Wallenfels 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 the
district of Kronach, 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 situated in the
, 11 km east of
Kronach
Kronach (East Franconian: ''Gronich'') is a town in Upper Franconia, Germany, located in the Frankenwald area. It is the capital of the district Kronach.
Kronach is the birthplace of Lucas Cranach the Elder and Maximilian von Welsch, as well as ...
, and 32 km west of
Hof.
Geography
Wallenfels lies on the
B 173, between
Hof and
Coburg
Coburg () is a town located on the Itz river in the Upper Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany. Long part of one of the Thuringian states of the Wettin line, it joined Bavaria by popular vote only in 1920. Until the revolution of 1918, it was ...
. Neighbouring communities are
Kronach
Kronach (East Franconian: ''Gronich'') is a town in Upper Franconia, Germany, located in the Frankenwald area. It is the capital of the district Kronach.
Kronach is the birthplace of Lucas Cranach the Elder and Maximilian von Welsch, as well as ...
,
Marktrodach
Marktrodach is a municipality in the district of Kronach in Bavaria in 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 ...
,
Schwarzenbach am Wald
Schwarzenbach am Wald is a town in the district of Hof, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated 21 km west of Hof, and 23 km northeast of Kulmbach
Kulmbach () is the capital of the district of Kulmbach in Bavaria in Germany. The town i ...
, and
Presseck
Presseck is a municipality in the district of Kulmbach in Bavaria in 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 t ...
.
Tradition
The Swedish flag, which is still associated with a unique custom today, goes back to the year 1634 according to oral tradition. Numerous stories are linked to the old Swedish flag, the pride of the Wallenfels. It is said that when the Swedes invaded Wallenfels during 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 ...
, the militia defended the Lower Gate. Many of them are said to have died, but a
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
flag was captured, after which it was hidden under the Schwedenbrücke (Sweden Bridge).
Etymology
There are two possible explanations for the origin of the name "Wallenfels". The simple but unlikely one is the combination of the German words “wallen” and “Fels”. Wallen is a verb which is best translated as "to undulate". The word Fels means "rock".
The version favoured by the town's mayor is that Wallenfels’ name comes from the noble family "von Waldenfels". The family owned Waldenfels castle which was located on a hill north of the town. It was destroyed in the
German Peasants' War
The German Peasants' War, Great Peasants' War or Great Peasants' Revolt (german: Deutscher Bauernkrieg) was a widespread popular revolt in some German-speaking areas in Central Europe from 1524 to 1525. It failed because of intense oppositio ...
in 1525. Even until the Thirty Years War the town itself used to be called Waldenfels. The name changed into Wallenfels in the 18th century.
[E-mail conversation with town mayor Jens Korn, 2021]
Twin towns – sister cities
Wallenfels is twinned with:
*
Bingham, England
References
Kronach (district)
{{Kronachdistrict-geo-stub