Gößweinstein is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

in the district of Forchheim 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 lies within the region known as

Franconian Switzerland Franconian Switzerland (german: Fränkische Schweiz) is an upland in Upper Franconia, Bavaria, Germany and a popular tourist retreat. Located between the River Pegnitz in the east and the south, the River Regnitz in the west and the River Main i ...

Districts

History

The first record of ''Goswinesteyn'' Castle is from 1076. Prior to 1102 the

Hochstift Bamberg In the Holy Roman Empire and the Catholic Church, the German term (plural: ) referred to the territory ruled by a bishop as a prince (i.e. prince-bishop), as opposed to his diocese, generally much larger and over which he exercised only spiri ...

became the owner of the castle. The prince-bishop of

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 ...

Friedrich Carl von Schönborn (ruled from 1729 until 1746) elevated Gößweinstein's status to a ''Market''. During the

Secularization In sociology, secularization (or secularisation) is the transformation of a society from close identification with religious values and institutions toward non-religious values and secular institutions. The ''secularization thesis'' expresses the ...

in 1803, the area of the Hochstift Bamberg was transferred to Bavaria. During the Bavarian territorial reforms in 1978, the formerly independent communities of Morschreuth, Wichsenstein, Behringersmühle, Kleingesee, Leutzdorf, Stadelhofen, Unterailsfeld and part of the community Tüchersfeld were integrated into Gößweinstein.

Culture and sights

Museums

* Franconian Toy Museum Gößweinstein * Natural history and geological Collection in the Haus des Gastes * Steam locomotive train (''Dampfbahn Fränkische Schweiz'')

Buildings

* Pilgrimage church of the Holy Trinity, 1730–1739 built during the reign of Fürstbischof Friedrich Carl von Schönborn according to plans by

Balthasar Neumann Johann Balthasar Neumann (; 27 January 1687 (?) – 19 August 1753), usually known as Balthasar Neumann, was a German architect and military artillery engineer who developed a refined brand of Baroque architecture, fusing Austrian, Bohemian, Ita ...

, who also supervised the construction. Franciscan padre Prof. Dr. Luchesius Spätling applied for the denomination as

Basilica minor In the Catholic Church, a basilica is a designation given by the Pope to a church building. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectural sense (a rectangular b ...

. The church was elevated to the papal Basilica minor in 1948 by

Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XII ( it, Pio XII), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (; 2 March 18769 October 1958), was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death in October 1958. Before his e ...

. *

Gößweinstein Castle Gößweinstein Castle (german: Burg Gößweinstein), also called Schloss Gößweinstein, is a mediaeval hilltop castle in Gößweinstein in the county of Forchheim in the German state of Bavaria. It towers high above the market town and the Riv ...

* Viktor-von-Scheffel-memorial On both sides, there are the lines of the poem "Ausfahrt" (Exit): :''Ich fahr’ in die Welt!'' :''Mein Hutschmuck die Rose, mein Lager im Moose,'' :''Der Himmel mein Zelt.'' :''Mag lauern und trauern, wer will, hinter Mauern –'' :''Ich fahr’ in die Welt!''

Lookout points

* Gernerfels * Kreuzberg with high cross * Martinswand (Bellevue) * Pavillon Wagnershöhe * Ludwigshöhe (Theaterhöhle) * Bärenstein (529 m NN) * Fischersruh * Nuremberg Chapel * Aussichtsfelsen Wichsenstein (585 m NN)

Politics

The municipal council in Gößweinstein has 16 members plus an extraofficial mayor. (local elections on March 3, 2002)

References

External links

Official homepage
(German)
Franconian Toy Museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gossweinstein Forchheim (district) Franconian Switzerland