Kulmbach () is the capital of the district of Kulmbach 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 ...

. The town, once a stronghold of the

Principality of Bayreuth The Principality of Bayreuth () or Margraviate of Brandenburg-Bayreuth (''Markgraftum Brandenburg-Bayreuth'') was an immediate territory of the Holy Roman Empire, ruled by a Franconian branch of the Hohenzollern dynasty. Since Burgrave Frederi ...

, is renowned for its University of Life Sciences, a branch of the University of Bayreuth, the massive

Plassenburg Plassenburg is a castle in the city of Kulmbach in Bavaria. It is one of the most impressive castles in Germany and a symbol of the city. It was first mentioned in 1135. The Plassenberg family were Ministerialis, ministerial of the counts of And ...

Castle, which houses the largest tin soldier museum in the world, for its brewery, its vivid food industry, which hosts some of the world's biggest food businesses, and for its sausages, or '' Bratwürste''.

Geography

Location

Kulmbach is located in the middle of the Bavarian province of

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 ...

, about northwest of 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 ...

. To the south of Kulmbach, the River Main begins at the confluence of its headstreams, the

White Main The White Main ( or ''Weißmain'', not to be confused with the Weismain), is the larger and shorter of the two headstreams of the river Main. It rises in the Fichtel Mountains and merges near Steinenhausen, southwest of Kulmbach, with the left ...

and

Red Main The Red Main ( or ''Rotmain'') is a river in southern Germany. It is the southern, left headstream of the river Main (river), Main. It rises in the hills of Franconian Switzerland, near Haag, Upper Franconia, Haag and flows generally northwest th ...

Town districts

Kulmbach is divided into the following districts (with population in brackets):

History

From about 900 AD there was a small settlement in what is now the district of Spiegel, which consisted of a forest lodge and a fortified tenant farm (''Fronhof'') to protect the river Main crossing at Grünwehr. The area later passed into the hands of the Count of Schweinfurt, whose power was usually exercised through the office of the . Kulmbach was first mentioned as ''Kulma'' in a deed of gift in the

Alcuin Alcuin of York (; ; 735 – 19 May 804), also called Ealhwine, Alhwin, or Alchoin, was a scholar, clergyman, poet, and teacher from York, Northumbria. He was born around 735 and became the student of Ecgbert of York, Archbishop Ecgbert at Yor ...

Bible between 1028 and 1040. The name comes from a stream that comes descends the mountain (''Culmin-aha, Culmna''). This stream was later renamed ''Kohlenbach'' due to a misunderstanding. When the male line of the Schweinfurt counts died out, Kulmbach passed to the Dießen line of the Andechs family through the marriage of the Schweinfurts' daughter and heiress, Gisela, to Count Arnold of Dießen. The counts acquired other lands around Kulmbach, built the first fort, the

, in the first third of the twelfth century and founded a market town and a church in today's upper town (''Obere Stadt''). In 1180 the House of Andechs was elevated to an imperial princedom by the Emperor Barbarossa and given the title of Duke of Merania after the town of Marano between

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

and

Trieste Trieste ( , ; ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital and largest city of the Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, as well as of the Province of Trieste, ...

(now

Marano Lagunare Marano Lagunare () is a (municipality) in the Regional decentralization entity of Udine in the Italian region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, located about northwest of Trieste and about south of Udine. Marano Lagunare borders the following munici ...

). Around 1231 Kulmbach was granted town rights. In place of the old Plassenburg, the site of which is unclear, the dukes built a new castle on a hill spur above Kulmbach. The rule of the Meranian family ended with the last Duke of Merania, Otto II, who died childless in 1248. Plassenburg oben

After years of inheritance disputes the castle of Plassenburg and hence rule over Kulmbach went in 1260 to the

Thuringia Thuringia (; officially the Free State of Thuringia, ) is one of Germany, Germany's 16 States of Germany, states. With 2.1 million people, it is 12th-largest by population, and with 16,171 square kilometers, it is 11th-largest in area. Er ...

n counts of Orlamünde. The Orlamündes finished the new Plassenburg castle and founded the monastery of

Himmelkron Himmelkron is a municipality in the district of Kulmbach 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 ...

. Later, they pledged the castle and town. In 1340, after the death of the last Orlamünde, pursuant to an agreement, the burggraves of Nuremberg, members of the Hohenzollern family, took over Kulmbach and Plassenburg. Until the 17th century, Plassenburg was the residence of the burggrave office or '' Amt''. Later it was the ''Amt'' for the Hohenzollern Principality of Kulmbach (also: ''Brandenburg-Kulmbach'' or, after 1604, ''Brandenburg-Bayreuth''). As a result of its favourable location on the historic and 'escorted' roads to

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 ...

Nuremberg Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...

Eger Eger ( , ; ; also known by other #Names and etymology, alternative names) is the county seat of Heves County, and the second largest city in Northern Hungary (after Miskolc). A city with county rights, Eger is best known for Castle of Eger, its ...

, Hof and

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

trade in the town flourished - guilds were formed for the weavers, dyers and silk embroiderers. In 1398, 1500 to 2000 inhabitants lived in Kulmbach; this can be seen from a burggraviate inventory of land, houses and taxes. The town was ruled by a lordly ''Vogt'' or sheriff, the mayor and a council of prominent citizens. As a result of the transfer of the princely privilege in 1363, and the electorate and the March of Brandenburg in 1415, all subsequent Franconian Hohenzollerns called themselves

Margrave Margrave was originally the Middle Ages, medieval title for the military commander assigned to maintain the defence of one of the border provinces of the Holy Roman Empire or a monarchy, kingdom. That position became hereditary in certain Feudal ...

s of Brandenburg-Kulmbach. From 1411 to 1529 Kulmbach townsfolk stood as

chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

s at the head of the administration for the March of Brandenburg (Dr. Frederick Sesselmann, Sigismund Zehrer and Sebastian Stublinger). On 31 January 1430 the Hussites sacked the town. In the course of rebuilding the town, which had been largely destroyed, St. Peter's Church was rebuilt in late Gothic style. It was here that the first Protestant church service was celebrated under Margrave George the Pious in 1528. The belligerent margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach, Albert Alcibiades, wanted to bring all Franconians under his rule and set up a reconstituted Duchy of Franconia. After the abortive First Margrave War, Albert instigated the Second Margrave War and left a path of destruction throughout Franconia and other parts of the Holy Roman Empire. Eventually, a league against him formed, which ultimately invaded Kulmbach on St. Conrad's Day, 26 November 1553, and sacked the city. Many of its citizens were massacred or fled, and the town itself was burned to the ground. On 21 October 1554 the Plassenburg, whose garrison had hitherto held out against their enemy, was also set on fire and destroyed. The sack is recreated in the German Tin Soldiers Museum at the Plassenburg, this diorama constitutes the largest of its kind in the world. Panorama kulm2

From 1557 the town was rebuilt under the new margrave, George Frederick. In 1559 the reconstruction of the

, one of the most important Renaissance buildings in Germany, began. However, George Frederick's successor, Margrave Christian, moved the location of his '' Residenz'' in 1604 to neighbouring

as the Plassenburg no longer fulfilled the ideas of courtly absolutism, and the expansion of the castle came to an end. Nevertheless, the margravial residence returned to Kulmbach several times, once, in 1605, due to a fire in the city of Bayreuth and then again, for safety, during the

Thirty Years War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine, or disease, whil ...

. Kulmbach was also burned as a Protestant town by imperial troops, but the Plassenburg proved impregnable. Finally, in 1642, the residence was moved permanently to Bayreuth, and Kulmbach lost its political importance. As a result, little of significance happened here in the years that followed. When Margrave Charles Frederick Alexander sold the March of Brandenburg-Bayreuth to his cousin, the King of Prussia, on account of his lover, Lady Elizabeth Craven, Kulmbach, too, became Prussian, and the Plassenburg was used in the years that followed as a camp for French prisoners of war. Since the Plassenburg represented an obstacle to French and Bavarian forces advancing against Prussia in 1806, the town of Kulmbach was occupied in October and November that year. After the capitulation of its Prussian garrison, the castle was slighted in order to render it militarily useless. Finally, Kulmbach was granted to Bavaria in 1810. In 1846 it was connected to the King Ludwig South-North Railway. This resulted in a tremendous economic boom - particularly for the breweries - as their products could now be readily exported. So the number of breweries grew to 26 in 1882. In 1890 Kulmbach was elected as a free (''kreisunmittelbar'') town. In 1933, the

NSDAP The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor, the German Workers ...

seized power in Kulmbach and the Imperial School of German Technology (''Reichsschule der deutschen Technik'') was established in the Plassenburg. As a result, Kulmbach was even given an additional motorway junction which is now the start of today's A 70 autobahn. In early 1945, Kulmbach was captured by American troops without a fight. In the local government reforms of 1972, the districts of Kulmbach and Stadtsteinach were merged and Kulmbach is now the county town. Kumbach1b

Politics

Mayors

* 1946–1958: Georg Hagen, SPD * 1958–1970: Wilhelm Murrmann, FWG * 1970–1994: Dr. Erich Stammberger, Wählergemeinschaft Kulmbach (WGK) * 1994–2007: Inge Aures, SPD * 2007-2020: Henry Schramm, CSU * since 2020: Ingo Lehmann, SPD

Town council

The local elections of 2014 and 2020 resulted in the following representation on the town council:

Twin towns – sister cities

Kulmbach is twinned with: *

Bursa Bursa () is a city in northwestern Turkey and the administrative center of Bursa Province. The fourth-most populous city in Turkey and second-most populous in the Marmara Region, Bursa is one of the industrial centers of the country. Most of ...

, Turkey (1998) * Kilmarnock, Scotland, United Kingdom (1974) *

Lugo Lugo (, ) is a city in northwestern Spain in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia. It is the capital of the Lugo (province), province of Lugo. The municipality had a population of 100,060 in 2024, ...

, Italy (1974) *

Rust Rust is an iron oxide, a usually reddish-brown oxide formed by the reaction of iron and oxygen in the catalytic presence of water or air moisture. Rust consists of hydrous iron(III) oxides (Fe2O3·nH2O) and iron(III) oxide-hydroxide (FeO(OH) ...

, Austria (1981) * Saalfeld, Germany (1988)

Leisure, culture and places of interest

Culinary specialities

Besides the usual Upper Franconian specialties, there is Kulmbacher Bratwurst sausage which consists of a very fine ground pork and is served in aniseed rolls, the so-called ''Stölla''. These sausages may be eaten at one of the many sausage stalls in the town. Known far beyond the town itself is the strong beer known as EKU 28, brewed by the '' Kulmbacher Brauerei'', which for years was regarded as the strongest beer in the world. Kulmbach has also earned a reputation as a food centre thanks to the Max Rubner Institute (Federal Agency for Food Safety, formerly the Federal Institute for Meat Research), which has come to prominence since the BSE scandal.

Sport and Recreation

* The club, ATS Kulmbach 1861, is one of the oldest and largest sports clubs in Bavaria. * Kulmbach Airfield (''Kulmbacher Flugplatz '') EDQK

Museums

*Plassenburg museums: **German Tin Soldier Museum in the

, with more than 300,000 tin figures **

Frederick the Great Frederick II (; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was the monarch of Prussia from 1740 until his death in 1786. He was the last Hohenzollern monarch titled ''King in Prussia'', declaring himself ''King of Prussia'' after annexing Royal Prussia ...

Army Museum (''Armeemuseum Friedrich der Große'') **Upper Main Landscape Museum (''Landschaftsmuseum Obermain'') with a replica of the Ebstorf Map, and displays covering the ''Reformation'', the ''Destruction of Kulmbach in 1553'' and the ''Reconstruction of the Old Residenz Town''. In the ''Pörbitsch Treasure'', discovered in 1912, during construction work, there are gold and silver dishes belonging to the wealthy merchant family, ''Gutteter'' that had it buried in their garden during the Thirty Years War. * The Public Bath House (''Badhaus'') is one of eight scientifically researched public baths in Germany. The bathing hall, changing and rest rooms, pre-bath and boiler room have been restored and give an impression of bathing in the Middle Ages. On an open gallery on the upper floor works by young artists in the region are exhibited. *Bavarian Brewery and Bakery Museum (''Bayerisches Brauerei- und Bäckereimuseum''). Beer has been brewed in Kulmbach's ''Mönchshof'' ("monastery") for over 600 years. On the site of the former Mönchshof Brewery, there is now the Mönchshof Restaurant with a large beer garden and the museum. Various information boards and historical machinery, bottles and other equipment give an insight into Bavarian brewing. The museum itself is in a small glass brewery. Visitors are given a small (0.2 litre) glass of museum beer at the end of their visit. * Alter Friedhof Open-Air Museum (''Freilichtmuseum "Alter Friedhof"'')

Buildings

* The

is one of the greatest

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

castles in Germany. It is also the origin of the legend of the White Lady. * Kulmbach's town hall (''Rathaus'') was built in 1752. Plans for the

rococo Rococo, less commonly Roccoco ( , ; or ), also known as Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and dramatic style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpte ...

façade came from Bayreuth's royal master builder, Joseph Saint-Pierre. The previous town hall, later demolished, dated to the period between 1500 and 1530 and was destroyed during the Second Margrave War. * The Public Bath House (''Badhaus'') is first mentioned in the records in 1398. It was scientifically researched and restored. Today part of the building serves as an art gallery. * The White Tower was built in the 14th century to protect the town wall. Its present appearance dates to the 17th century. The tower was used until the 19th century as a debtors' prison. As part of Kulmbach's town wall the White Tower belongs to the town fortifications of the early 14th century. Like the neighbouring fortified tower of ''Bürgerloch'', the White Tower is a double-towered gateway.Kulmbach points of interest
at Bayern Online * The Luitpold fountain was built in 1898 to a design by architect, Martin Düfler. Previously the Zinnsfeld fountain, built in 1660 and symbolising the town's market freedoms, stood on the same spot. It is now in the ''Holzmarkt''. During the Nazi era the fountain was dismantled and stored, but rebuilt in 1994. Surrounded by the town hall, market square, numerous cafés and shops it forms one of the social centrepieces of Kulmbach. * The Red Tower goes back to around 1300 and was part of the old town fortifications. One feature is its roof construction with a curved spire. * St. Peter's Church (''Petrikirche'') is a former

fortified church A fortified church is a church that is built to serve a defensive role in times of war. Such church (building), churches were specially designed to incorporate military features, such as thick walls, battlements, and embrasures. Others, such as t ...

, whose origins are uncertain. The church tower used to act as a cannon platform, it was later given a pointed roof. After the Hussite War of 1439 it was remodelled as a Late Gothic hall church. In 1878/80 the interior was decorated in the

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

style. Noteworthy are the altar by Brenk and Schlehdorn, and numerous valuable paintings. It is also the basilica of the Hohenzollern rulers. * The hospital church (''Spitalkirche'') was built in 1738/1739 on the site of St. Elizabeth's Chapel. * The Langheim Amtshof was built at the end of the 17th century by Leonhard Dientzenhofer. Today it is an educational establishment for the Academy for New Media and technical high school for

pharmacy technician A pharmacy technician (PhT) performs pharmacy-related functions including but not limited to filling out prescription medications. Training, certification, licensing, and actual practice of pharmacy technicians varies not only worldwide but in s ...

s. * The Heilingschwert Tower from the 14th century is a round "shell tower" (''Schalenturm''), part of the town fortifications on the ''Schießgraben''. * The old cemetery with its many gravestones that underpin the history of the town. In front of the old cemetery on the main road is a memorial to the fallen. * The ''Burggüter'' or fortified buildings of Kulmbach File:Roterturmku.jpg, The Red Tower File:Petrikircheku.JPG, St. Peter's

Regular events

* ''Volksfest'' ("Folk festival") in April on the ''Festplatz'' at the ''Schwedensteg'' * The Bavarian Police organize a motorcycle rally to Kulmbach every spring in collaboration with Radio Antenne Bayern. It is the largest motorcycle meeting in southern Germany and the tenth one took place in 2010. * The Kulmbach ''Volksfest'' in May * The three-day ''Altstadtfest'' ("old town festival") in June in wide areas of the town centre (''Innenstadt''). * The ''Blaicher Kerwa'' in June * On St. Gregori's Day in July schoolchildren from all of Kulmbach's primary schools assemble in the town square (''Rathausplatz'') and celebrate the Gregori Festival. * Since 1939 the ''Kulmbach Beer Week'' has been staged at the end of July and beginning of August by the brewery, '' Kulmbacher Brauerei''. The brewery, one of the largest in Germany, was founded in Kulmbach and made it famous for its beer. The town is also known as "The secret capital of beer". * On Christmas Eve the townsfolk and former townsfolk of Kulmbach meet in the morning for '' Frühschoppen'' in the Upper Town (''Oberen Stadt''). The roads are closed and several thousand visitors go in order to meet friends and relatives whom they have not seen for a long time.

Transport

* Kulmbach station on the

Bamberg–Hof railway The Bamberg–Hof railway is a -long main line that runs through Bavaria in southern Germany. The line runs from Bamberg via Lichtenfels, Kulmbach, Neuenmarkt- Wirsberg and Münchberg to Hof. The section from Hof to Neuenmarkt now forms par ...

, with rail connections to Hof,

and Lichtenfels. Kulmbach was also the terminus of the former Bayreuth Altstadt–Kulmbach railway. * Junctions on the B 85 ( Berga/Elster–

Passau Passau (; ) is a city in Lower Bavaria, Germany. It is also known as the ("City of Three Rivers"), as the river Danube is joined by the Inn (river), Inn from the south and the Ilz from the north. Passau's population is about 50,000, of whom ...

), B 289 (

Coburg Coburg ( , ) is a Town#Germany, town located on the Itz (river), Itz river in the Upper Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany. Long part of one of the Thuringian states of the Ernestine duchies, Wettin line, it joined Bavaria by popular vote only ...

– Rehau) and six kilometres () away near Untersteinach B 303 (

Schweinfurt Schweinfurt ( , ; ) is a town#Germany, city in the district of Lower Franconia in Bavaria, Germany. It is the administrative centre of the surrounding Schweinfurt (district), district (''Landkreis'') of Schweinfurt and a major industrial, cultur ...

–

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 ...

– Schirnding) federal roads, as well as on the A 9 (

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

–

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

) and A 70 motorways (

–

) * Kulmbach Airfield ( above NN) with asphalt runway () about north of Kulmbach ( above NN).

Economy

Kulmbach has traditionally been a manufacturing base for the drinks and food industry. Relatively recently it has become a home to biotechnical

pharmaceuticals Medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal product, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy ( pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the ...

in the shape of ''Roche Kulmbach GmbH (previously Alnylam Europe AG)'', as well as the construction and management of hot water and air conditioning equipment, heat pumps, storage and direct heating equipment, such as that made by Glen Dimplex. "AGO" specialises in biomasse and

cogeneration Cogeneration or combined heat and power (CHP) is the use of a heat engine or power station to generate electricity and useful heat at the same time. Cogeneration is a more efficient use of fuel or heat, because otherwise- wasted heat from elec ...

power stations.

Notable people

*John Charles Meussdorffer I ( 1823–1894), created one of the first hat manufacturing businesses in San Francisco * Friedrich Sesselmann (c. 1410– 1483), 1445–83 chancellor of the Electorate of

Brandenburg Brandenburg, officially the State of Brandenburg, is a States of Germany, state in northeastern Germany. Brandenburg borders Poland and the states of Berlin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony. It is the List of Ger ...

, 1455–83 Bishop of

Lebus Lebus () is a historic town in the Märkisch-Oderland District of Brandenburg, Germany. It is the administrative seat of ''Amt'' ("collective municipality") Amt Lebus, Lebus. The town, located on the west bank of the Oder river at the border with ...

*Kaspar Preyel (?–1517), 1504–17

auxiliary bishop An auxiliary bishop is a bishop assigned to assist the diocesan bishop in meeting the pastoral and administrative needs of the diocese. Auxiliary bishops can also be titular bishops of sees that no longer exist as territorial jurisdictions. ...

in Bamberg and

titular bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

of ''Athyra'' (appointed by

Pope Julius II Pope Julius II (; ; born Giuliano della Rovere; 5 December 144321 February 1513) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1503 to his death, in February 1513. Nicknamed the Warrior Pope, the Battle Pope or the Fearsome ...

) *Pankraz Gutteter (1472–1532), long-distance trader *Hans Suess, also Hans von Kulmbach (c. 1480 – c. 1522), artist and graphic designer of the

Albrecht Dürer Albrecht Dürer ( , ;; 21 May 1471 – 6 April 1528),Müller, Peter O. (1993) ''Substantiv-Derivation in Den Schriften Albrecht Dürers'', Walter de Gruyter. . sometimes spelled in English as Durer or Duerer, was a German painter, Old master prin ...

school * Ludwig Agricola (c. 1508 – c. 1540), theologian, reformer * Caspar Vischer (c. 1510–1579), senior builder and engineer for the margrave, George Frederick, during the rebuilding of the

; heavily involved in the rebuilding of Kulmbach after its devastation in the Second Margrave War *Jakob Ellrod (1601–1671), priest, astronomer and mathematician, ancestor of the '' Reichsfreiherr'' family of Ellrod * Sigmund Theophil Staden (1607–1655), organist, composer, wait, artist and poet *Johann Georg Hoffmann (1705–1778), castle master builder * Johann Peter Apollonius Weltrich (1781–1850), treasurer, carried out historic and scientific research * Gottlieb Keim (1783–1868), politician * Alexander von Hanstein, Count of Pölzig and Beiersdorf (1804–1884), second husband to Louise of Saxe-Gotha, stepfather to Prince Albert *Johann Adam Ries (1813–1898), coin engraver, punchcutter and graphic designer at the Münzhof in Munich * Johann Gramp (1819–1903) vigneron and pioneer,

Barossa Valley The Barossa Valley (Barossa German: ''Barossa Tal'') is a valley in South Australia located northeast of Adelaide city centre. The valley is formed by the North Para River. It is notable as a major list of wine-producing regions, wine-producin ...

, Australia *Fritz Huther (1827–1899), artist and Kunsterzieher *Johann Karl Hetz (1828–1899), artist, professor and teacher in Munich * Johann Christoph Lauterbach (1832–1918), violin virtuoso, concertmaster, conservatorium teacher, privy councillor in Dresden *Johannes Kaulfuß (1859–1947), scientist, specialist in

moss Mosses are small, non-vascular plant, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic phylum, division Bryophyta (, ) ''sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Wilhelm Philippe Schimper, Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryo ...

es and

lichen A lichen ( , ) is a hybrid colony (biology), colony of algae or cyanobacteria living symbiotically among hypha, filaments of multiple fungus species, along with yeasts and bacteria embedded in the cortex or "skin", in a mutualism (biology), m ...

s *Michel Weiß (1867–1951), artist, numerous paintings of Kulmbach and its countryside * Hans Wilsdorf (1881–1960), businessman, founder of

Rolex Rolex () is a Swiss watch brand and manufacturer based in Geneva, Switzerland. Founded in 1905 as ''Wilsdorf and Davis'' by German businessman Hans Wilsdorf and his eventual brother-in-law Alfred Davis in London, the company registered ''Rolex ...

* Georg Hagen (1887–1958), politician ( SPD) * Fritz Schuberth (1897–1977), politician (

) and SS Oberführer * Nikolaus Wehner (1901–1942), politician (NSDAP) * Philipp Zeitler (1901–1984), alderman of Würzburg *Wilhelm Murrmann (1907–1975), lord mayor (F WG) * Karl Herold (1921–1977), politician (SPD) * Horst Lohse (born 1943), composer, founder and artistic director of the “Days of New Music” in Bamberg * Heiner Keupp (born 1943), social psychologist and professor *Philipp Simon Goletz alias Frankensima (born 27 September 1954), entertainer, author and musician * Jürgen Teipel (born 1961), journalist and playwrightBedeutende Kulmbacher
auf der städtischen Homepage * Bernd Förtsch (born 1962), founder and owner of the trade magazine '' Der Aktionär'', operator of the '' Deutschen Anleger Fernsehens DAF'' *Alexander Herrmann (born 1971), celebrity and TV chef * Mirjam Schmidt (born 1977), German politician * Christopher Haase (born 1987), racing driver

Associated to Kulmbach

* Matthias Tretzscher (1626–1686), organ maker * Johann Christoph Stierlein (1759–1827), cartographer * Caspar Walter Rauh (1912–1983), artist and illustrator, lived in Kulmbach from 1955 * Thomas Gottschalk (born 1950), TV presenter * Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg (born 1971), former Federal Minister for Defence, represented the district in the

Bundestag The Bundestag (, "Federal Diet (assembly), Diet") is the lower house of the Germany, German Federalism in Germany, federal parliament. It is the only constitutional body of the federation directly elected by the German people. The Bundestag wa ...

from 2002 until March 2011

Honorary citizens

See List of honorary citizens of Kulmbach

Margraves of Brandenburg-Kulmbach

See Hohenzollern or Brandenburg-Kulmbach

References

Sources

* ''Deutscher Städteatlas'' (1989). Band: IV; 9 Teilband. Acta Collegii Historiae Urbanae Societatis Historicorum Internationalis - Serie C. Im Auftrag des Kuratoriums für vergleichende Städtegeschichte e.V. und mit Unterstützung der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft, hrsg. von Heinz Stoob †, Wilfried Ehbrecht, Jürgen Lafrenz und Peter Johannek. Stadtmappe Kulmbach, Author: Friedrich Bernward Fahlbusch. , Dortmund-Altenbeken 1989. * Bogner, Franz X. (2006). Der Obermain. Ein Luftbildporträt von Bayreuth bis Bamberg. Ellwanger-Verlag, Bayreuth, .

External links

*
From the History of Kulmbach (Upper Main Landscape Museum)

* * History of Kulmbach

{{Authority control Kulmbach (district)