Bad Berneck
Encyclopedia
Bad Berneck is a spa town in the district of Bayreuth
, in Bavaria
, Germany
. It is situated on the White Main
river, in the Fichtelgebirge
mountains, 13 km northeast of Bayreuth. Its official title is Bad Berneck im Fichtelgebirge. It lies in the northern part of the Bavarian province of Upper Franconia
. Since 1857 it has been a spa, initially based on its climate and whey
products. In 1930 it became a Kneipp spa and, in 1950, a Kneipp health spa.
in the Ölschnitz
valley, which enters the White Main
below the old town or Altstadt. The Mainberg (624 m above NN) and Wolfenberg (598 m above NN) are the highest peaks in the parish.
, Goldkronach
, Bindlach
, Harsdorf
, Himmelkron
and Marktschorgast
. The town of Bayreuth is about 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) from Bad Berneck.
and later the counts of Andechs. In 1167 Berneck was first mentioned as a castle, built by Ulrich II Walpote of Berneck, without obtaining the approval of the Bishop of Bamberg.
Until 1202 Berneck was under Bamberg rule. From 1203 to 1248 it belonged again to the counts of Andechs-Merania. In 1248, following the extinction of House of Merania, it fell to the counts of Orlamünde and in 1341 to the burgraves of Nuremberg (and, later, the margraves of Brandenburg-Bayreuth
). It is first recorded as a town in 18 November 1357. In 1375 Berneck was almost completely burned down and it was destroyed by fire again in 1431 and 1462 during the Hussite Wars
. Plague and famine
also struck the town.
In 1478 the Marquis gave Berneck to Veit von Wallenroth with the stipulation that the fortifications were to be rebuilt. The castle of Hohenberneck was built. In 1495 the town had 204 residents in 76 households. After the death of Veit von Wallenroth the place went to Albert of Wirsberg, the mayor
(Amtmann) of Stein. He further fortified the now ruined stronghold and the family acted as a robber barons
against Nuremberg. The latter had the castle bombarded into ruins in 1533.
In 1632, in the middle of the Thirty Years War the place was razed. This happened again on 13 May 1692 - only five houses and a mill were spared.
In 1724, 15 gypsy women were hanged and buried under the Gypsy Oak (Zigeunereiche). The men had fled. The survivors were driven across the border.
In 1732 Margrave George Frederick Charles of Brandenburg-Bayreuth had pearl oysters introduced into the Ölschnitz
, probably to supplement the state's finances
In the wars of 1796-1815 the small town had to pay several contribution
s and provide billeting. In 1806 Blücher
visited Berneck and the Blüchersruh was named after him. The former office (Amt) of the Prussian principality of Bayreuth, established since 1792, fell to France
in 1807 as a result of the Treaty of Tilsit and, in 1810, went to Bavaria. Around 1830 the first spa business was established (based on whey
products). Within Bavaria, Berneck was initially the seat of a regional court (Landgericht), later a district office (Bezirksamt). The territory of the district was affiliated to the neighbouring district offices of Bayreuth, Kulmbach
and Münchberg
. The majority of the Amt territory was controlled by the district office at Bayreuth. In 1896 it was connected to the railway network.
On 1 October 1929 the district of Berneck was dissolved. In the 1930s, Adolf Hitler
spent the night in the then fashionable Bube Hotel on several occasions during the festival in Bayreuth.
In 1930, Kneipp cures were introduced and its recognition as a spa came in 1950. However since the 1970s, its role as a spa has tailed off considerably.
The mayor (Bürgermeister) is Jürgen Zinnert (SPD), and the deputy mayor is Alexander Popp from the FWG.
(Kronach
-Eger) federal highways. Bad Berneck is connected to the motorway network via the junction of Berneck/Himmelkron (5 km distant on the A 9 and A 70 motorways. The nearest railway stations are located in Marktschorgast
, Neuenmarkt
and Bayreuth.
Bayreuth (district)
Bayreuth is a district in Bavaria, Germany. It surrounds, but does not include the city of Bayreuth. The district is bounded by the districts of Kulmbach, Hof, Wunsiedel, Tirschenreuth, Neustadt/Waldnaab, Amberg-Sulzbach, Nürnberger Land, Forchheim and Bamberg.-History:The district was established...
, in Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It is situated on the White Main
White Main
The White Main |Weismain]]), is the larger and shorter of the two headstreams of the River Main. It rises in the Fichtelgebirge and merges near Steinenhausen, southwest of Kulmbach, with the left-hand, southern headstream, the Red Main, to form the Main. The length of the White Main is variously...
river, in the Fichtelgebirge
Fichtelgebirge
The Fichtelgebirge is a mountain range in northeastern Bavaria, Germany. It extends from the valley of the Red Main River to the Czech border, a few foothills spilling over into the Czech Republic. It continues in a northeastern direction as the Ore Mountains, and in a southeastern direction as...
mountains, 13 km northeast of Bayreuth. Its official title is Bad Berneck im Fichtelgebirge. It lies in the northern part of the Bavarian province of Upper Franconia
Upper Franconia
Upper Franconia is a Regierungsbezirk of the state of Bavaria, southern Germany. It forms part of the historically significant region of Franconia , all now part of the German Federal State of Bayern .With more than 200 independent breweries which brew...
. Since 1857 it has been a spa, initially based on its climate and whey
Whey
Whey or Milk Serum is the liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained. It is a by-product of the manufacture of cheese or casein and has several commercial uses. Sweet whey is manufactured during the making of rennet types of hard cheese like cheddar or Swiss cheese...
products. In 1930 it became a Kneipp spa and, in 1950, a Kneipp health spa.
Geography
The town of Bad Berneck lies on the western edge of the FichtelgebirgeFichtelgebirge
The Fichtelgebirge is a mountain range in northeastern Bavaria, Germany. It extends from the valley of the Red Main River to the Czech border, a few foothills spilling over into the Czech Republic. It continues in a northeastern direction as the Ore Mountains, and in a southeastern direction as...
in the Ölschnitz
Ölschnitz (White Main)
The Ölschnitz is a right-bank, northern headstream of the White Main in the German state of Bavaria. It is long.- Course :The Ölschnitz has its source at an impoundment and granite well stone in Solg, a village in the borough of Münchberg. It discharges into the White Main near...
valley, which enters the White Main
White Main
The White Main |Weismain]]), is the larger and shorter of the two headstreams of the River Main. It rises in the Fichtelgebirge and merges near Steinenhausen, southwest of Kulmbach, with the left-hand, southern headstream, the Red Main, to form the Main. The length of the White Main is variously...
below the old town or Altstadt. The Mainberg (624 m above NN) and Wolfenberg (598 m above NN) are the highest peaks in the parish.
Neighbouring communities
Bad Berneck's neighbouring parishes (in clockwise order) are: GefreesGefrees
Gefrees is a town in the district of Bayreuth, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated in the Fichtelgebirge, 21 km northeast of Bayreuth. It was the site a of battle during the Napoleonic Wars....
, Goldkronach
Goldkronach
Goldkronach is a town in the district of Bayreuth, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated near the Fichtelgebirge, 12 km northeast of Bayreuth.-History:On 25 June 1836, at 22:15, residents awoke to a man yelling "Fire! Fire!"...
, Bindlach
Bindlach
Bindlach is a municipality in the district of Bayreuth in Upper Franconia in Bavaria, Germany. The town is adjacent immediately north of the town of Bayreuth. The population count of December 2006 was 7197 inhabitants.-History:...
, Harsdorf
Harsdorf
Harsdorf is a municipality in the district of Kulmbach in Bavaria in Germany.-City arrangement:Harsdorf is arranged in the following boroughs:...
, Himmelkron
Himmelkron
Himmelkron is a municipality in the district of Kulmbach in Bavaria in Germany.-City arrangement:Himmelkron is arranged in the following boroughs:* Gössenreuth* Himmelkron* Lanzendorf...
and Marktschorgast
Marktschorgast
Marktschorgast is a municipality in the district of Kulmbach in Bavaria in Germany.-City arrangement:Marktschorgast is arranged in the following boroughs:...
. The town of Bayreuth is about 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) from Bad Berneck.
Sub-divisions
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History
The exact date of Bad Berneck's foundation is not known, but up to 1057 the place was under the control of the lords of BabenbergBabenberg
Originally from Bamberg in Franconia, now northern Bavaria, an apparent branch of the Babenbergs or Babenberger went on to rule Austria as counts of the march and dukes from 976–1248, before the rise of the house of Habsburg.-One or two families:...
and later the counts of Andechs. In 1167 Berneck was first mentioned as a castle, built by Ulrich II Walpote of Berneck, without obtaining the approval of the Bishop of Bamberg.
Until 1202 Berneck was under Bamberg rule. From 1203 to 1248 it belonged again to the counts of Andechs-Merania. In 1248, following the extinction of House of Merania, it fell to the counts of Orlamünde and in 1341 to the burgraves of Nuremberg (and, later, the margraves of Brandenburg-Bayreuth
Principality of Bayreuth
The Principality of Bayreuth or Brandenburg-Bayreuth was a reichsfrei principality in the Holy Roman Empire centered on the Bavarian city of Bayreuth. Until 1604 its capital city was Kulmbach; then the margraves used their palaces in Bayreuth as their residence...
). It is first recorded as a town in 18 November 1357. In 1375 Berneck was almost completely burned down and it was destroyed by fire again in 1431 and 1462 during the Hussite Wars
Hussite Wars
The Hussite Wars, also called the Bohemian Wars involved the military actions against and amongst the followers of Jan Hus in Bohemia in the period 1419 to circa 1434. The Hussite Wars were notable for the extensive use of early hand-held gunpowder weapons such as hand cannons...
. Plague and famine
Famine
A famine is a widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors including crop failure, overpopulation, or government policies. This phenomenon is usually accompanied or followed by regional malnutrition, starvation, epidemic, and increased mortality. Every continent in the world has...
also struck the town.
In 1478 the Marquis gave Berneck to Veit von Wallenroth with the stipulation that the fortifications were to be rebuilt. The castle of Hohenberneck was built. In 1495 the town had 204 residents in 76 households. After the death of Veit von Wallenroth the place went to Albert of Wirsberg, the mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
(Amtmann) of Stein. He further fortified the now ruined stronghold and the family acted as a robber barons
Robber barons
Robber baron may mean:*Robber baron, German nobles who levied illegal tolls in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries*Robber baron , a pejorative term for certain 19th to early 20th century American industrialists...
against Nuremberg. The latter had the castle bombarded into ruins in 1533.
In 1632, in the middle of the Thirty Years War the place was razed. This happened again on 13 May 1692 - only five houses and a mill were spared.
In 1724, 15 gypsy women were hanged and buried under the Gypsy Oak (Zigeunereiche). The men had fled. The survivors were driven across the border.
In 1732 Margrave George Frederick Charles of Brandenburg-Bayreuth had pearl oysters introduced into the Ölschnitz
Ölschnitz (White Main)
The Ölschnitz is a right-bank, northern headstream of the White Main in the German state of Bavaria. It is long.- Course :The Ölschnitz has its source at an impoundment and granite well stone in Solg, a village in the borough of Münchberg. It discharges into the White Main near...
, probably to supplement the state's finances
In the wars of 1796-1815 the small town had to pay several contribution
Contribution
Contribute may refer to:*Adobe Contribute Web editing softwareContribution may refer to:*Donation*Sharing*Payment*Contribution : a payment between defendants with joint and several liability to apportion liability....
s and provide billeting. In 1806 Blücher
Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher
Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, Fürst von Wahlstatt , Graf , later elevated to Fürst von Wahlstatt, was a Prussian Generalfeldmarschall who led his army against Napoleon I at the Battle of the Nations at Leipzig in 1813 and at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 with the Duke of Wellington.He is...
visited Berneck and the Blüchersruh was named after him. The former office (Amt) of the Prussian principality of Bayreuth, established since 1792, fell to France
Kingdom of France
The Kingdom of France was one of the most powerful states to exist in Europe during the second millennium.It originated from the Western portion of the Frankish empire, and consolidated significant power and influence over the next thousand years. Louis XIV, also known as the Sun King, developed a...
in 1807 as a result of the Treaty of Tilsit and, in 1810, went to Bavaria. Around 1830 the first spa business was established (based on whey
Whey
Whey or Milk Serum is the liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained. It is a by-product of the manufacture of cheese or casein and has several commercial uses. Sweet whey is manufactured during the making of rennet types of hard cheese like cheddar or Swiss cheese...
products). Within Bavaria, Berneck was initially the seat of a regional court (Landgericht), later a district office (Bezirksamt). The territory of the district was affiliated to the neighbouring district offices of Bayreuth, Kulmbach
Kulmbach
Kulmbach is the capital of the district of Kulmbach in Bavaria in Germany. The town is famous for Plassenburg Castle, which houses the largest tin soldier museum in the world, and for its famous sausages, or Bratwürste.-Location:...
and Münchberg
Münchberg
Münchberg is a small town in Upper Franconia , Germany. It is sometimes referred to as the Textile Town of Bavaria. Its sister city is Jefferson City, Missouri, USA.-The city district's:-History:...
. The majority of the Amt territory was controlled by the district office at Bayreuth. In 1896 it was connected to the railway network.
On 1 October 1929 the district of Berneck was dissolved. In the 1930s, Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
spent the night in the then fashionable Bube Hotel on several occasions during the festival in Bayreuth.
In 1930, Kneipp cures were introduced and its recognition as a spa came in 1950. However since the 1970s, its role as a spa has tailed off considerably.
Town council
The town council has 16 members. The allocation of seats (as at May 2008) is:- CSUChristian Social Union of BavariaThe Christian Social Union in Bavaria is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It operates only in the state of Bavaria, while its sister party, the Christian Democratic Union , operates in the other 15 states of Germany...
5 - SPD 5
- FWG 6
The mayor (Bürgermeister) is Jürgen Zinnert (SPD), and the deputy mayor is Alexander Popp from the FWG.
Culture and points of interest
- Ruins of the Walpote castle of Wallenrode, Hohenberneck Castle, the Old CastleOld CastleOld Castle may refer to:*Old Castle , a building in Stuttgart, Germany*Old Castle , a historic house*The Old Castle, a movement from Pictures at an Exhibition by Modest Mussorgsky...
and St. Mary's chapel, and the water castleWater castleA water castle is a castle or stately home whose site is entirely surrounded by moats or natural waterbodies. Topographically water castles are a type of lowland castle.There is a further distinction between:...
of Alt-Berneck. - Dendrological GardensDendrologyDendrology or xylology is the science and study of wooded plants . There is no sharp boundary between plant taxonomy and dendrology. However, woody plants not only belong to many different plant families, but these families may be made up of both woody and non-woody members. Some families include...
in the Rother Park with trees from all over the world. - Market place with historic timber-framed houses.
- Spa park with colonnades.
- The open air stage by the Castle Tower is used from June to September by the Free Theatre of Bayreuth.
- Protestant church of the Holy Trinity (Zur Heiligen Dreifaltigkeit).
Economy and infrastructure
The largest employer in the town is the Frenzelit-Werke, with approximately 450 employees worldwide. The company is owned by the Wagner family and manufactures seals. The second largest employer was Reitz group, with about 200 employees in Bad Berneck (about 500 total). The Reitz Group with its brands Popp, düwi and Schwaiger manufactures electrical products. On 18 February 2009 the Reitz group filed for bankruptcy.Transport
Bad Berneck lies at the intersection of B 2 (Hof-Bayreuth) and B 303Bundesstraße 303
The Bundesstraße 303 is a German federal highway that runs from west to east, beginning at the A 7 autobahn west of Schweinfurt and ending at the border with the Czech Republic east of Schirnding...
(Kronach
Kronach
Kronach is a town in Oberfranken, Bavaria, Germany, located in the Frankenwald area. It is the capital of the district Kronach.Kronach is the birthtown of Lucas Cranach the Elder and Maximilian von Welsch, as well as Johann Kaspar Zeuss and Josef Stangl....
-Eger) federal highways. Bad Berneck is connected to the motorway network via the junction of Berneck/Himmelkron (5 km distant on the A 9 and A 70 motorways. The nearest railway stations are located in Marktschorgast
Marktschorgast
Marktschorgast is a municipality in the district of Kulmbach in Bavaria in Germany.-City arrangement:Marktschorgast is arranged in the following boroughs:...
, Neuenmarkt
Neuenmarkt
Neuenmarkt is a municipality in the district of Kulmbach in Bavaria in Germany.-City arrangement:Neuenmarkt is arranged in the following boroughs:...
and Bayreuth.
Education
Bad Berneck has the Sebastian-Kneipp Volkschule (primary and secondary school) and two kindergartens.Sons and daughters of the town
- Carl Zimmerer (1926–2001), German state and social scientist, economist and entrepreneur
- Simon Nüssel (b 20 January 1924 in Rimlas), German politician (CSU and Bayernpartei); was Bavarian State Minister for the Economy and Forests from 1987 to 1990.
People who lived and worked in Bad Berneck
- Ulrike MeinhofUlrike MeinhofUlrike Marie Meinhof was a German left-wing militant. She co-founded the Red Army Faction in 1970 after having previously worked as a journalist for the monthly left-wing magazine Konkret. She was arrested in 1972, and eventually charged with numerous murders and the formation of a criminal...
(b 7 October 1934 in Oldenburg; d 9 May 1976 in Stuttgart-Stammheim) lived in Bad Berneck from 1945-1946 together with her mother, Ingeborg Meinhof, and Renate RiemeckRenate RiemeckRenate Riemeck was an historian and energetic peace activist who became known as former foster parent of the terrorist Ulrike Meinhof....