Editing Lower Franconia

{{Infobox settlement
<!-- See Template:Infobox settlement for additional fields and descriptions -->| name                            = Lower Franconia
| native_name                     = ''Unterfranken'' ([[German language|German]])
| native_name_lang                = de
| settlement_type                 = [[Regierungsbezirk]]
| image_map                       = Locator map RB Unterfranken in Bavaria.svg
| map_caption                     = Map of [[Bavaria]] highlighting Lower Franconia
| coordinates                     = 
| coor_pinpoint                   = 
| coordinates_footnotes           = 
| subdivision_type                = Country
| subdivision_name                = [[Germany]]
| subdivision_type1               = [[States of Germany|State]]
| subdivision_name1               = [[Bavaria]]
| established_title               = 
| established_date                = 
| extinct_title                   = Disestablished
| extinct_date                    = 
| seat_type                       = Region seat
| seat                            = [[Würzburg]]
| leader_party             = 
| leader_name              = Eugen Ehmann
| leader_title             = [[Regierungspräsident (Germany)|District President]]
| area_total_km2                  = 8530.99
| population_footnotes            = {{#tag:ref| {{Population Germany|key=096|datref=QUELLE}} }}
| population_total                = {{Population Germany|key=096 }}
| population_as_of                = {{#time:j F Y|{{Population Germany|key=096|datref=STAND}} }}
| population_density_km2          = auto
| demographics_type1       = GDP
| demographics1_footnotes  = <ref>{{cite web | url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/tgs00003/default/table?lang=en | title=EU regions by GDP, Eurostat|access-date=18 September 2023}}</ref>
|demographics1_title1     = Total
|demographics1_info1      = €56.994 billion (2021)
| website                         = {{URL|http://www.regierung.unterfranken.bayern.de}}
| official_name                   = 
| image_flag                      = Flag of Lower Franconia.svg
| flag_size                       = 150px
| image_shield                    = DEU Regierungsbezirk Unterfranken COA.svg
}}
'''Lower Franconia''' ({{langx|de|Unterfranken}}, {{IPA|de|ˈʊntɐˌfʁaŋkn̩|pron|De-Unterfranken.ogg}}) is one of seven [[Regierungsbezirk|districts]] of [[Bavaria]], [[Germany]]. The districts of Lower, [[Middle Franconia|Middle]] and [[Upper Franconia]] make up the region of [[Franconia]]. It consists of nine districts and 308 municipalities (including three cities).

==History==
After the founding of the [[Kingdom of Bavaria]] the state was totally reorganised and, in 1808, divided into 15 administrative government regions (German: {{lang|de|Regierungsbezirke}}, singular {{lang|de|[[Regierungsbezirk]]}}), in Bavaria called {{lang|de|Kreise}} (singular: {{lang|de|Kreis}}). They were created in the fashion of the French [[departement]]s, quite even in size and population, and named after their main rivers. 

In the following years, due to territorial changes (e. g. loss of [[German Tyrol|Tyrol]], addition of the [[Palatinate (region)|Palatinate]]), the number of Kreise was reduced to 8. One of these was the [[Untermainkreis]] (Lower Main District). 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 Untermainkreis changed to [[Lower Franconia]] and [[Aschaffenburg (district)|Aschaffenburg]], but the city name was dropped in the middle of the 20th century, leaving just Lower Franconia.

From 1933, the regional Nazi ''[[Gauleiter]]'', [[Otto Hellmuth]], (who had renamed his party Gau ''"Mainfranken"'') insisted on renaming the government district {{lang|de|Mainfranken}} as well. He encountered resistance from Bavarian state authorities but finally succeeded in having the name of the district changed, effective 1 June 1938.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.historisches-lexikon-bayerns.de/Lexikon/Mainfranken|title=Mainfranken – Historisches Lexikon Bayerns|website=www.historisches-lexikon-bayerns.de|language=de}}</ref> After 1945 the name {{lang|de|Unterfranken}} was restored.

The municipal reform ({{lang|de|Kreisreform}}) of June 1972 consolidated the 22 country districts of Lower Franconia into nine.

{|class="wikitable"
|-
! New district || Former district(s)
|-
| Aschaffenburg || Aschaffenburg, [[Alzenau]]
|-
| Bad Kissingen || Bad Kissingen, Bad Brückenau, [[Hammelburg]]
|-
| Haßberge || [[Ebern]], [[Haßfurt]], [[Hofheim, Bavaria|Hofheim in Unterfranken]], part of Gerolzhofen
|-
| Kitzingen || Kitzingen, part of Gerolzhofen
|-
| Main-Spessart || Gemünden, [[Karlstadt am Main|Karlstadt]], [[Lohr am Main|Lohr]], part of [[Marktheidenfeld]]
|-
| Miltenberg || Miltenberg, [[Obernburg]], part of Marktheidenfeld
|-
| Rhön-Grabfeld || [[Bad Neustadt an der Saale]], [[Bad Königshofen|Königshofen]], [[Mellrichstadt]]
|-
| Schweinfurt || Schweinfurt, part of Gerolzhofen
|-
| Würzburg || Würzburg, Ochsenfurt, part of Gerolzhofen, part of Marktheidenfeld
|}


Unterfranken is the north-west part of Franconia and consists of three district-free cities ({{lang|de|Kreisfreie Städte}}) and nine country districts ({{lang|de|Landkreise}}).

The major portion of the [[Franconia (wine region)|Franconian wine region]] is situated in Lower Franconia.

== Economy ==
The Gross domestic product (GDP) of the region was 53.7 billion € in 2018, accounting for 1.6% of German economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 37,500 € or 124% of the EU27 average in the same year. The GDP per employee was 102% of the EU average.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/10474907/1-05032020-AP-EN.pdf/81807e19-e4c8-2e53-c98a-933f5bf30f58|title=Regional GDP per capita ranged from 30% to 263% of the EU average in 2018|website=Eurostat}}</ref>

==Coat of arms==
The coat of arms includes the "[[Franconian Rake]]" (the arms of [[Duchy of Franconia]]) in the upper portion, the "{{ill|Rennfähnlein|de}}", a banner, quarterly argent (silver) and gules (red), on a lance or (gold), in bend, on an azure (blue) field, associated with [[Bishopric of Würzburg|Würzburg]] in the lower left quadrant, and a white/silver [[Wheel of Mainz|wheel]] on a red field symbolizing the clerical state of [[Archbishopric of Mainz|Mainz]], in the lower right quadrant.

== Area and population ==
{|class="wikitable"
|-
!City or District
!colspan=2|Population (2013)
!colspan=2|Area (km<sup>2</sup>)
!colspan=2|Communities
|-
|[[Aschaffenburg|City of Aschaffenburg]]
|align=right|67,748
|align=right|5.22%
|align=right|62
|align=right|0.7%
|align=right|1
|align=right|0.3%
|-
|[[Schweinfurt|City of Schweinfurt]]
|align=right|51,918
|align=right|4.00%
|align=right|36
|align=right|0.4%
|align=right|1
|align=right|0.3%
|-
|[[Würzburg|City of Würzburg]]
|align=right|124,154
|align=right|9,57%
|align=right|88
|align=right|1.0%
|align=right|1
|align=right|0.3%
|-
|[[Aschaffenburg (district)|Aschaffenburg]]
|align=right|172,521
|align=right|13.30%
|align=right|699
|align=right|8.2%
|align=right|32
|align=right|10.4%
|-
|[[Bad Kissingen (district)|Bad Kissingen]]
|align=right|103,003
|align=right|7.94%
|align=right|1,137
|align=right|13.3%
|align=right|26
|align=right|8.4%
|-
|[[Haßberge (district)|Haßberge]]
|align=right|84,136
|align=right|6.49%
|align=right|956
|align=right|11.2%
|align=right|26
|align=right|8.4%
|-
|[[Kitzingen (district)|Kitzingen]]
|align=right|88,025
|align=right|6.79%
|align=right|684
|align=right|8.0%
|align=right|31
|align=right|10.1%
|-
|[[Main-Spessart]]
|align=right|126,458
|align=right|9.75%
|align=right|1,322
|align=right|15.5%
|align=right|40
|align=right|13.0%
|-
|[[Miltenberg (district)|Miltenberg]]
|align=right|127,980
|align=right|9.87%
|align=right|716
|align=right|8.4%
|align=right|32
|align=right|10.4%
|-
|[[Rhön-Grabfeld]]
|align=right|80,065
|align=right|6.17%
|align=right|1,022
|align=right|12.0%
|align=right|37
|align=right|12.0%
|-
|[[Schweinfurt (district)|Schweinfurt]]
|align=right|112,916
|align=right|8.71%
|align=right|842
|align=right|9.9%
|align=right|29
|align=right|9.4%
|-
|[[Würzburg (district)|Würzburg]]
|align=right|158,132
|align=right|12.19%
|align=right|968
|align=right|11.3%
|align=right|52
|align=right|16.9%
|-
!style="text-align: right;"|Total
|align=right|1,297,056
|align=right|100.0%
|align=right|8,531
|align=right|100.0%
|align=right|308
|align=right|100.0%
|}

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: right;"
|-
!colspan="2"|Historical population
|-
|1910
|710,943
|-
|1939
|844,732
|-
|1950
|1,038,930
|-
|1961
|1,089,983
|-
|1970
|1,181,309
|-
|1987
|1,202,711
|-
|2002
|1,344,300
|-
|2005
|1,341,481
|-
|2010
|1,318,695
|-
|2015
|1,306,048
|-
|2019
|1,317,619
|}

==Main sights==
[[File:1973 Würzburg 02.JPG|thumb|right|Würzburg Residenz]]
[[File:Aschaffenburg, Schloss Johannisburg, 09-08-2015, 005.jpg|thumb|right|Aschaffenburg, Johannisburg]]
Next to the former episcopal residence cities of [[Würzburg]] (with [[Veitshöchheim]]) and [[Aschaffenburg]], the towns of [[Miltenberg]], [[Amorbach]] and [[Werneck]], the scenic attractions of the River [[Main (river)|Main]] including the Mainschleife at [[Volkach]] and the low mountain ranges of the [[Rhön]] with the spa town [[Bad Kissingen]] and of the [[Spessart]] with [[Mespelbrunn Castle]] belong to the major tourist attractions.

==Notable people from Lower Franconia==
* [[Regiomontanus]]
* [[Florian Geyer]]
* [[Tilman Riemenschneider]]
* [[Balthasar Neumann]]
* [[Friedrich Rückert]]
* [[Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen]]
* [[Leonhard Frank]]
* [[Carl Diem]]
* [[Dirk Nowitzki]]

==Institutes of higher education==

* [[University of Würzburg|Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg]]
* [[University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt]]
* [http://www.fh-aschaffenburg.de/index.php?id=222 Hochschule Aschaffenburg]

==See also==
* [[Middle Franconia]]
* [[Upper Franconia]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Official website|http://www.unterfranken.de}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080110193225/http://www.regierung.unterfranken.bayern.de/englisch/17861/index.html Official website in English]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090301142356/http://www.bezirk-unterfranken.de/ Official website]
*[http://flagspot.net/flags/de-by-uf.html Flag at Flagspot]
*[http://www.gemeindeverzeichnis.de/gem1900//gem1900.htm?unterfranken/unterfranken1900.htm Unterfranken 1910]
*[http://www.unterfranken-in-zahlen.de/ Statistics]

{{Regierungsbezirk (Bavaria)}}

{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Lower Franconia| ]]
[[Category:NUTS 2 statistical regions of the European Union]]
[[Category:Wine regions of Germany]]
[[Category:Government regions of Germany]]
[[Category:Regions of Bavaria]]