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Franconian Switzerland (, ) is an upland in
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 ...
,
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 ...
and a popular tourist retreat. Located between the River Pegnitz in the east and the south, the River
Regnitz The Regnitz () is a river in Franconia, Germany. It is a left tributary of the Main and is in length. The river is formed by the confluence of the rivers Rednitz and Pegnitz, which meet in the city of Fürth. From there the Regnitz runs nort ...
in the west and the River Main in the north, its relief, which reaches 600 metres in height, forms the northern part of the Franconian Jura (''Frankenjura''). Like several other mountainous landscapes in the German-speaking lands, e.g. Holstein Switzerland, Märkische Schweiz, or Pommersche Schweiz, Franconian Switzerland was given its name by Romantic artists and poets in the 19th century who compared the landscape to
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
. Franconian Switzerland is famous for its high density of traditional breweries.


Name

The region was once called ''Muggendorfer Gebürg'' ('' Muggendorf hills''). The first tourists arrived during the age of
Romanticism Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century. The purpose of the movement was to advocate for the importance of subjec ...
. Two law students of Erlangen University,
Ludwig Tieck Johann Ludwig Tieck (; ; 31 May 177328 April 1853) was a German poet, fiction writer, translator, and critic. He was one of the founding fathers of the Romanticism, Romantic movement in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Early life Tieck w ...
and Wilhelm Heinrich Wackenroder have been credited as "discoverers" of the region. The "Eine Reise in die Fränkische Schweiz" issue of their joint production ''Franz Sternbalds Wanderungen'' (Berlin, 1798) enthralled many contemporaries. The 1820 book ''Die kleine Schweiz'' (''Little Switzerland''), written by Jakob Reiselsberger of
Waischenfeld Waischenfeld is a town in the district of Bayreuth, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated in Franconian Switzerland, 20 km southwest of Bayreuth. It consists of the following districts: Aalkorb, Breitenlesau, Doos, Eichenbirkig, Gösseldorf, ...
, gave the region its name. In 1829, a book by German salesman and local historian Joseph Heller, ''Muggendorf und seine Umgebung oder die Fränkische Schweiz'' (''Muggendorf and its surroundings or Franconian Switzerland''), was published. The description ''Switzerland'' was common during the 19th century for landscapes with mountains, valleys and, most significantly, rocks, e.g., Saxon Switzerland, Marcher Switzerland, Mecklenburg Switzerland and Holstein Switzerland.


Geography

Franconian Switzerland is the northern part of the Franconian Jura. It is often loosely defined as the region bounded by the Main to the north,
Regnitz The Regnitz () is a river in Franconia, Germany. It is a left tributary of the Main and is in length. The river is formed by the confluence of the rivers Rednitz and Pegnitz, which meet in the city of Fürth. From there the Regnitz runs nort ...
to the west and Pegnitz to the east, or by the A 70 motorway to the north, the A 9 to the east and the A 73 to the west. However, the actual region of Franconian Switzerland is only the catchment area of the River Wiesent. The region covers parts of the counties of Bamberg, Bayreuth and Forchheim. Its best known settlements include Pottenstein, Gößweinstein, Muggendorf,
Ebermannstadt Ebermannstadt (; East Franconian German, East Franconian: ''Ärmaschdood'') is a town in the Forchheim (district), district of Forchheim, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated 10 km northeast of Forchheim (Oberfranken), Forchheim and 25 km ...
, Streitberg, Egloffstein, and
Waischenfeld Waischenfeld is a town in the district of Bayreuth, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated in Franconian Switzerland, 20 km southwest of Bayreuth. It consists of the following districts: Aalkorb, Breitenlesau, Doos, Eichenbirkig, Gösseldorf, ...
. Its boundaries are Obermainland (north),
Erlangen Erlangen (; , ) is a Middle Franconian city in Bavaria, Germany. It is the seat of the administrative district Erlangen-Höchstadt (former administrative district Erlangen), and with 119,810 inhabitants (as of 30 September 2024), it is the smalle ...
(south),
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 ...
(east),
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 ...
(west), 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 ...
(northwest). Information about Franconian Switzerland may be found in the Franconian Switzerland Museum in Tüchersfeld with its comprehensive regional collections. It is housed in the so-called Jew's Court (''Judenhof''), below two steep rock pinnacles.


Franconian Switzerland Trade Association

The following 18 municipalities across 2 counties belong to the Franconian Switzerland Trade Association (''Wirtschaftsverband Fränkische Schweiz''): * County of Bayreuth: ** Ahorntal ** Betzenstein ** Creußen ** Gesees ** Haag ** Hummeltal ** Pegnitz ** Plech ** Pottenstein ** Prebitz ** Schnabelwaid * County of Forchheim: ** Egloffstein ** Gößweinstein ** Gräfenberg **
Hiltpoltstein Hiltpoltstein is a market village in the district of Forchheim in Bavaria in 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 ...
**
Igensdorf Igensdorf is a municipality in the district of Forchheim in Bavaria in 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 t ...
** Obertrubach ** Weißenohe


Geology

In the White Jurassic period, about 161 million to 150 million years ago, a shallow sea lay across southern Germany. During this period, thick rock sequences were deposited on the seabed as the Earth's crust continued to sink. The limestone and dolomite rocks that formed during this time period, along with the deeply incised river valleys and dry, arid plateaus, characterize this
karst Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and Dolomite (rock), dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. Ther ...
landscape. Many fossils, most typically
ammonites Ammonoids are extinct, (typically) coiled-shelled cephalopods comprising the subclass Ammonoidea. They are more closely related to living octopuses, squid, and cuttlefish (which comprise the clade Coleoidea) than they are to nautiluses (family N ...
, may be found in the limestone strata. In the late
Jurassic The Jurassic ( ) is a Geological period, geologic period and System (stratigraphy), stratigraphic system that spanned from the end of the Triassic Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period, approximately 143.1 Mya. ...
period, the sea receded with the shifting of European continental plate, allowing larger areas of land to emerge and form at the beginning of the
Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 143.1 to 66 mya (unit), million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era (geology), Era, as well as the longest. At around 77.1 million years, it is the ...
period. During this time, the region had a tropical climate, and limestone and dolomite rocks underwent intense weathering. During the Cretaceous, a sea once again covered much of the region. In the
Tertiary period The Tertiary ( ) is an obsolete Period (geology), geologic period spanning 66 million to 2.6 or 1.8 million years ago. The period began with the extinction of the non-bird, avian dinosaurs in the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, at t ...
, the sea receded a second time, partially exposing the Jurassic landscape.


Mountains and hills

The most prominent peak in this region is the Ehrenbürg, commonly known as Walberla, a table hill east of
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 ...
. It consists of two peaks, the Rodenstein (532 m) and the Walberla (512 m). On the hilltop is its namesake, the small Walburgis Chapel, first mentioned in a 1360 manuscript. There is an annual festival on the hilltop on 30 April, the birthday of Saint Walburga, which attracts thousands of people. Other popular peaks: *Leienfels (near Pottenstein), 590 m *Spiegelfels along with the Pfarrfelsen near Affalterthal, Markt Egloffstein, 468 m * Wichsenstein (near Gössweinstein), 587 m *Signalstein (near Wolfsberg, Obertrubach), 582 m *Little Kulm (near Körbeldorf), 623 m *Hohenmirsberger Plateau (near Pottenstein), 614 m * Neubürg (near Wohnsgehaig), 587 m *Tannenberg, 599 m *Graubühl (near Creussen), 569 m The rocks of Franconian Switzerland's mountains and hills are popular for
rock climbing Rock climbing is a climbing sports discipline that involves ascending climbing routes, routes consisting of natural rock in an outdoor environment, or on artificial resin climbing walls in a mostly indoor environment. Routes are documented in c ...
. With more than 6,500 routes, it is one of the best developed climbing areas in the world. Important climbing areas: * Trubach Valley *Walberla * Wiesent Valley * Leinleiter Valley * Püttlach Valley *
Aufseß Aufseß, also sometimes spelled Aufsess, is a municipality in the district of Bayreuth in Bavaria, Germany. Located in Franconian Switzerland on the Castle Road and the Franconian ''Bierstraße'', or Beer Road, Aufseß is best known for its con ...
Valley


Caves

There are countless caves in Franconian Switzerland, of which the Devil's Cave (Teufelshöhle) near Pottenstein is the most famous. The region is an example of
karst topography Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and Dolomite (rock), dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. Ther ...
. Accessible caves: *Binghöhle (near Streitberg) * Teufelshöhle (near Pottenstein) *Sophienhöhle (in the Ailsbach valley) *Oswaldhöhle (near Muggendorf) *Rosenmüllershöhle (near Muggendorf) *Quackenschloss (near Engelhardsberg), cave ruin *Zoolithenhöhle (near Burggailenreuth) *Esperhöhle (near Gössweinstein) *Förstershöhle (in the Zeubach valley) *Schönsteinhöhle (in the Long Valley) *Klauskirche (near Betzenstein) *Riesenburg (near Doos) *Hasenlochhöhle (near Pottenstein), known for having housed people during the
Stone Age The Stone Age was a broad prehistory, prehistoric period during which Rock (geology), stone was widely used to make stone tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years and ended b ...
.


Castles

Franconian Switzerland is located along the so-called Castle Road (''Burgenstraße''), which connects more than 70 castles, palaces, and fortresses between
Mannheim Mannheim (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (), is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, second-largest city in Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, the States of Ger ...
and
Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...
. Most of these castles were constructed in the Middle Ages. The following castles and castle ruins can be visited: * Egloffstein Castle * Gössweinstein Castle * Schloss Greifenstein, seat of the Stauffenberg family. * Rabeneck Castle * Rabenstein Castle * Pottenstein Castle * Unteraufseß Castle * Waischenfeld Castle * Bärnfels Castle ruins * Hollenberg Castle ruins * Leienfels Castle ruins * Neideck Castle ruins * Neidenstein Castle ruins * Streitburg Castle ruins (Markt
Wiesenttal Wiesenttal is a Municipalities of Germany, municipality in the district of Forchheim (district), Forchheim in Bavaria in Germany. Municipal subdivisions Wiesenttal is divided into 21 parishes: * Albertshof (Wiesenttal), Albertshof * Birkenreuth ...
) * Stierberg Castle ruins * Wildenfels Castle ruins * Wolfsberg Castle ruins


Customs

The '' Osterbrunnen'' tradition has its origins in Franconian Switzerland. Around
Easter Easter, also called Pascha ( Aramaic: פַּסְחָא , ''paskha''; Greek: πάσχα, ''páskha'') or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in t ...
, fountains and public wells are elaborately decorated. During the early modern period, this tradition became more obscure. However, it was renewed in the 1980s, and in 1986, 169 villages resumed the ''Osterbrunnen'' tradition. Today, more than 200 villages decorate their village wells and fountains with colourful
Easter eggs Easter eggs, also called Paschal eggs, are eggs that are Egg decorating, decorated for the Christian holiday of Easter, which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. As such, Easter eggs are commonly used during the season of Eastertide (Easter ...
. This custom likely emerged as celebration of water, a precious resource in the arid high plateau of Franconian Switzerland. The ''Bieberbach Osterbrunnen'' ( Egloffstein) hold the
Guinness World Record ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, listi ...
for the largest Osterbrunnen.


Tourism

Franconian Switzerland is one of the oldest tourist regions in Germany. The region's numerous caves began attracting visitors at the beginning of the 19th century. The region offers locals and visitors alike a variety of outdoors activities. Along with its countless hiking paths, the area is known for rock climbing and canoeing. Home to the annual Franconian Switzerland Marathon, beginning in
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 ...
, slowly climbing to Sachsenmühle-Wende, and then descending to
Ebermannstadt Ebermannstadt (; East Franconian German, East Franconian: ''Ärmaschdood'') is a town in the Forchheim (district), district of Forchheim, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated 10 km northeast of Forchheim (Oberfranken), Forchheim and 25 km ...
, the area includes 375 km of some of the best trails for running,
Nordic walking Nordic walking is a Finland, Finnish-origin total-body version of walking that can be done both by non-athletes as a health-promoting physical activity and by athletes as a sport. The activity is performed with specially designed walking poles sim ...
, and
rambling Walking is one of the most popular outdoor recreational activities in the United Kingdom, and within England and Wales there is a comprehensive network of Rights of way in England and Wales, rights of way that permits access to the countryside. Fu ...
in Germany, which are maintained by the European community-funded Running Experience Project, founded in July 2011. The Franconian Switzerland Steam Railway ('' Dampfbahn Fränkische Schweiz'') or DFS, is a museum railway in
Ebermannstadt Ebermannstadt (; East Franconian German, East Franconian: ''Ärmaschdood'') is a town in the Forchheim (district), district of Forchheim, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated 10 km northeast of Forchheim (Oberfranken), Forchheim and 25 km ...
251 that operates steam and diesel specials on Sundays and on public holidays.


Gallery

File:AufseesAufseesFluss.jpg, Aufseß river File:Pottenstein Hauptstrasse.jpg, Pottenstein File:SanspareilLandschaft.jpg, Landscape in the north: Sanspareil, Wonsees File:Ehrenbürg 05.jpg, Ehrenbürg File:HohenpoelzS.jpg, Village chapel Höhenpölz File:ChapelBavaria.JPG, Village chapel File:HeiligenstadtGreifenstein.jpg, Schloss Greifenstein, seat of the Stauffenberg family File:TeuchatzKirche.jpg, Village chapel Teuchatz


Literature

;In English: *Milner Barry, R.: ''Bayreuth and Franconian Switzerland'', London, S. Sonnenschein, Lowrey & Co., 1887. ;In German: *August Sieghardt: ''Fränkische Schweiz. Glock und Lutz'', Nürnberg 1971, aus der Bibliothek Deutsche Landeskunde *MERIAN Monatshefte, 6/XXVI: Fränkische Schweiz. 1973 *Friedrich Herrmann: ''Höhlen der Fränkischen und Hersbrucker Schweiz''. Regensburg 1980 *Brigitte Kaulich, Hermann Schaaf: ''Kleiner Führer zu Höhlen um Muggendor''f. Nürnberg 1980, *Fritz Krause: ''Großer Fränkische Schweiz Führer''. Deutscher Wanderverlag Dr. Mair & Schnabel & Co, Stuttgart 1981, *Peter Poscharsky:'' Die Kirchen der Fränkischen Schweiz''. Palm & Enke, Erlangen 1990, *Rainer Hofmann et al.: ''Führer zu archäologischen Denkmälern in Deutschland: Fränkische Schweiz''. Theiss, Stuttgart 1990, *Hans-Peter Siebenhaar, Michael Müller: ''Fränkische Schweiz''. Michael Müller, Erlangen 1991, *Gustav Voit, Brigitte Kaulich, Walter Rüfer: ''Vom Land im Gebirg zur Fränkischen Schweiz. Eine Landschaft wird entdeckt''. Palm & Enke, Erlangen 1992, *Gustav Voit, Walter Rüfer: ''Eine Burgenreise durch die Fränkische Schweiz''. Palm & Enke, Erlangen 1993, *Rolf K. F. Meyer, Hermann Schmidt-Kaler:'' Wanderungen in die Erdgeschichte (5): Durch die Fränkische Schweiz''. Dr. Friedrich Pfeil, München 1992, *Reinhard Feldrapp, Willi Feldrapp, Adolf Lang: ''Die Fränkische Schweiz''. H. Stürtz, Würzburg 1992, *Toni Eckert, Susanne Fischer, Renate Freitag, Rainer Hofmann, Walter Tausendpfund:'' Die Burgen der Fränkischen Schweiz; Ein Kulturführer''. Gebietsausschuss Fränkische Schweiz 1997, *Stephan Lang: Höhlen in Franken - Ein Wanderführer in die Unterwelt der Fränkischen Schweiz. Verlag Hans Carl, Nürnberg 2000 *Hardy Schabdach: ''Unterirdische Welten - Höhlen der Fränkischen und Hersbrucker Schweiz''. Verlag Reinhold Lippert, Ebermannstadt 2000 *Thomas Hübner: ''25 mal Fränkische Schweiz''. Heinrichs-Verlag GmbH, Bamberg 2007,


References


External links


Historical books on Franconian Switzerland
in the digitale collection of the Bamberg State Library
Franconian SwitzerlandWalking WorldFranconian Switzerland 360° Panoramic ImagesFranconian Caves
{{Authority control Geography of Bavaria Climbing areas of Germany