Roth (; formerly ''Roth bei Nürnberg'') is a town in

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 ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, the capital of the Roth District. It is located about 25 km south of

Nuremberg Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...

History

The town was first mentioned in documents in the year 1060, but settlements at its location date back much further. During the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

the town was given the right to grant

asylum Asylum may refer to: Types of asylum * Asylum (antiquity), places of refuge in ancient Greece and Rome * Benevolent asylum, a 19th-century Australian institution for housing the destitute * Cities of Refuge, places of refuge in ancient Judea * ...

within the

city walls A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications such as curtain walls with to ...

. Later this tradition attracted

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...

refugees A refugee, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), is a person "forced to flee their own country and seek safety in another country. They are unable to return to their own country because of feared persecution as ...

who had to flee

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

because of religious persecution. They brought with them knowledge about the making of

wire file:Sample cross-section of high tension power (pylon) line.jpg, Overhead power cabling. The conductor consists of seven strands of steel (centre, high tensile strength), surrounded by four outer layers of aluminium (high conductivity). Sample d ...

s and founded an industry in Roth which exists until today. It plays host to a yearly

Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

Blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

festival and the Datev

Challenge Roth Challenge Roth is a triathlon race organised by in and around Roth, Bavaria, Germany. It is held annually in July. The Ironman distance (140.6 miles / 226.2 kilometers) version of the race has been held since 1990, and the short distance versi ...

triathlon race.

Main sights

The main tourist attraction is the Ratibor Castle, a castle built as a

hunting Hunting is the Human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products (fur/hide (sk ...

lodge by the

Margraves of Brandenburg-Ansbach Margrave was originally the medieval title for the military commander assigned to maintain the defence of one of the border provinces of the Holy Roman Empire or a kingdom. That position became hereditary in certain feudal families in the Empir ...

between 1535 and 1538. After years of neglect it was sold in 1792 to Johann Philipp Stieber. After being used for nearly a century as court of justice and factory it was refurbished as residence for the Stieber family (created Barons of Stieber by

Ludwig III of Bavaria Ludwig III (Ludwig Luitpold Josef Maria Aloys Alfred; 7 January 1845 – 18 October 1921) was the last King of Bavaria, reigning from 1913 to 1918. Initially, he served in the Bavarian Army, Bavarian military as a lieutenant and went on to hold ...

in 1917) between 1892 and 1916. Different styles were used to redecorate the castle varying from German Renaissance to

Louis XVI Louis XVI (Louis-Auguste; ; 23 August 1754 – 21 January 1793) was the last king of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. The son of Louis, Dauphin of France (1729–1765), Louis, Dauphin of France (son and heir- ...

. The masterpiece of the central block of the four wing castle is the so-called "Prunksaal" with a decoration in Neo-Venetian-Baroque. The painter Ferdinand Wagner the Younger was responsible for most of the paintings in the castle. In 1942 Freifrau Minna von Stieber offered the castle to the town of Roth as a present. Today a museum, a restaurant, the municipal library and the offices and meeting rooms of the town council occupy most parts of the castle. The Protestant Church was built in the Late Gothic Style between 1511 and 1513. The older Romanesque Tower was incorporated in the building. In 1738 the church was redecorated by Johann David Steingruber in a severe Baroque Style typical for Protestant churches at that time. After the fire of 1878 a new Neo-Gothic tower was built in the middle axis of the church. Altar and other furnishings were also added during that time.

Twin towns – sister cities

Roth is twinned with: *

Opava Opava (; , ) is a city in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 55,000 inhabitants. It lies on the Opava (river), Opava River. Opava is one of the historical centres of Silesia and was a historical capital of Czech Sile ...

, Czech Republic *

Racibórz Racibórz (, , , ) is a city in Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland. It is the administrative seat of Racibórz County. With Opole, Racibórz is one of the historic capitals of Upper Silesia, being the residence of the Duchy of Racibórz, Du ...

, Poland *

Regen Regen (; Northern Bavarian: ''Reng'') is a town in Bavaria, Germany, and the district town of the district of Regen. Geography Regen is situated on the great Regen River, located in the Bavarian Forest. Divisions Originally the town consiste ...

, Germany * Xinbei (Changzhou), China * Brentwood Essex, Great Britain

Notable people

Johann Matthias Gesner Johann Matthias Gesner (9 April 1691 – 3 August 1761) was a German classical scholar and schoolmaster. Life He was born at Roth an der Rednitz near Ansbach. His father, Johann Samuel Gesner, a pastor in Auhausen, died in 1704, leaving the fam ...

(1691–1761), classical scholar and schoolmaster * Ralf Speth (born 1955), British-German automotive executive * Ralph Edelhäußer (born 1973), German politician *

Patrick Lange Patrick Lange (; 25 August 1986) is a professional duathlete and triathlete from Germany. He is a three time Ironman World Champion, setting course records in 2017, 2018 and 2024. Lange is also the 2010–2013 German champion in duathlon and ...

(born 1981), conductor

References

External links

* Roth (district) {{Roth-geo-stub