Lichtenberg is a town in northeastern

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

, lying in the district of Hof in

Upper Franconia Upper Franconia (, ) is a (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, wh ...

. It lies on a hill above the valley of the river

Selbitz Selbitz is a town in the district of Hof, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated 12 km west of Hof. Sport The town's association football club SpVgg Selbitz greatest success came in 2012 when it qualified for the new northern division of th ...

, 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 Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...

s of Meranien in the 12th century. The

counts Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

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 The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

division of Germany Division 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 consisting of 10,000 to ...

(1945–1990), Lichtenberg lay only a kilometer from the

inner German border The inner German border ( or ''deutsch–deutsche Grenze''; initially also , zonal boundary) was the frontier between the East Germany, German Democratic Republic (GDR, East Germany) and the West Germany, Federal Republic of Germany (FRG, West ...

, 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. 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)