Upper Franconia, Germany

Upper Franconia, Germany

Upper Franconia Germany

Upper Franconia is an administrative region (Regierungsbezirk) in the state of Bavaria in southern Germany. It is part of the historically important Franconia region (see also Middle Franconia and Lower Franconia), all of which now lies within the German federal state of Bavaria (Bayern). With more than 200 independent breweries that produce around 1,000 different types of beer, Upper Franconia has the highest brewery density per capita in the world. A special Franconian Beer Route (Fränkische Brauereistraße) connects several of the most popular breweries. After the founding of the Kingdom of Bavaria, the state was completely reorganized and, in 1808, divided into 15 administrative regions (German: Regierungsbezirke), called Kreise (singular: Kreis) in Bavaria. These were modeled on the French départements, relatively uniform in size and population, and named after their main rivers. Over the following years, due to territorial changes (for example, the loss of Tyrol and the addition of the Palatinate), the number of Kreise was reduced to eight. One of these was the Mainkreis (Main District). In 1837, King Ludwig I of Bavaria renamed the Kreise after historical territorial names and the traditional tribes of the areas, accompanied by some border adjustments and territorial swaps. As a result, the Mainkreis was renamed Upper Franconia.
Recommended airport
Bayreuth (BYU)
Nearby destinations
  • Bayreuth a 0.42 km
  • Hof a 47.83 km
  • Wunsiedel a 32.88 km