The Mainkreis (German:

iver Iver is a large civil parish in Buckinghamshire, England. In addition to the central clustered village, the parish includes the residential neighbourhoods of Iver Heath and Richings Park. Geography, transport and economy Part of the 43-square- ...

Main Circle) was one of the 15 administrative districts (german: Regierungsbezirke) of the

Kingdom of Bavaria The Kingdom of Bavaria (german: Königreich Bayern; ; spelled ''Baiern'' until 1825) was a German state that succeeded the former Electorate of Bavaria in 1805 and continued to exist until 1918. With the unification of Germany into the German E ...

between 1806 and 1837. The district was named after its main river

Main Main may refer to: Geography * Main River (disambiguation) **Most commonly the Main (river) in Germany * Main, Iran, a village in Fars Province *"Spanish Main", the Caribbean coasts of mainland Spanish territories in the 16th and 17th centuries ...

and renamed ''Obermainkreis'' (Upper Main Circle) in 1817. It was the predecessor of the ''

Regierungsbezirk A ' () means "governmental district" and is a type of administrative division in Germany. Four of sixteen ' ( states of Germany) are split into '. Beneath these are rural and urban districts. Saxony has ' (directorate districts) with more res ...

Oberfranken'' (Administrative Regional District of

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 ...

Independent cities

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 ...

(since 1812) *

Hof an der Saale Hof () is a town on the banks of the Saale in the northeastern corner of the Germany, German state of Bavaria, in the Franconian region, at the Czech Republic, Czech border and the forested Fichtelgebirge and Frankenwald upland regions. The town h ...

(since 1812) *

Schweinfurt Schweinfurt ( , ; ) is a city in the district of Lower Franconia in Bavaria, Germany. It is the administrative centre of the surrounding district (''Landkreis'') of Schweinfurt and a major industrial, cultural and educational hub. The urban agg ...

(since 1810)

Subdivisions

The district was divided in the following judicial districts ('' Landgerichte'' = LG), according to the original borders of the districts of the former territories (''

Herrschaft The German term ''Herrschaft'' (plural: ''Herrschaften'') covers a broad semantic field and only the context will tell whether it means, "rule", "power", "dominion", "authority", "territory" or "lordship". In its most abstract sense, it refers ...

sgerichte'' = HG): * Bamberg I * Bamberg II * Banz LG (since 1813 HG) * Burgebrach *

Ebermannstadt Ebermannstadt (; East Franconian: ''Ärmaschdood'') is a town in the district of Forchheim, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated 10 km northeast of Forchheim and 25 km southeast of Bamberg. Districts *Breitenbach *Ebermannstadt *Gassel ...

* Ebnath HG (since 1816) *

Ebrach Ebrach is a municipality with market rights in the Upper Franconian district of Bamberg (district), Bamberg and the seat of the ''Municipal association, Verwaltungsgemeinschaft'' (municipal association) of Ebrach. Geography Ebrach lies between Ba ...

* Eschenbach (since 1810) * Gefrees (since 1812) * Gleusdorf *

Hallstadt Hallstadt is a town in the Upper Franconian district of Bamberg on the left bank of the Main, 4 km north of Bamberg. Geography Hallstadt borders in the south on the city of Bamberg and in the west on the Main. There are two constituent co ...

Heinersreuth Heinersreuth is a municipality in the district of Bayreuth 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, ...

HG (since 1816) *

Höchstadt Höchstadt an der Aisch, commonly known as Höchstadt (), is a town in the Erlangen-Höchstadt district, in Bavaria, Germany. Geography Höchstadt is situated on the river Aisch, 18 km northwest of Erlangen and 22 km south of Bamberg. O ...

(since 1810) * Hof an der Saale (until 1812) *

Hollfeld Hollfeld is a town in the district of Bayreuth, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated 20 km west of Bayreuth, and 30 km east of Bamberg. Sport The towns association football club, ASV Hollfeld, experienced its greatest success in 2012 ...

Kemnath Kemnath () is a small town in the district of Tirschenreuth, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated near the Fichtelgebirge, 24 km southeast of Bayreuth. The town's motto is "das Tor zur Oberpfalz," which translates into English as "The Door to ...

(since 1810) *

Kirchenlamitz Kirchenlamitz () is a town in the district of Wunsiedel, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated in the Fichtelgebirge, 13 km northwest of Wunsiedel (; Northern Bavarian: ''Wåuṉsieḏl'' or ''Wousigl'') is the seat of the Upper Franconia ...

(since 1812) *

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 ...

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 ...

(since 1812) * Lauenstein * Lichtenfels *

Mitwitz Mitwitz is a municipality in the district of Kronach in Bavaria in Germany. It lies on the Steinach river and the Föritz (which flows into the Steinach), on the edge of the Frankenwald on the route between Kronach and Coburg Coburg () ...

HG (since 1813) * Münchberg (since 1812) *

Naila Naila is a town in the Frankenwald hills, in the Hof district of Bavaria. Naila is from the larger city of Hof, on both banks of the Selbitz river. History The earliest documentation of Naila dates at 9 January 1343. The first settlements i ...

(since 1812) *

Neustadt an der Waldnaab Neustadt an der Waldnaab ( Bavarian: ''Neistodt an da Woidnaab'') is a municipality in Bavaria, Germany, and county seat of the district Neustadt an der Waldnaab. Sister cities Neustadt an der Waldnaab has one sister city: * Hays, Kansas ...

(since 1810) * Pegnitz (since 1812) * Pottenstein (since 1810) *

Rehau Rehau is a Town#Germany, town in the Hof (district), district of Hof, in Bavaria, Germany. The first documented name of Rehau was "Resawe" in the year 1234. Rehau is situated in the Fichtelgebirge, 12 km southeast of Hof, Germany, Hof, and 12 ...

(since 1812) *

Scheßlitz Scheßlitz (or ''Schesslitz'') is a German town in the Upper Franconian district of Bamberg and lies on the rise to the Franconian Switzerland on the A 70 between Bamberg and Bayreuth, lying 14 km northeast of the former. Geography The t ...

* Schweinfurt (until 1810) *

Selb Selb is a town in the district of Wunsiedel, in Upper Franconia, Bavaria, Germany. It is situated in the Fichtelgebirge, on the border with the Czech Republic, 20 km northwest of Cheb and 23 km southeast of Hof. Selb is well known fo ...

(since 1812) *

Seßlach Seßlach () is a town in the district of Coburg, in northern Bavaria, Germany. It is situated 12 km southwest of Coburg and has a population close to 4,000. Seßlach is notable for its largely intact medieval town wall and overall historic a ...

(since 1812) * Stadtsteinach * Tambach HG (since 1814) * Teuschnitz *

Tirschenreuth Tirschenreuth ( Northern Bavarian: ''Dirschnrad'', ''Diascharad'') is the capital city of the district of Tirschenreuth. It is located in the northeast of Bavaria, very close to the Czech-Bavarian border. Geography Tirschenreuth is located in the ...

(since 1810) *

Waldsassen Waldsassen ( Northern Bavarian: ''Woidsassen'') is a town in the district of Tirschenreuth in the Upper Palatinate region of Bavaria. Geography Waldsassen is the northernmost municipality of the Upper Palatinate region. In the northeast, it border ...

(since 1810) * Weidenberg (since 1812) *

Weismain Weismain is a town in the district of Lichtenfels, in northern Bavaria, 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, a ...

Wunsiedel (; Northern Bavarian: ''Wåuṉsieḏl'' or ''Wousigl'') is the seat of the Upper Franconian district of in northeast Bavaria, Germany. The town is the birthplace of poet Jean Paul. It also became known for its annual Festival and the Rudol ...

(since 1812)

History

In the years between 1806 and 1808 the Kingdom of Bavaria was divided in 15 (state) districts, whose names were taken from their rivers. The ''Mainkreis'', with Bamberg as its capital, was initially composed of 18 rural divisions and, since 1809, of the independent cities of Bamberg and Schweinfurt. In 1810 it grew significantly with the annexation of the ''Naabkreis''. It was again enlarged when it received 12 rural divisions from the former

Principality of Bayreuth The Principality of Bayreuth (german: Fürstentum Bayreuth) or Margraviate of Brandenburg-Bayreuth (''Markgraftum Brandenburg-Bayreuth'') was an immediate territory of the Holy Roman Empire, ruled by a Franconian branch of the Hohenzollern dyna ...

, whereupon the district administration was moved to Bayreuth. In 1817, the Mainkreis was renamed ''Obermainkreis'' (District of the Upper Main River) and slightly expanded. At the same time, a new district with the name of ''Untermainkreis'' (District of the Lower Main) was created downriver. The Territorial Reorganization (''Gebietsreform'') of 29 November 1837, implemented at the request of King

Ludwig I en, Louis Charles Augustus , image = Joseph Karl Stieler - King Ludwig I in his Coronation Robes - WGA21796.jpg , caption = Portrait by Joseph Stieler, 1825 , succession=King of Bavaria , reign = , coronation ...

, split the judicial districts of the former ''Naabkreis'' from the Obermainkreis, assigning them to ''Oberpfalz'' (Upper Palatinate) instead, and renamed the shrunken ''Obermainkreis'' “''Oberfranken''” (Upper Franconia).

Literature

* (de) ''Handbuch der bayerischen Ämter, Gemeinden und Gerichte 1799–1980'' (Guide of the Bavarian Districts, Municipalities and Courts 1799–1980), written by Richard Bauer, Reinhard Heydenreuter, Gerhard Heyl, Emma Mages, Max Piendl, August Scherl, Bernhard Zittel and edited by Wilhelm Volkert, Senior Professor at the University of Regensburg, Munich, 1983, {{Authority control Kingdom of Bavaria