Emergency money printed by the city in 1920 with the woodcut by Hans Glaser thumb , Tinted element of the woodcut with a depiction of Henry IV of Plauen The siege of Hof was an event of the

Second Margrave War The Second Margrave War () was a conflict in the Holy Roman Empire between 1552 and 1555. Instigated by Albert Alcibiades, Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach and Brandenburg-Bayreuth, who was attempting to form a Duchy of Franconia under his ru ...

. The city of Hof was successfully besieged in 1553 by the opponents of the Margrave Albert II Alcibiades of Brandenburg-Kulmbach.

Background

In the wake of the Second Margrave War and the Princes' uprising, Albert Alcibiades was feuding not only with his neighbors, including

Würzburg Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is, after Nuremberg and Fürth, the Franconia#Towns and cities, third-largest city in Franconia located in the north of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. It sp ...

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 ...

, and

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 ...

, but also with distant prince-bishops and princes. After the questions of faith, which had played a crucial role in the Prince's rebellion, had been resolved in the negotiations which resulted in the

Peace of Passau The Peace of Passau was an attempt to resolve religious tensions in the Holy Roman Empire. After Emperor Charles V won a victory against Protestant forces in the Schmalkaldic War of 1547, he implemented the Augsburg Interim, which largely reaffi ...

, Albert II Alcibiades continued his military operations unabated, thereby isolated himself from his former allies. He could not keep the advantages he had gained over his neighbors permanently. The war gradually moved into his own country, the margraviate of

Brandenburg-Kulmbach 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 Frederic ...

(for example, the Siege of Kulmbach and the Plassenburg), and this eventually led to the Margrave's defeat. Despite losing the war, the

House of Hohenzollern The House of Hohenzollern (, ; , ; ) is a formerly royal (and from 1871 to 1918, imperial) German dynasty whose members were variously princes, Prince-elector, electors, kings and emperors of Hohenzollern Castle, Hohenzollern, Margraviate of Bran ...

succeeded in keeping the war-torn Margraviate and Albert Alcibiades was succeeded as Margrave by his cousin George Frederick. The siege of the city of Hof had been documented in extraordinary detail by the historian Jacob Schlemmer. The key events are summarized in a woodcut by the Nuremberg artist Hans Glaser. Among the leaders of the attackers were Henry IV of Plauen and

Georg Wolf of Kotzau Georg Wolf of Kotzau, nicknamed ''the rich'' (died 1560) was an Imperial Knight and ''Amtmann'' and Governor. Georg Wolf of Kotzau was a member of the ancient knightly family of Kotzau. According to the genealogists Alban of Dobeneck, Georg W ...

, who remained after the siege as the governor of Hof. Hof Castle was part of the city's defensive system, along with the city wall. The nuns of the Monastery Hof, led by Abbess Amalie of Hirschberg, had escaped to

Cheb Cheb (; ) is a town in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 33,000 inhabitants. It lies on the Ohře River. Before the Expulsion of Germans from Czechoslovakia, expulsion of Germans in 1945, the town was the centre of the G ...

(). The Church of St. Lorenz was looted and burned during the siege. The Watch Tower, although of little strategic importance, also burned out. The Hospital Church was used as a war camp by the attackers, and was therefore attacked and destroyed by the city's defenders.

Exhibition

In the Bavarian Vogtland Museum in Hof, a scale model of the city at the time of the siege, is on display. Prominent buildings, streets, the fortifications and the city limits at the time, are reproduced very accurately. In coöperation with the

German Figurine Museum German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

at the

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 ...

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 ...

, a

Diorama A diorama is a replica of a scene, typically a three-dimensional model either full-sized or miniature. Sometimes dioramas are enclosed in a glass showcase at a museum. Dioramas are often built by hobbyists as part of related hobbies like mili ...

of the assailants has been put on display, and also some equipment of the soldiers. Stone cannonballs are embedded into the walls of several buildings within the walled city, including the St. Michael's Church. File: Kugel Michaelis 030.JPG , Cannonball as a part of the wall at the tower of St. Michael's (left) File: Kugel Michaelis 029.JPG , Magnification of this cannonball in the tower File: Michaelis Rueckseite 041.JPG , Rear of St. Michael's with a cannon ball in the top right of window arch File: Michaelis Kugel 039.JPG , Magnification of the cannonball in the window frame

References and sources

* Kurt Stierstorfer: ''Die Belagerung Hofs 1553'', Hof, 2003, . * Kurt Stiersdorfer, Walter Wirth (eds.): ''Jacob Schlemmer - Historia des Markgrafenkrieges und der Belagerung Hofs'', Hof, 2011, . {{coord missing, Bavaria 1553 in the Holy Roman Empire 1550s in the Holy Roman Empire 16th century in Bavaria Hof 1553 in military history Hof Hof