Upper Franconia
Upper Franconia is an administrative region of the state of Bavaria, southern Germany. It forms part of the historically significant region of Franconia, the others being Middle Franconia and Lower Franconia, which are all part of Bavaria.
With more than 200 independent breweries which brew approximately 1000 different types of beer, Upper Franconia has the world's highest brewery-density per capita. A special Franconian beer route runs through many popular breweries.
Geography
The administrative region borders on Thuringia to the north, Lower Franconia to the west, Middle Franconia to the south-west, and Upper Palatinate to the south-east, Saxony to the north-east and the Czech Republic to the east.History
After the founding of the Kingdom of Bavaria the state was totally reorganized and, in 1808, divided into 15 administrative government regions, in Bavaria called Kreise. They were created in the fashion of the French departements, quite even in size and population, and named after their main rivers.In the following years, due to territorial changes, the number of Kreise was reduced to 8. One of these was the Mainkreis. In 1837 King Ludwig I of Bavaria renamed the Kreise after historical territorial names and tribes of the area. This also involved some border changes or territorial swaps. Thus the name Mainkreis changed to Upper Franconia.
Main sights
Next to the former episcopal residence city of Bamberg, the capital Bayreuth, the former residence city of Coburg and the classicist centre of Hof, as well as the towns of Lichtenfels, Kronach, Gößweinstein and Kulmbach, the Weißenstein Palace, Banz Abbey and the Basilica of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, the scenic attractions of the River Main and the low mountain ranges of the Fichtel Mountains with the town of Wunsiedel and the Franconian Forest belong among the region's major tourist attractions. There are also numerous spas like Bad Rodach, Bad Steben, Bad Staffelstein, Bad Berneck and Bad Alexandersbad.Coat of arms
Administrative subdivisions
Oberfranken is subdivided into nine Landkreise and four Kreisfreie Städte. The lowest level is divided into 214 municipalities.Landkreise:
Kreisfreie Städte:
- Bamberg
- Bayreuth
- Coburg
- Hof
Historical population
| Year | Population |
| 1900 | 608,116 |
| 1910 | 661,862 |
| 1939 | 790,151 |
| 1950 | 1,088,721 |
| 1961 | 1,056,087 |
| 1970 | 1,079,131 |
| 1987 | 1,036,576 |
| 2002 | 1,112,655 |
| 2005 | 1,101,390 |
| 2006 | 1,094,525 |
| 2008 | 1,085,770 |
| 2010 | 1,071,984 |
| 2015 | 1,059,358 |
| 2019 | 1,065,371 |