MITTELFRANKEN

English Middle Franconia Regierungsbezirk (administrative district), west-central Bavaria Land (state), southern Germany. Mittelfranken is bordered by Baden-Wrttemberg Land to the west and the Regierungsbezirke of Unterfranken (Lower Franconia) and Oberfranken (Upper Franconia) to the north, Oberpfalz (Upper Palatinate) to the east, and Oberbayern (Upper Bavaria) and Schwaben (Swabia) to the south. The district is coextensive with the larger historic region of Franconia (q.v.). The Bavarian Regierungsbezirke of Mittelfranken, Oberfranken, and Unterfranken were first created as provinces of the kingdom of Bavaria in 1837 by King Louis I. The Franconian Terrace, composed of the Steiger Forest and the Franconian Heights in western Mittelfranken, is a prominent north-south sandstone scarp averaging 1,600 feet (500 m) in elevation. Many rivers originate in the Franconian Heights and traverse the terrace through broad flat valleys, most importantly the southeast-flowing Altmhl. Coniferous forest is dominant on the sandstone surface that slopes gradually to the east and merges into the Middle Franconian Basin. Ansbach, located on the Rezat River, is the chief centre of the thinly populated terrace slopes and serves as the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk. The city is an important rail-and-road junction and produces electronics equipment, foodstuffs, and plastic articles. The Rednitz River rises in the mountainous Franconian Jura near the district's southern border and flows northward across the Middle Franconian Basin of eastern Mittelfranken. The cities of Nrnberg, Erlangen, and Frth are located on a wide plain of glacial deposits at the confluence of the Rednitz and the westward-flowing Pegnitz River. Sheltered by the hills of the Franconian Terrace to the west, the basin receives only 28 inches (700 mm) of rain per year, and its climate is almost continental. Cultivated land predominates over woodland, and the most important agricultural area of the basin is the Rangau, an intensive hop-growing district centred between the towns of Schwabach and Weissenburg. Wheat, barley, and rye also are produced, and intensive market gardening is found immediately outside Nrnberg. Along the eastern border of Mittelfranken, the steep limestone scarp of the Franconian Jura plateau faces west toward the Middle Franconian Basin. The town of Hersbruck, situated at the base of the scarp in the sharply indented Pegnitz River valley, is well known for its beautiful scenery. Nrnberg, Erlangen, and Frth form Bavaria's second largest urban agglomeration and are exceeded in regional importance only by Munich. Industry in Mittelfranken is heavily concentrated in the three cities and radiates south and east along the Rednitz and Pegnitz rivers. Nrnberg is one of Germany's leading centres of electrical manufacture and also produces many types of machinery, from heavy equipment to precision instruments. The Nrnberg toy industry enjoys an international reputation for quality and selection. Frth specializes in the electrical and chemical industries and manufactures toys, clothing, and metal products. Electrical engineering is the leading industry in Erlangen. Each city has a modern port facility that is on or linked to the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal. The small medieval towns of Rothenburg and Dinkelsbhl have surrounding walls and watchtowers that are almost completely preserved. Nrnberg also has a picturesque circuit of medieval walls surrounding the old city, which is home to an imperial castle where the German kings resided from 1050 to 1571. The people of Mittelfranken speak Franconian, one of the three main German dialects in Bavaria. The population is predominantly Protestant. Higher education in the Regierungsbezirk is centred at the Friedrich Alexander University of Erlangen-Nrnberg (founded 1743). Area 2,798 square miles (7,246 square km). Pop. (1994 est.) 1,652,236.