Upper Franconia (german: Oberfranken) is a ''
Regierungsbezirk'' (administrative
'Regierungs''region
'bezirk'' of the
state of
Bavaria, southern Germany. It forms part of the historically significant region of
Franconia, the others being
Middle Franconia and
Lower Franconia, which are all now part of the German Federal State of Bayern (''Bavaria'').
With more than 200 independent
breweries
A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of bee ...
which brew approximately 1000 different types of
beer, Upper Franconia has the world's highest brewery-density per capita. A special Franconian beer route (''Fränkische Brauereistraße'') runs through many popular breweries.
Geography
The administrative region borders on
Thuringia (''Thüringen'') to the north,
Lower Franconia (''Unterfranken'') to the west,
Middle Franconia (''Mittelfranken'') to the south-west, and
Upper Palatinate (''Oberpfalz'') to the south-east,
Saxony (''Sachsen'') to the north-east and the
Czech Republic to the east.
History
After the founding of the
Kingdom of Bavaria the state was totally reorganized and, in 1808, divided into 15 administrative government regions (German: Regierungsbezirke (singular
Regierungsbezirk)), in Bavaria called Kreise (singular: Kreis). They were created in the fashion of the French departements, quite even in size and population, and named after their main rivers.
In the following years, due to territorial changes (e. g. loss of
Tyrol, addition of the
Palatinate
Palatinate or county palatine may refer to:
*the territory or jurisdiction of a count palatine
United Kingdom and Ireland
*County palatine in England and Ireland
* Palatinate (award), student sporting award of Durham University
*Palatinate (col ...
), the number of Kreise was reduced to 8. One of these was the
Mainkreis (Main District). In 1837 king
Ludwig I of Bavaria renamed the Kreise after historical territorial names and tribes of the area. This also involved some border changes or territorial swaps. Thus the name Mainkreis changed to Upper Franconia.
Main sights
Next to the former episcopal residence city 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 ...
, the capital
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 ...
, the former residence city of
Coburg and the classicist downtown of
Hof, as well as the towns of
Lichtenfels,
Kronach,
Gößweinstein and
Kulmbach
Kulmbach () is the capital of the district of Kulmbach in Bavaria in Germany. The town is famous for Plassenburg Castle, which houses the largest tin soldier museum in the world, and for its sausages, or ''Bratwürste''.
Geography
Location
Ku ...
, the
Weißenstein Palace,
Banz Abbey and the
Basilica of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, the scenic attractions of the River
Main and the low mountain ranges of the
Fichtel Mountains
The Fichtel MountainsRandlesome, C. et al. (2011). ''Business Cultures in Europe'', 2nd ed., Routledge, Abingdon and New York, p. 52. . (german: Fichtelgebirge, cs, Smrčiny), form a small horseshoe-shaped mountain range in northeastern Bavaria ...
with the town of
Wunsiedel and the
Franconian Forest belong among the region's major tourist attractions. There are also numerous spas like
Bad Rodach
Bad Rodach () is a town in the Coburg (district), district of Coburg, in Upper Franconia, a north Bavarian Regierungsbezirk, Germany. It is situated 10 km southeast of Hildburghausen, and 17 km northwest of Coburg. Since 1999 the city ha ...
,
Bad Steben,
Bad Staffelstein
Bad Staffelstein is a small town in the Bavarian Administrative Region of Upper Franconia in Germany. It has around 10,000 inhabitants.
Bad Staffelstein is known for several landmarks, such as the Basilica of the Vierzehnheiligen designed by B ...
,
Bad Berneck
Bad Berneck () is a spa town in the district of Bayreuth, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the White Main river, in the Fichtelgebirge mountains, 13 km northeast of Bayreuth. Its official title is ''Bad Berneck im Fichtelgebirge''. ...
and
Bad Alexandersbad.
Coat of arms
Administrative subdivisions
Oberfranken is subdivided into nine ''Landkreise'' (districts) and four ''Kreisfreie Städte'' (district-free or independent cities).
''Landkreise'':
*
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 ...
*
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 ...
*
Coburg
*
Forchheim
*
Hof
*
Kronach
*
Kulmbach
Kulmbach () is the capital of the district of Kulmbach in Bavaria in Germany. The town is famous for Plassenburg Castle, which houses the largest tin soldier museum in the world, and for its sausages, or ''Bratwürste''.
Geography
Location
Ku ...
*
Lichtenfels
*
Wunsiedel
''Kreisfreie Städte'':
*
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 ...
*
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 ...
*
Coburg
*
Hof
Historical population
Economy
The
gross domestic product (GDP) of the region was 40.6 billion € in 2018, accounting for 1.2% of German economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was €34,900 or 116% of the EU27 average in the same year. The GDP per employee was 96% of the EU average.
See also
*
Middle Franconia (''Mittelfranken'')
*
Lower Franconia (''Unterfranken'')
References
External links
Official website(in German)
Sights in Frankonia(in German)
{{Authority control
NUTS 2 statistical regions of the European Union
Wine regions of Germany
Government regions of Germany