AMBERG

city, Bayern Land (Bavaria state), southeastern Germany, on the Vils River, in the foothills of the Franconian Jura and Bayernwald (Bavarian Forest), southeast of Nrnberg. First mentioned in 1034, it was a court town with considerable trade (in iron and tinplate) and industry in the 14th16th century. The ducal residence (until 1621) and the capital (until 1810) of the Upper Palatinate, it had many trading and shipping privileges and was considered one of the strongest fortified towns in medieval Germany. The old walls and town gates still stand. In 1796 the Austrians under Archduke Charles decisively defeated the French under Gen. (later Marshal) Jean-Baptiste Jourdan there; the battle is recorded on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. The 15th-century town hall, the ducal castle, and the electoral palace are among many surviving medieval and Baroque buildings. St. Martin's Church (1421), St. George's (14th century, transformed into Baroque in the 18th century), and the pilgrimage church (16971702) on the Mariahilfberg are also notable. The state archives for the Upper Palatinate as well as the municipal archives are in Amberg, and there is a fine provincial library (founded 1730). Amberg's diversified industries include iron-ore mining and working, glass grinding, enamelling, porcelain and brick works and breweries. Pop. (1989 est.) 42,246.