Lichtenberg is a town in northeastern

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 ...

, lying in the district of Hof in

Upper Franconia 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 F ...

. It lies on a hill above the valley of the river Selbitz, in the Frankenwald nature park.

History

The town's origins reach back to the 9th century. New and expanded buildings were built and occupied by the

duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...

s of Meranien in the 12th century. The counts of

Orlamünde Orlamünde () is a small town in the Saale-Holzland district, in Thuringia, Germany. It is part of the ''Verwaltungsgemeinschaft'' ("collective municipality") Südliches Saaletal. Geography The town centre stretches along the steep banks of th ...

inherited the town in 1248. First mention of the town and its recognition as an independent municipality came in 1336. During the Cold War

division of Germany Division or divider may refer to: Mathematics * Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication * Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military * Division (military), a formation typically consisti ...

(1945–1990), Lichtenberg lay only a kilometer from the inner German border, on the western side.

Medieval fair

Each September, the Friends of Lichtenberg Castle hold a festival in the ruins of the castle.

Haus Marteau

In association with the government of

, Lichtenberg is the location of Haus Marteau (''Internationale Musikbegegnungsstätte Haus Marteau''), an international music center named after the famous violinist and former resident

Henri Marteau Henri Marteau (31 March 1874 – 3 October 1934) was a French violinist and composer, who obtained Swedish citizenship in 1915. Life and career Marteau was born in Reims. He was of German and French ancestry. His father, a Frenchman, was a well k ...

. The center offers musical courses and master classes in several subjects all year. Every three years, the International Violin Competition Henri Marteau takes place at Haus Marteau and at the Freiheitshalle in Hof.

References

{{Authority control Hof (district)