Bad Staffelstein is a small town in the

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 l ...

Administrative Region Administrative division, administrative unit,Article 3(1). country subdivision, administrative region, subnational entity, constituent state, as well as many similar terms, are generic names for geographical areas into which a particular, ind ...

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 ...

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 betwee ...

. It has around 10,000 inhabitants. Bad Staffelstein is known for several landmarks, such as the Basilica of the Vierzehnheiligen designed by

Balthasar Neumann Johann Balthasar Neumann (; 27 January 1687 (?) – 19 August 1753), usually known as Balthasar Neumann, was a German architect and military artillery engineer who developed a refined brand of Baroque architecture, fusing Austrian, Bohemian, Ita ...

, the former monastery of

Banz Abbey Banz Abbey (german: Kloster Banz), now known as Banz Castle (german: Schloss Banz), is a former Benedictine monastery, since 1978 a part of the town of Bad Staffelstein north of Bamberg, Bavaria, southern Germany. History The abbey was founde ...

, now Banz Castle, and the 540 meter high

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. Romans, Celts and Franconians followed. During the La Tèn ...

. Most recently, it has been the thermal salt water spa, for which the town received the title ''Bad'' (spa) in 2001, that has made Staffelstein a tourist attraction.

Geography

Location

The municipal territory of Bad Staffelstein extends on both banks of the

Main river Main rivers () are a statutory type of watercourse in England and Wales, usually larger streams and rivers, but also some smaller watercourses. A main river is designated by being marked as such on a main river map, and can include any structure o ...

. It is located northeast of

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 ' castl ...

in the district of Lichtenfels.

Subdivisions

Bad Staffelstein consists of the following ''Stadtteile'':

History

Staffelstein was first mentioned around 800 and received its town status in 1130. In 1846, with the construction of the

Ludwig South-North Railway The Ludwig South-North railway (''Ludwig-Süd-Nord-Bahn''), built between 1843 and 1854, was the first railway line to be constructed by Royal Bavarian State Railways. It was named after the king, Ludwig I, whose infrastructure priorities had ea ...

, the town was connected to the Bavarian rail network. The status of spa was awarded in 2001.

''Stadtteile'' (quarters)

Kaider

Kaider is known for its stone industry, as well as for St. Mary's Chapel. Kaider was earlier known as ''Dabermannsdorf''; the change to the name ''Kaider'' has been proven to have taken place no later than 1542. Kaider was first mentioned on 12 December 1299. On that day, Albert von Giech, knight of

, sold with the agreement of his wife Elisabeth and his brother Kunimund, a

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western ca ...

Bamberg Cathedral Bamberg Cathedral (german: Bamberger Dom, official name Bamberger Dom St. Peter und St. Georg) is a church in Bamberg, Germany, completed in the 13th century. The cathedral is under the administration of the Roman Catholic Church and is the se ...

, all of his lands in Nuweseze (Neuses am Main), Obristfeld, and Dabermannsdorf (now Kaider) to Langheim Abbey. The selling price was 126 Pfund Bamberg

Denar The dinar () is the principal currency unit in several countries near the Mediterranean Sea, and its historical use is even more widespread. The modern dinar's historical antecedents are the gold dinar and the silver dirham, the main coin o ...

Schwabthal

Schwabthal lies 7 km east of Bad Staffelstein and has around 200 residents.

Incorporation

The District Reform of 1972 brought many changes to Staffelstein. Except for the District Office all other central administrations were dissolved. With the Municipal Territory Reform in 1978, the loss of administrative power and centrality became more balanced.

Demographics

*1900: 1,724 *1977: 4,985 (before the Municipal Territory Reform) *1978: 9,881 (after the Municipal Territory Reform) FRSchweiz

Culture and landmarks

Museums

*Museum of the town of Bad Staffelstein *Fossil Collection at Banz Castle

Buildings

On 5 July 1684, a fire destroyed almost the entire town center. Therefore, most houses in Staffelstein today date from after the fire. * The town hall (built from 1684 to 1687), is a three-story Franconian

half-timbered Timber framing (german: Holzfachwerk) 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 woode ...

house and dominates the town's market square. * The Bamberg Tower (commonly referred to as the ''Stadtturm'') is the only remaining tower from the town fortifications. For some time, it has been used to exhibit art. *

and castle * Basilica of the Vierzehnheiligen BadStaffelstein

Regular Events

*''Staffelsteiner Autofrühling'' (March) *Songs an einem Sommerabend (July) *''Altstadtfest'' (End of July) *''Beerbrewerfest '' (Assumption of Mary, 15th of August) *''Obermain-Marathon'' (April)

Sports

* TSV 1860 Staffelstein

Notable people

Adam Riese Adam Ries (17 January 1492 – 30 March 1559) was a German mathematician. He is also known by the name Adam Riese. Life Almost nothing is known about Ries' childhood, youth and education. The exact year of his birth is not known. The caption o ...

(1492–1559), mathematician :His arithmetic books were used for instruction in schools well into the 18th century. Even today, one hears the German expression "Das macht nach Adam Ries(e)..." (''"According to Adam Ries, that gives us..."''). Ries

* (1855-1929), teacher and educational writer * (1920-2013), painter and sculptor

References

*''The information in this article is based on a translation of its German equivalent.''

External links

* {{Authority control Spa towns in Germany Lichtenfels (district) Populated places on the Main basin Populated riverside places in Germany