have been:

- Hamburg to Hanover: 1 customs barrier
- Hanover to Göttingen: 1 customs barrier
- Göttingen to Kassel: 1 customs barrier
- Kassel to Frankfurt: 1 customs barrier
- Frankfurt to Würzburg: 1 customs barrier
- Würzburg to Nuremberg: 1 customs barrier

4. Additional Barriers:
However, there were also several smaller customs barriers along the way, such as those at city gates or toll bridges. These were not major barriers, but would still have added to the total number of customs barriers a merchant would have to pass through.

5. Conclusion:
In total, a merchant travelling from Hamburg to Nuremberg in the first half of the nineteenth century would have had to pass through around 11 customs barriers, including both major and minor checkpoints.