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.

Geography

Location

Kulmbach is located in the middle of the Bavarian province of Upper Franconia, about 25 kilometres (15.5 miles) northwest of the city of Bayreuth. To the south of Kulmbach, the River Main begins at the confluence of its headstreams, the White Main and Red Main.

Town districts

Kulmbach is divided into the following districts (with population in brackets):

History

From about 900 AD there was a small settlement in what is now the district of Spiegel, which consisted of a forest lodge and a fortified tenant farm (Fronhof) to protect the River Main crossing at Grünwehr. The area later passed into the hands of the Count of Schweinfurt, whose power was usually exercised through the office of the walpode.

Kulmbach was first mentioned as Kulma in a deed of gift in the Alcuin Bible between 1028 and 1040. The name comes from a stream that comes descends the mountain (Culmin-aha, Culmna). This stream was later renamed Kohlenbach due to a misunderstanding.

Kulmbach (electoral district)

Kulmbach is one of the 299 single member constituencies used for the German parliament, the Bundestag. One of forty five constituencies in Bavaria, it covers the whole of the local government areas of Kulmbach and Lichtenfels and parts of the Bamberg county.

The constituency was created for the 1949 election, the first election in West Germany after World War II. After its creation, the first election in the district was won by the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). However the Christian Social Union (CSU) won the constituency at a 1950 by-election and have held the district since then.

The current representative is Emmi Zeulner of the CSU, who was elected for the first time in 2013. At 26 years old, she was the youngest CSU candidate in the election.

Results

2013 election

Source:

List of district representatives

References

Kulmbach (district)

Kulmbach is a district in Bavaria, Germany. It is bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the districts of Kronach, Hof, Bayreuth and Lichtenfels.

History

The historical centre of the region was the castle of Plassenburg in the city of Kulmbach. In 1135 this castle was first mentioned. The rulers of the castle and the surrounding lands were the counts of Andechs (1135–1248, from 1135 to 1180 Dießen-Andechs, from 1180 to 1248 Andechs-Meranien) and the Thuringian counts of Orlamünde (1260–1340). After the death of the last count of Orlamünde the region fell to the Hohenzollern state.

In 1398 the Hohenzollern state was divided, and in the Franconian area the two states of Ansbach and Kulmbach were founded. When the Hohenzollern family was awarded the margravate of Brandenburg, these states were called Brandenburg-Ansbach and Brandenburg-Kulmbach, but not united with Brandenburg proper. In 1603 the castle of Plassenburg was abandoned, and the capital was moved to the city of Bayreuth. The importance of the city of Kulmbach declined hereafter, although the margraves (and sometimes the population of Kulmbach) often used to take shelter on the castle during the years of the Thirty Years' War.