Gößweinstein is a
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality' ...
in the district 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 ...
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 ...
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 to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. It lies within the region known as
Franconian Switzerland
Franconian Switzerland (, ) is an upland in Upper Franconia, Bavaria, Germany and a popular tourist retreat. Located between the River Pegnitz in the east and the south, the River Regnitz in the west and the River Main in the north, its relief ...
.
Districts
History
The first record of
''Goswinesteyn'' Castle is from 1076. Prior to 1102 the
Hochstift Bamberg became the owner of the castle. The prince-bishop 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 ...
Friedrich Carl von Schönborn (ruled from 1729 until 1746) elevated Gößweinstein's status to a ''Market''. During the
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 ...
in 1803, the area of the Hochstift Bamberg was transferred to Bavaria. During the Bavarian territorial reforms in 1978, the formerly independent communities of Morschreuth, Wichsenstein, Behringersmühle, Kleingesee, Leutzdorf, Stadelhofen, Unterailsfeld and part of the community
Tüchersfeld were integrated into Gößweinstein.
Culture and sights
Museums
* Franconian Toy Museum Gößweinstein
* Natural history and geological Collection in the Haus des Gastes
* Steam locomotive train (''Dampfbahn Fränkische Schweiz'')
Buildings
* Pilgrimage church of the Holy Trinity, 1730–1739 built during the reign of Fürstbischof Friedrich Carl von Schönborn according to plans by
Balthasar Neumann, who also supervised the construction. Franciscan padre Prof. Dr. Luchesius Spätling applied for the denomination as
Basilica minor. The church was elevated to the papal Basilica minor in 1948 by
Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII (; born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli; 2 March 18769 October 1958) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death on 9 October 1958. He is the most recent p ...
.
*
Gößweinstein Castle
*
Viktor-von-Scheffel-memorial On both sides, there are the lines of the poem "Ausfahrt" (Exit):
:''Ich fahr’ in die Welt!''
:''Mein Hutschmuck die Rose, mein Lager im Moose,''
:''Der Himmel mein Zelt.''
:''Mag lauern und trauern, wer will, hinter Mauern –''
:''Ich fahr’ in die Welt!''
Lookout points
* Gernerfels
* Kreuzberg with high cross
* Martinswand (Bellevue)
* Pavillon Wagnershöhe
* Ludwigshöhe (Theaterhöhle)
* Bärenstein (529 m NN)
* Fischersruh
* Nuremberg Chapel
* Aussichtsfelsen Wichsenstein (585 m NN)
Politics
The municipal council in Gößweinstein has 16 members plus an extraofficial mayor.
(local elections on March 3, 2002)
References
External links
Official homepage(German)
Franconian Toy Museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gossweinstein
Forchheim (district)
Franconian Switzerland