Bayreuth () is a (district) 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 ...

. It surrounds, but does not include the city of

Bayreuth Bayreuth ( or ; High Franconian German, Upper Franconian: Bareid, ) is a Town#Germany, town in northern Bavaria, Germany, on the Red Main river in a valley between the Franconian Jura and the Fichtel Mountains. The town's roots date back to 11 ...

. The district is bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the districts of

Kulmbach Kulmbach () is the capital of the district of Kulmbach in Bavaria in Germany. The town, once a stronghold of the Principality of Bayreuth, is renowned for its University of Life Sciences, a branch of the University of Bayreuth, the massive Plasse ...

, Hof,

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 Rudolf ...

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

Neustadt an der Waldnaab Neustadt an der Waldnaab (; ; ) 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 Hays is a city in and the cou ...

Amberg-Sulzbach Amberg-Sulzbach () is a ''Landkreis'' (district) in Bavaria, Germany. It surrounds but does not include the city of Amberg. It is bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the districts of Neustadt an der Waldnaab, Schwandorf, Neumarkt, Nü ...

Nürnberger Land Nürnberger Land is a ''Landkreis'' (district) in Bavaria, Germany. It is bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the districts of Forchheim, Bayreuth, Amberg-Sulzbach, Neumarkt, Roth and Erlangen-Höchstadt, and by the city of Nuremberg. ...

Forchheim Forchheim () is a Town#Germany, town in Upper Franconia () in northern Bavaria, and also the seat of the administrative Forchheim (district), district of Forchheim. Forchheim is a former royal city, and is sometimes called the Gateway to the Fr ...

and

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 ...

History

The district was established in 1972 by merging the former districts of Bayreuth and Pegnitz, adding the town Gefrees of the former district of

Münchberg Münchberg is a small town in Upper Franconia (Bavaria), Germany. It is sometimes referred to as the ''Textile Town of Bavaria''. Its sister city is Jefferson City, Missouri, United States. Geography The town districts History The first set ...

and the town of Speichersdorf of the former district of

Kemnath Kemnath () is a small town in the district of Tirschenreuth, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated near the Fichtel Mountains, 24 km southeast of Bayreuth. History Kemnath was first referenced in historical documents on 6 July 1008 by the Hol ...

Geography

The sources of the White Main and the Red Main are both located in the district. The Red Main rises in the very south in the hills of the

Frankish Alb The Franconian Jura ( , , or ) is an upland in Franconia, Bavaria, Germany. Located between two rivers, the Danube in the south and the Main in the north, its peaks reach elevations of up to and it has an area of some 7053.8 km2. Emil Mey ...

, the White Main has its source in the

Fichtel Mountains The Fichtel Mountains (, ; ) is a mountain range in Germany and the Czech Republic. They extend from the valley of the Red Main River in northeastern Bavaria to the Karlovy Vary Region in western Czech Republic. The Fichtel Mountains contain an ...

in the east. Both rivers run to the northwest, but do not meet within the district's borders. The valley of the Red Main separates the two major geographical regions of the district from each other: the hilly countryside of the

Franconian Jura The Franconian Jura ( , , or ) is an upland in Franconia, Bavaria, Germany. Located between two rivers, the Danube in the south and the Main in the north, its peaks reach elevations of up to and it has an area of some 7053.8 km2. Emil Mey ...

and the much higher Fichtel Mountains. Within the county lies the

Veldenstein Forest The Veldenstein Forest () lies in the east of the Franconian Switzerland-Veldenstein Forest Nature Park between the towns of Pegnitz (town), Pegnitz and Plech. Its name is derived from Veldenstein Castle, a large, well preserved, medieval fortific ...

, one of the largest contiguous areas of woodland in Bavaria.

Coat of arms

The arms display the heraldic eagle of the

Hohenzollern The House of Hohenzollern (, ; , ; ) is a formerly royal (and from 1871 to 1918, imperial) German dynasty whose members were variously princes, electors, kings and emperors of Hohenzollern, Brandenburg, Prussia, the German Empire, and Romania. ...

dynasty together with the white and blue pattern of Bavaria.

Towns and municipalities

Sights

References

External links

* {{Coord, 49.92, 11.5, display=title, format=dms Districts of Bavaria Upper Franconia