Baunach () is a town in the

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 ...

n district of

Bamberg Bamberg (, , ; East Franconian German, East Franconian: ''Bambärch'') is a town in Upper Franconia district in Bavaria, Germany, on the river Regnitz close to its confluence with the river Main (river), Main. Bamberg had 79,000 inhabitants in ...

and the seat of the administrative community (''Verwaltungsgemeinschaft'') of Baunach. Until administrative reform in 1972, Baunach belonged to the

Lower Franconia Lower Franconia (, ) is one of seven districts of Bavaria, Germany. The districts of Lower, Middle and Upper Franconia make up the region of Franconia. It consists of nine districts and 308 municipalities (including three cities). History After ...

n district of Ebern. Baunach calls itself the “Franconian Three-River Town” because it lies on the rivers Baunach, Lauter and

Main Main may refer to: Geography *Main River (disambiguation), multiple rivers with the same name *Ma'in, an ancient kingdom in modern-day Yemen * Main, Iran, a village in Fars Province *Spanish Main, the Caribbean coasts of mainland Spanish territ ...

. These three rivers are depicted in the town's

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

, in which a golden

pike Pike, Pikes or The Pike may refer to: Fish * Blue pike or blue walleye, an extinct color morph of the yellow walleye ''Sander vitreus'' * Ctenoluciidae, the "pike characins", some species of which are commonly known as pikes * ''Esox'', genus of ...

lies over the three rivers. In 2002, the town celebrated its 1,200-year jubilee. Moreover, the river

Itz The Itz () is a river of Thuringia and Bavaria, Germany. The Itz is long and a right tributary of the Main. The Itz begins in Sachsenbrunn (Stelzen), Thuringia and flows southward through Bachfeld and Schalkau. It crosses into Bavaria and ...

flows through the community area. The name Baunach comes from the Indo-Germanic word for river: ''bunahu''. This may be translated as “swelling water”. For thousands of years the entire region near Baunach has been populated by

Celts The Celts ( , see Names of the Celts#Pronunciation, pronunciation for different usages) or Celtic peoples ( ) were a collection of Indo-European languages, Indo-European peoples. "The Celts, an ancient Indo-European people, reached the apoge ...

and

Franconians Franconia ( ; ; ) is a geographical region of Germany, characterised by its culture and East Franconian dialect (). Franconia is made up of the three (governmental districts) of Lower Franconia, Lower, Middle Franconia, Middle and Upper Franco ...

Geography

Baunach lies on the right bank of the

, 11 km north of

. Kraiberg (with a height of 365 metres) and Stiefenberg (396 metres high) are the most important mountains in the area. Baunach lies within the Hassberge and thus is member city of the

Haßberge Nature Park Haßberge Nature Park () is a park of located in the north east of Franconian Keuperland in Bavaria, Germany. Isolated castles and ruins The park has a large number of isolated castles and ruins which are integrated into the park's well marked ...

Constituent communities

Baunach's main town and namesake centre is by far the biggest of its ''

Ortsteil A village is a human settlement or Residential community, community, larger than a hamlet (place), hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located ...

e'' with a population of 3,069. The town furthermore has these outlying centres, each given here with its own population figure: *Daschendorf 88 *Dorgendorf 342 *Godelhof 13 *Godeldorf 56 *Leucherhof 2 *Priegendorf 345 *Reckenneusig 227 The town also has these traditional rural land units, known in

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

as ''Gemarkungen'': Appendorf, Baunach, Daschendorf, Dorgendorf, Priegendorf, Reckenneusig, Stiefenberg, Daschendorfer Forst, Lußberger Forst. The last-named two are wooded areas without any inhabitant. It is traditional for a ''Gemarkung'' to be named after a town or village lying nearby.

History

The first sources of a city called Baunach date from the year 802. Nevertheless, the entire region from Baunach to the

Staffelberg The Staffelberg is a hill in Bavaria, Germany. It is part of the Franconian Switzerland and one of the most important landmarks in Franconia. First settlements date from the Neolithic. Ancient Rome, Romans, Celts and Franconians followed. Duri ...

has been populated for thousands of years. Emperor

Ludwig the Bavarian Louis IV (; 1 April 1282 – 11 October 1347), called the Bavarian (, ), was King of the Romans from 1314, King of Italy from 1327, and Holy Roman Emperor from 1328 until his death in 1347. Louis' election as king of Germany in 1314 was cont ...

bestowed upon Baunach town rights in 1328. The town was both an ''Obervogtamt'' (“higher reeve’s office”) and headquarters of a famous regional knight county before

Secularization In sociology, secularization () is a multilayered concept that generally denotes "a transition from a religious to a more worldly level." There are many types of secularization and most do not lead to atheism or irreligion, nor are they automatica ...

and belonged to the Prince-Bishopric of Bamberg. In 1727, the last

execution Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence ordering that an offender be punished in ...

was carried out in Baunach. In 1803 Baunach came to

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 ...

as a result of the ''

Reichsdeputationshauptschluss The ' (formally the ', or "Principal Conclusion of the Extraordinary Imperial Delegation"), sometimes referred to in English as the Final Recess or the Imperial Recess of 1803, was a resolution passed by the ' (Imperial Diet) of the Holy Roman Em ...

''. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

many refugees came to Baunach.

Population development

Within the town's area, 2,914 inhabitants were counted in 1970, 3,174 in 1987 and 3,807 in 2000. On 30 June 2007 it was 3,933.

Politics

The current mayor is Tobias Roppelt (Christliche Bürgerschaft Baunach), elected in March 2020. Previous mayors were: *2002–2020: Ekkehard Hojer (CBB) *before 2002: Georg Wild (CSU)

Town council

In 1999 the town's tax revenue, converted to

euro The euro (currency symbol, symbol: euro sign, €; ISO 4217, currency code: EUR) is the official currency of 20 of the Member state of the European Union, member states of the European Union. This group of states is officially known as the ...

s, was €1,791,000, of which business taxes (net) amounted to €414,000.

Coat of arms

On 15 July 1447, the Bamberg Bishop Anton von Rotenhan conferred upon the market town of Baunach “''ein sigill und panir''” (“a seal and banner”). He made clear the charges (not the colours, though – they only came later) to appear in the town's arms: “''sullen steen drey wasserfluss. Und durch dieselben drey wasserfluss soll ein gantzer hecht mit dem haupt von der einen obern ecke des schilts.... geen.''” (“shall stand three rivers. And through the same three rivers shall go a whole pike with the head from the one upper corner of the shield”). The three rivers are the Baunach, the Lauter and the Main. The pike symbolizes the town's wealth of fish. Prince-Bishop Johann Philipp von Gebsattel (1599–1609) completed the coloured arms with the following colours: red for the field, silver for the rivers and gold for the pike.

Public institutions

Sport and leisure facilities

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

field *

tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...

court *indoor

swimming pool A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, paddling pool, or simply pool, is a structure designed to hold water to enable Human swimming, swimming and associated activities. Pools can be built into the ground (in-ground pools) or built abo ...

*skating track *bathing lake *fishing pond *boarding and landing stage for the ''Kanuerlebnis Obermain'' (“Upper Main Canoe Experience” – planned)

Culture and sightseeing

Museums

The ''Heimatmuseum Baunach'' (“homeland” or local museum) at the Old Town Hall has exhibits from the town's and the parish's prehistory and early history as well as from Baunach's club life. There are also agricultural devices and others from historical crafting as well as from town and country households. In the town hall's former session chamber is found a comprehensive collection by painter and graphic artist Max Schnös.

Buildings

*The historic

marketplace A marketplace, market place, or just market, is a location where people regularly gather for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other goods. In different parts of the world, a marketplace may be described as a ''souk'' (from ...

with

timber-frame Timber framing () and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs. If the struc ...

houses, among them the ''Obleyhof'', first mentioned in a document in 1385, which was owned by the

Cathedral Capitular. Each new Cathedral Capitular received the ''Hof'' as an ''Obley'' (“bonus”);

fountain A fountain, from the Latin "fons" ( genitive "fontis"), meaning source or spring, is a decorative reservoir used for discharging water. It is also a structure that jets water into the air for a decorative or dramatic effect. Fountains were o ...

with

statue A statue is a free-standing sculpture in which the realistic, full-length figures of persons or animals are carved or Casting (metalworking), cast in a durable material such as wood, metal or stone. Typical statues are life-sized or close to ...

of the late Überkum *The Parish Church, consecrated to Saint Oswald, with tower from the year 1244 and the choir from about 1460. Beside the church is found a former two-storey

charnel house A charnel house is a vault or building where human skeletal remains are stored. They are often built near churches for depositing bones that are unearthed while digging graves. The term can also be used more generally as a description of a plac ...

. The great church pipe organ exists of the following

organ stop An organ stop is a component of a pipe organ that admits pressurized air (known as ''wind'') to a set of organ pipes. Its name comes from the fact that stops can be used selectively by the organist; each can be "on" (admitting the passage of a ...

s (translated as far as possible): The local organists are Hubert Reinhard, who is vice-organist of the Basilica minor in Vierzehnheiligen, Marga Büttner, and Matthias Bahr. *The Late Gothic Magdalenenkapelle (

chapel A chapel (from , a diminutive of ''cappa'', meaning "little cape") is a Christianity, Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. First, smaller spaces inside a church that have their o ...

, built about 1430, expanded in 1473 with the endowment from the late Überkum) at the

graveyard A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite, graveyard, or a green space called a memorial park or memorial garden, is a place where the remains of many death, dead people are burial, buried or otherwise entombed. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek ...

; inside is found a high

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of worship. They are use ...

from 1693 and the late Überkum's grave. Its organ is a special attraction including a rare organ effect stop called Rossignol ("Vogelschrey") which imitates the sound of singing birds. *The ''Zentscheune'' (“tithe barn”); here, the

tithe A tithe (; from Old English: ''teogoþa'' "tenth") is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Modern tithes are normally voluntary and paid in money, cash, cheques or v ...

s were stored, the tax for the Holzkirchen Convent in Fulda. *The ''Schächer'', a small chapel with a wooden cross from 1520. It lies on the way to the former execution place. *Old Town Hall, called Schloss Schadeck, built between 1742 and 1746 by master builder Justus Dientzenhofer; today houses the ''Heimatmuseum''. *Remains of the old town wall with ''Marienmarter'' (Martyrdom of Mary) from about 1720 *The prince-bishop's ''Amtsschloss'' (“Office Palace”), also called the hunting palace, a Late

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

building built by the Prince-Bishop of Bamberg Marquard Sebastian Schenk von Stauffenberg, and completed by his successor Prince-Bishop

Lothar Franz von Schönborn Lothar Franz von Schönborn-Buchheim (4 October 1655 – 30 January 1729) was the Archbishop-Elector of Mainz from 1694 to 1729 and the Bishop of Bamberg from 1693 to 1729. As Archbishop of Mainz, he was also Archchancellor of the Holy Roman Emp ...

. *The “Wooden Men”, an oaken gate with two men. It once stood before the building across the street, the old ''Kastenhof'', which housed the

court A court is an institution, often a government entity, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between Party (law), parties and Administration of justice, administer justice in Civil law (common law), civil, Criminal law, criminal, an ...

from 1710 to 1803.

Regular events

Baunach holds a ''

Kirchweih Kirchweih is literally the dedication of a church in German. More generally it also names the celebration of the anniversary of a dedication both at church and in local customs. The festivity is often on the day celebrating a church's patron sai ...

'' (church consecration festival), ''Altstadtfest'' (old town festival), ''Magdalenenmarkt'' (Magdalen Market) and ''Weihnachtsmarkt'' (

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

Market).

References

External links

Warriors’ Memorial at the Baunach graveyard
* Aerial pictures: Bayernviewer
Baunach

Daschendorf

Dorgendorf

Godeldorf / Godelhof

Priegendorf

Reckenneusig / LeucherhofBAUNACH.com (Baunach surname research)
{{Authority control Bamberg (district)