Pottenstein is a town in the district of Bayreuth, 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 is situated 23 km southwest 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 ...

, and 26 km 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 ...

History

During World War II, a subcamp of

Flossenbürg concentration camp Flossenbürg was a Nazi concentration camp built in May 1938 by the SS Main Economic and Administrative Office. Unlike other concentration camps, it was located in a remote area, in the Fichtel Mountains of Bavaria, adjacent to the town of Flos ...

was located here.

Geography

The city of Pottenstein, altitude 350–614 m AMSL, with its nearly 1,500 inhabitants, is a health-resort in

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 ...

. It nestles at the convergence of the Püttlach, Weihersbach and Haselbrunn valleys surrounded by high cliffs and at the foot of the 1000-year-old

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

, which has played an important role throughout the city's history.

Mayors

Since 2002 Stefan Frühbeißer (CWU-UWV) has been the mayor of Pottenstein. His predecessor was Dieter Bauernschmitt (CSU), who was in office for 12 years.Ein Pottensteiner Urgestein feiert seinen 70.
bei nordbayern.de, retrieved 14 December 2015. From 1935 to 1945 and again from 1953 to 1972 Hans Dippold was the mayor of Pottenstein. The farmer and restaurant keeper joined the

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

in 1931.

Tourist attractions

Saint Elisabeth, widow of Ludwig IV, Landgrave of Thuringia, was held hostage within its walls from 1228 to 1229. Many buildings bear her name today. According to legend, while she was being threatened, the eggs and lard in her basket were transformed into beautiful roses — a local adaptation of the famous Miracle of the Roses. Since 2004 there has been a marked walking route through the town, known as the "Elisabeth Route". The market square, with its statue of Saint Elisabeth, the Catholic Church, shops, restaurants, and hotels form the central area of the city. Guest accommodations are mostly in the residential areas, in the valleys leading out of the centre of town, and in and above the cliffs overlooking the town. Easily reached from all the residential areas is the health centre with its massage department/medical swim therapy department, station for respiratory illnesses in Devil's Cave, the Kneipp facility, the tourist information centre, the park, putting green, tennis courts, Schöngrund Lake with its rowing boats and pedalos, the summer bobsleigh route, the "Felsenbad" (between the rocks), and golf course. There are 450 kilometres of marked paths for walking.

Sons and daughters of the town

* Johann Baptist Reus (1868-1947), Jesuit and mystic

Gallery

File:Pottenstein Bayern Rathaus.jpg, City Hall in Pottenstein File:Pottenstein Strasse.jpg, Main Street in Pottenstein File:Pottenstein-gg-03.jpg, Pottenstein Castle File:Pottenstein-gg-02.jpg, Yearly resolution of the Eternal Adoration (The Festival of Lights)

References

External links

Municipality website
{{Authority control Bayreuth (district) Franconian Switzerland