OBERFRANKEN

English Upper Franconia Regierungsbezirk (administrative district), northeastern Bavaria Land (state), east-central Germany. Oberfranken is bordered by Thuringia and Saxony Lnder to the north, the Czech Republic to the east, and the Regierungsbezirke of Oberpfalz (Upper Palatinate) to the southeast, Mittelfranken (Middle Franconia) to the south, and Unterfranken (Lower Franconia) to the west. The district occupies an area of 2,792 square miles (7,231 square km) and is coextensive with the larger historic region of Franconia (q.v.). The region derives its name from that of the Franks, a Germanic people who forcibly settled territory extending from the Rhineland eastward along the Main River as far as the Fichtel Hills (a mountainous plateau) from the early 6th century AD. These lands were split into East Franconia and West or Rhenish Franconia. By the 12th century, following further territorial changes, the name Franconia had come to refer only to the eastern division. In Napoleon's 1806 reorganization of Germany, East Franconia was divided between the kingdoms of Bavaria and Wrttemberg and the grand duchy of Baden. The current Bavarian Regierungsbezirke of Oberfranken, Mittelfranken, and Unterfranken were first created as provinces of the kingdom of Bavaria in 1837 by King Louis I. The northern Middle Franconian Basin, predominantly cultivated land mixed with forest, extends along the Regnitz and Main river valleys in western Oberfranken. Among the leading agricultural areas of the basin is the fruit-growing Bamberger Region, located near Bamberg, the largest city. Rising to the east is the Franconian Jura, a sparsely populated plateau of Jurassic limestones and dolomites (those that are 144 million to 208 million years old) covered with conifer and beech forests, juniper heath, and stretches of marginal agricultural land. A special attraction for tourists is Franconian Switzerland, a scenic region of karst landscape characterized by sinkholes, caves, and krags dominated by medieval castle ruins. The Upper Main Upland, a wide and relatively fertile valley drained by the Roter (Red) and Weisser (White) Main rivers, lies east of the Franconian Jura at the base of the East Bavarian border hills. Bayreuth, which is the administrative seat of Oberfranken, and Kulmbach are the principal cities of the region. The Franconian Forest, a hilly highland plateau of gneiss and schists, occupies northeastern Oberfranken between the Thuringian Forest and the Fichtel Hills. The plateau is drained by the Hasslach and Rodach rivers, tributaries of the Main, and by the north-flowing Selbitz and Saale rivers. Interspersed within the coniferous forest of the plateau are meadow and areas of heath and bog. Franconia's traditional industries produce textiles, ceramics, and wood products. Developing new industries include the production of electrical equipment and fine machinery. Hof, the industrial and commercial centre of the Franconian Forest, manufactures textiles and clothing, metal products, and beer. Situated at the convergence of the Franconian Forest, the Oberpfalz part of the Bohemian Forest, and the Erzgebirge (Ore Mountains, of eastern Germany and the Czech Republic) is the Fichtel Hills, a rectangular plateau. Highland masses, including Schnee Hill, which rises to a height of 3,448 feet (1,051 m), form a horseshoe periphery around the lower plateau platform. Gneiss and granite rock formations, spruce forests, and bogs characterize the highlands. The more densely populated interior has been cleared of forest and is dominated by a pastoral economy supplemented with ceramics, wood, and granite-quarrying industries and, more recently, the tourist trade. Selb is the chief town of the Fichtel Hills and the centre of the porcelain industry in Germany. Bamberg, the leading industrial city of Oberfranken, also serves as an important transportation junction, given its location on the Main-Danube Canal paralleling the Regnitz River. The city manufactures electrical equipment, textiles and clothing, machinery, and rubber products and has numerous breweries. In the Upper Main Upland, Bayreuth produces textiles, machinery, and electrical products, while Kulmbach specializes in textiles, machinery, and the brewing industry. The people of Oberfranken speak Franconian, one of three main German dialects in Bavaria. The rural housing pattern in the Middle Franconian Basin is one of large irregular villages. Village farmsteads consist of two or more buildings set around a rectangular courtyard entered through a gateway. The houses face the street and are generally a twostory, half-timbered design with steep roofs. In the highlands to the east, separate farms and small hamlets are commonly found. Higher education in the Regierungsbezirk is centred at the Universitt Bayreuth, founded in 1972, and at the Gesamthochschule Bamberg, a university-level institution for advanced technical training. Bayreuth is best known as the home of composer Richard Wagner's Festspielhaus (Festival Theatre), built in 187276, and as the site of the Wagner Festival held annually from late July through August. The population of Oberfranken is predominantly Protestant. Pop. (1989 est.) 1,039,232.