Amberg () is a
town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an ori ...
in
Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. It is located in the
Upper Palatinate
The Upper Palatinate (german: Oberpfalz, , ) is one of the seven administrative districts of Bavaria, Germany, and is located in the east of Bavaria.
Geography
The Upper Palatinate is a landscape with low mountains and numerous ponds and lakes ...
, roughly halfway between
Regensburg
Regensburg or is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the Danube, Naab and Regen rivers. It is capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the state in the south of Germany. With more than 150,000 inhabitants, Regensburg is the f ...
and
Bayreuth
Bayreuth (, ; bar, Bareid) is a town in northern Bavaria, Germany, on the Red Main river in a valley between the Franconian Jura and the Fichtelgebirge Mountains. The town's roots date back to 1194. In the 21st century, it is the capital of U ...
. In 2020, over 42,000 people lived in the town.
History
The town was first mentioned in 1034, at that time under the name Ammenberg. It became an important trading centre in the Middle Ages, exporting mainly
iron ore
Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the fo ...
and iron products. In 1269, together with
Bamberg
Bamberg (, , ; East Franconian: ''Bambärch'') is a town in Upper Franconia, Germany, on the river Regnitz close to its confluence with the river Main. The town dates back to the 9th century, when its name was derived from the nearby ' castle. C ...
, the town became subordinate to the
Wittelsbach
The House of Wittelsbach () is a German dynasty, with branches that have ruled over territories including Bavaria, the Palatinate, Holland and Zeeland, Sweden (with Finland), Denmark, Norway, Hungary (with Romania), Bohemia, the Electorate o ...
dynasty that ruled Bavaria.
In 1329 the town and the entire region fell to the Palatinate branch of the
Wittelsbach
The House of Wittelsbach () is a German dynasty, with branches that have ruled over territories including Bavaria, the Palatinate, Holland and Zeeland, Sweden (with Finland), Denmark, Norway, Hungary (with Romania), Bohemia, the Electorate o ...
family. The region adopted the name Upper Palatinate. It was no longer part of the duchy of Bavaria politically, though in geographic terms it was regarded as Bavarian and the region was part of the Bavarian circle in the organization of the
Imperial Circles. In the 16th century, the rulers of Upper Palatinate turned to
Protestantism
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...
. The town turned to
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...
. Later attempts of the ruling family to introduce the more radical
Calvinism
Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Cal ...
failed due to the reluctance of its citizens. In 1628 Amberg and Upper Palatinate became part of the electorate of Bavaria. The inhabitants were given the choice to return to
Catholicism
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
or emigrate. Many families left the town and moved to the
Free Imperial Cities
In the Holy Roman Empire, the collective term free and imperial cities (german: Freie und Reichsstädte), briefly worded free imperial city (', la, urbs imperialis libera), was used from the fifteenth century to denote a self-ruling city that ...
of
Regensburg
Regensburg or is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the Danube, Naab and Regen rivers. It is capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the state in the south of Germany. With more than 150,000 inhabitants, Regensburg is the f ...
and
Nuremberg
Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ...
.
On 24 August 1796, during the
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars (french: Guerres de la Révolution française) were a series of sweeping military conflicts lasting from 1792 until 1802 and resulting from the French Revolution. They pitted French First Republic, France against Ki ...
, the city and its environs were the locale of a major
battle
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
at which 35,000 French, under the command of
Jean Baptiste Jourdan
Jean-Baptiste Jourdan, 1st Count Jourdan (29 April 1762 – 23 November 1833), was a French military commander who served during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was made a Marshal of the Empire by Emperor Napoleon I in ...
fought with 40,000 Austrians under the command of
Archduke Charles
Archduke Charles Louis John Joseph Laurentius of Austria, Duke of Teschen (german: link=no, Erzherzog Karl Ludwig Johann Josef Lorenz von Österreich, Herzog von Teschen; 5 September 177130 April 1847) was an Austrian field-marshal, the third s ...
; the French suffered significantly more losses in this Austrian victory. Amberg was the regional capital of Upper Palatinate until 1810 when power was transferred to the larger city of
Regensburg
Regensburg or is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the Danube, Naab and Regen rivers. It is capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the state in the south of Germany. With more than 150,000 inhabitants, Regensburg is the f ...
.
After
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, when Bavaria fell into the American Sector, Amberg was home to Pond Barracks, a
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
post.
I.F.Stone writes about it in his book
Underground to Palestine
''Underground to Palestine'' is a 1946 book by American journalist I. F. Stone chronicling some of the hundreds of thousands of Holocaust survivors attempting to reach the Jewish homeland in Mandatory Palestine from post-WWII displaced persons ...
(pp. 31ff). The post was closed in 1992 and the facility turned over to the local community for housing, most of it for social housing.
In late 2018, the town was the site of the Amberg attacks, resulting in
Rainer Wendt
Rainer Wendt (born 29 November 1956 in Duisburg) is a German former policeman (Schutzpolizei) and national populist. Since 2007 he is the Federal Chairman of the German Police Union (DPolG). The DPolG is one of the two German police unions. Left ...
asking the Federal government to take a stand on the case. The city was said to be "in a state of emergency."
Joachim Herrmann, Bavarian Minister of the Interior, visited Amberg for consultations.
Horst Seehofer
Horst Lorenz Seehofer (born 4 July 1949) is a German politician who served as Minister of the Interior, Building and Community under Chancellor Angela Merkel from 2018 to 2021. A member of the Christian Social Union (CSU), he served as the 18 ...
, Federal Minister of the Interior, said "the violent attacks are worrisome."
Jewish history
Jews
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
had settled in Amberg before 1294, when the first documentation can be found. Shortly after, in 1298, thirteen of the town Jews died during the
Rindfleisch massacres
The Rintfleisch or Rindfleisch movement was a series of massacres against Jews in 1298. The event, in later terminology a pogrom, was the first large-scale persecution in Germany since the First Crusade.
History
It occurred in the Franconian regio ...
.
Nevertheless, in 1347 six families received permission to settle in Amberg and twenty years after, in 1367, a
Yeshivah
A yeshiva (; he, ישיבה, , sitting; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are stud ...
was opened in it, though the Jewish community was expelled from Amberg in 1403.
Upon the expulsion, the
synagogue
A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...
was annexed to the nearby church. Twelve Jews remained in town in 1942. The few survivors returned to the town after 1945, and a
displaced persons camp
A refugee camp is a temporary Human settlement, settlement built to receive refugees and people in refugee-like situations. Refugee camps usually accommodate displaced people who have fled their home country, but camps are also made for interna ...
named Amberg - located nearby the town - housed mostly
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
refugees and survivors. As a result of immigration from the former
USSR
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
to
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, the
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
population in town grew to about 275 in 2003.
A synagogue exists in town nowadays.
Subdistricts
Amberg has 25 sub-districts, which include its surrounding villages:
* Amberg
*
Atzlricht
* Bergsteig
*
Bernricht
*
Eglsee
*
Fiederhof
*
Fuchsstein
*
Gailoh
* Gewerbegebiet-Gailoh
* Gewerbegebiet-West
*
Gärbershof
*
Karmensölden
*
Kemnathermühl
*
Kleinraigering
*
Krumbach
*
Lengenloh
*
Luitpoldhöhe
*
Neubernricht
*
Neumühle
*
Neuricht
*
Oberammersricht
*
Raigering
*
Schäflohe
*
Schweighof
*
Speckmannshof
*
Unterammersricht
Lord mayors
* 1866–1892: Vincent König
* 1892–1907: Josef Heldmann
* 1907–1913: Georg Schön
* 1913–1933: Eduard Klug,
BVP
* 1933: Otto Saugel (temporary)
* 1933–1945: Josef Filbig,
NSDAP
The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that crea ...
* 1945–1946: Christian Endemann,
SPD
The Social Democratic Party of Germany (german: Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, ; SPD, ) is a centre-left social democratic political party in Germany. It is one of the major parties of contemporary Germany.
Saskia Esken has been the ...
* 1946: Eduard Klug
* 1946: Christian Endemann, SPD
* 1946–1952: Michael Lotter,
CSU
CSU may refer to:
* Channel service unit, a Wide area network equivalent of a network interface card
* Chari Aviation Services, Chad, by ICAO airline code
* Christian Social Union (UK), an Anglican social gospel organisation
* Christian Social Un ...
* 1952–1958: Josef Filbig, Deutsche Gemeinschaft (Deutschland)
* 1958–1970: Wolf Steininger, CSU
* 1970–1990: Franz Prechtl, CSU
* 1990–2014:
Wolfgang Dandorfer, CSU
* since 2014: Michael Cerny, CSU
Population development
Sights
A defining feature of the town is the ''Stadtbrille'' (literally: town spectacles) – a bridge, originally a part of the town fortifications, whose arches reflected on the river waters resemble a pair of spectacles.
Other tourist attractions in Amberg include:
* Market Square, which contains the Gothic town hall (built in 1358) and the late-Gothic parish church of St. Martin
* The
New Palace, the former residence of the
counts of the Rhenish Palatinate, built at the beginning of the 15th century and renovated in 1603
![Amberg Marktplatz-Rathaus](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ee/Amberg_Marktplatz-Rathaus.jpg)
* A well-preserved section of the medieval walls and gates
* The baroque
Franciscan
The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...
monastery on the Hill of Our Lady Help of Christians (Germ. ''Mariahilfberg'') above the town. This hill was given its name during the
bubonic plague
Bubonic plague is one of three types of plague caused by the plague bacterium (''Yersinia pestis''). One to seven days after exposure to the bacteria, flu-like symptoms develop. These symptoms include fever, headaches, and vomiting, as well a ...
in the
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history
The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...
in 1633/4 when the locals beseeched the Virgin Mary to rid them of the plague.
* The '
Little Wedding House' (local German dialect ''Eh’häusl''), claimed by town authorities to be the world's smallest hotel. Built in 1728, the 2 metre wide hotel was 'sold' to young couples for one night to circumvent laws prohibiting marriages between poor people.
* The town museum (Stadtmuseum Amberg) includes exhibits on life and industry in Amberg, the history of clothing and works of
Michael Mathias Prechtl
Michael Mathias Prechtl (April 26, 1926 – March 19, 2003) was a German artist, illustrator and cartoonist.
Prechtl was born in Amberg. He served as a soldier on the Eastern Front (WWII), Eastern Front during World War II and spent 1945-49 ...
and houses travelling exhibitions.
* Air Museum (Luftmuseum), opened in 2006.
Twin towns – sister cities
Amberg is
twinned with:
*
Bad Bergzabern
Bad Bergzabern () is a municipality in the Südliche Weinstraße district, on the German Wine Route in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated near the border with France, on the south-eastern edge of the Palatinate forest, approximately ...
, Germany
*
Bystrzyca Kłodzka
Bystrzyca Kłodzka ( cs, Kladská Bystřice, german: Habelschwerdt) is a historic town in Kłodzko County, in Lower Silesian Voivodeship in southwestern Poland. It is the administrative seat of Gmina Bystrzyca Kłodzka. As of December 2021, the ...
, Poland
*
Desenzano del Garda
Desenzano del Garda ( lmo, label=Brescian, Dezensà) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Brescia, in Lombardy, Italy, on the southwestern shore of Lake Garda. It borders the communes of Castiglione delle Stiviere, Lonato, Padenghe sul Gard ...
, Italy
*
Périgueux
Périgueux (, ; oc, Peireguers or ) is a communes of France, commune in the Dordogne departments of France, department, in the administrative regions of France, administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France.
Périgueux i ...
, France
*
Trikala
Trikala ( el, Τρίκαλα; rup, Trikolj) is a city in northwestern Thessaly, Greece, and the capital of the Trikala regional unit. The city straddles the Lithaios river, which is a tributary of Pineios. According to the Greek National Stati ...
, Greece
*
Ústí nad Orlicí
Ústí nad Orlicí (; german: Wildenschwert) is a town in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 14,000 inhabitants. The town lies in the Orlické Mountains on the confluence of the rivers Tichá Orlice and Třebovka. The town ce ...
, Czech Republic
Notable people
*
Karl Addicks
Karl Addicks (born 31 December 1950 in Amberg, Bavaria) is a German physician and politician of the Free Democratic Party (FDP). He served as a member of the Bundestag between 2004 and 2009.
Early life
Addicks was born in Amberg in the admini ...
(born 1950), politician (FDP), Member of Bundestag 2004-2009
*
Hans Aumeier
Hans Aumeier (20 August 1906 – 24 January 1948) was an SS commander during the Nazi era who was the commandant of Vaivara concentration camp and the deputy commandant of Auschwitz concentration camp. One of the most important criminals at Ausc ...
(1906–1948), Nazi
SS officer
The ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS; also stylized as ''ᛋᛋ'' with Armanen runes; ; "Protection Squadron") was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany, and later throughout German-occupied Europe duri ...
in a leading position in several
concentration camp
Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simply ...
s executed for war crimes
*
Hans Baumann (1914–1988), elementary school teacher, poet, song composer, Children's Book Author, Nazi official
*
Alexander Bugera
Alexander Bugera (born 8 August 1978) is a German former professional footballer who played as a left-back for Bayern Munich, SpVgg Unterhaching, MSV Duisburg, 1. FC Kaiserslautern and 1. FC Kaiserslautern II. He began his career with Bayern ...
(born 1978), football player
*
Sara Däbritz
Sara Ilonka Däbritz (born 15 February 1995) is a German professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Division 1 Féminine club Lyon and the Germany national team.
Club career
Däbritz began her junior career at SpVgg SV Weiden and SC ...
(born 1995), German football player (Bayern Munich, German national team)
*
Daniel Ernemann (born 1976), football player
*
Heiner Fleischmann
Heiner Fleischmann (2 February 1914 — 25 December 1963) was a German motorcycle racer before and after World War II.
Fleischmann raced mainly for the NSU company.
Career
* 1936 German champion in the 350 cc category on an NSU.
* 1937 ...
(1914–1963), motorcycle racer (mainly on NSU)
*
Fritz Hilpert
Friedrich "Fritz" Hilpert (born 31 May 1956) is a member of the electropop group Kraftwerk.
Background
Fritz Hilpert studied trumpet and percussion at the Musisches Max-Reger-Gymnasium, Germany, until 1976. He also played drums in several live ...
(born 1956), musician (Kraftwerk)
*
Theodor Kaes (1852–1913), German neurologist, was a native of Amberg
*
Barbara Meier
Barbara Meier (born 25 July 1986) is a German fashion model and actress. She is best known as the winner of the second season of ''Germany's Next Topmodel''.
Early life
Born in the small Bavarian town of Amberg, Meier did not originally aspi ...
(born 1986), German fashion model
*
Franz Stigler
Oberleutnant Ludwig Franz Stigler (21 August 1915 – 22 March 2008) was a German fighter pilot and fighter ace in World War II.
He is best known for his role in a December 1943 incident in which he spared the crew of a severely damaged B-17 bo ...
(1915–2008), German
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
Luftwaffe
The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...
fighter ace, 45 aerial victories, member of
Jagdgeschwader 27
''Jagdgeschwader'' 27 (JG 27) "''Afrika''" was a fighter Wing (air force unit), wing of the Luftwaffe during World War II. The wing was given the name "Africa" for serving in the North African Campaign predominantly alone in the period from ...
, and
Jagdverband 44
__NOTOC__
''Jagdverband'' 44 (JV 44) was a German air unit during World War II. It was formed during the last months of World War II to operate the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter.
The commander of JV 44 was General Adolf Galland, the former ' ...
. Known best for
Charlie Brown and Franz Stigler incident.
*
Kathrine Switzer
Kathrine Virginia Switzer (born January 5, 1947) is an American marathon runner, author, and television commentator.
In 1967, she became the first woman to run the Boston Marathon#History, Boston Marathon as an officially registered competitor. ...
(born 1947), first woman to run the
Boston Marathon
The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon race hosted by several cities and towns in greater Boston in eastern Massachusetts, United States. It is traditionally held on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897, the event was i ...
, was born to American parents in Amberg
Sport
*
FC Amberg
FC Amberg is a German football club from the city of Amberg, Bavaria. The team was established on 6 April 1921 as ''Amberg Fußballverein'' and on 17 January 1939 adopted the name ''Verein für Leibesübungen Amberg''.
__TOC__
History
Followi ...
, football team
References
External links
*
{{Authority control