Editing Franconia (section)

=== Overview ===
The Franconian lands lie principally in Bavaria, north and south of the sinuous [[Main (river)|River Main]] which, together with the left (southern) [[Regnitz]] tributary, including its [[Rednitz]] and [[Pegnitz (river)|Pegnitz]] headstreams, drains most of Franconia. Other large rivers include the upper [[Werra]] in Thuringia and the [[Tauber]], as well as the upper [[Jagst]] and [[Kocher]] streams in the west, both right tributaries of the [[Neckar]]. In southern Middle Franconia, the [[Altmühl]] flows towards the [[Danube]]; the [[Rhine–Main–Danube Canal]] crosses the [[European Watershed]]. The man-made [[Franconian Lake District]] has become a popular destination for day-trippers and tourists.

The landscape is characterized by numerous ''[[Mittelgebirge]]'' ranges of the German [[Central Uplands]]. The Western natural border of Franconia is formed by the [[Spessart]] and [[Rhön Mountains]], separating it from the former [[Rhenish Franconia]]n lands around [[Aschaffenburg]] (officially part of Lower Franconia), whose inhabitants speak [[Hessian dialects]]. To the north rise the [[Rennsteig]] ridge of the [[Thuringian Forest]], the [[Thuringian Highland]] and the [[Franconian Forest]], the border with the [[Upper Saxony|Upper Saxon]] lands of [[Thuringia]]. The Franconian lands include the present-day South Thuringian districts of [[Schmalkalden-Meiningen]], [[Hildburghausen (district)|Hildburghausen]] and [[Sonneberg (district)|Sonneberg]], the historical ''[[Gau (country subdivision)|Gau]]'' of [[Grabfeld]], held by the [[House of Henneberg]] from the 11th century and later part of the [[House of Wettin|Wettin]] duchy of [[Saxe-Meiningen]].
[[File:Franconia details.png|thumb|320px|left|The present-day Upper, Lower and Middle Franconian administrative districts (in blue), with adjacent East Franconian language areas in Thuringia (tan) and in Baden-Württemberg (yellow)]]

In the east, the [[Fichtel Mountains]] lead to [[Vogtland]], Bohemian [[Egerland]] (''Chebsko'') in the [[Czech Republic]], and the Bavarian [[Upper Palatinate]]. The hills of the [[Franconian Jura]] in the south mark the border with the [[Upper Bavaria]]n region (''[[Altbayern]]''), historical [[Swabia]], and the Danube basin. The northern parts of the Upper Bavarian [[Eichstätt (district)|Eichstätt District]], territory of the historical [[Bishopric of Eichstätt]], are also counted as part of Franconia.

In the west, Franconia proper comprises the [[Tauber Franconia]] region along the Tauber river, which {{as of|2014||lc=y}} is largely part of the [[Main-Tauber-Kreis]] in Baden-Württemberg. The state's larger [[Heilbronn-Franken]] region also includes the adjacent [[Hohenlohe (district)|Hohenlohe]] and [[Schwäbisch Hall (district)|Schwäbisch Hall district]]s. In the city of [[Heilbronn]], beyond the [[Haller Ebene]] plateau, [[South Franconian German|South Franconian]] dialects are spoken. Furthermore, in those easternmost parts of the [[Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis]] which had formerly belonged to the [[Bishopric of Würzburg]], the inhabitants have preserved their Franconian identity. Franconian areas in [[East Hesse]] along Spessart and Rhön comprise [[Gersfeld]] and [[Ehrenberg, Hesse|Ehrenberg]].

The two largest cities of Franconia are [[Nuremberg]] and [[Fürth]]. Though located on the southeastern periphery of the area, the Nuremberg metropolitan area is often identified as the economic and cultural centre of Franconia. Further cities in Bavarian Franconia include [[Würzburg]], [[Erlangen]], [[Bayreuth]], [[Bamberg]], [[Aschaffenburg]], [[Schweinfurt]], [[Hof, Bavaria|Hof]], [[Coburg]], [[Ansbach]] and [[Schwabach]]. The major (East) Franconian towns in Baden-Württemberg are [[Schwäbisch Hall]] on the Kocher — the [[Free imperial city|imperial city]] declared itself "Swabian" in 1442 — and [[Crailsheim]] on the Jagst river. The main towns in Thuringia are [[Suhl]] and [[Meiningen]].

<gallery widths="200px" heights="175px">
File:Rothenburg BW 4.JPG|[[Rothenburg ob der Tauber|Rothenburg]] is one of the best known towns in Franconia
File:Walberla 2008.jpg|[[Ehrenbürg|Walberla]] in Franconia
File:Möhrendorf Vierzigmannrad Flügel.jpg|Water wheel at the [[Regnitz]]
File:Nuremberg panorama morning 3.jpg|Nuremberg is the largest city of Franconia
File:Aerial image of the Coburg Fortress.jpg|Aerial view of the [[Veste Coburg]]
</gallery>