ANSBACH

formerly Anspach, city, Bayern Land (state), southern Germany, on the Rezat River, southwest of Nrnberg. It originated around the Benedictine monastery of Onolzbach (founded 748) and was sold to a Franconian branch of the Hohenzollern line (later margraves of Brandenburg-Ansbach-Bayreuth) in 1331. It passed to Prussia in 1791 and to Bavaria in 1806. Queen Caroline, consort of George II of Great Britain, was born there in 1683, and there is a memorial to Kaspar Hauser (a mysterious youth reputed to be the hereditary prince of Baden), who died there in 1833. Notable buildings in Ansbach include the 12th-century Romanesque Church of St. Gumbertus (which has been restored in the Baroque style) and the palace of the margraves (171332), with a fine park. The biennial International Bach Week at Ansbach begins in late July. A rail and road junction, Ansbach has printing, metal, textile, plastic, cardboard, and leather industries. Pop. (1989 est.) 36,912.