Editing Upper Franconia

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{{Infobox settlement
<!-- See Template:Infobox settlement for additional fields and descriptions -->| name                            = Upper Franconia
| native_name                     = {{native name|de|Oberfranken}}
| native_name_lang                = 
| settlement_type                 = [[Regierungsbezirk]]
| image_map                       = Locator map RB Oberfranken in Bavaria.svg
| map_caption                     = Map of [[Bavaria]] highlighting Upper 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                            = [[Bayreuth]]
| leader_party             = 
| leader_name              = Florian Luderschmid 
| leader_title             = [[Regierungspräsident (Germany)|District President]]
| area_total_km2                  = 7230.19
| population_footnotes            = {{#tag:ref| {{Population Germany|key=094|datref=QUELLE}} }}
| population_total                = {{Population Germany|key=094 }}
| population_as_of                = {{#time:j F Y|{{Population Germany|key=094|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      = €43.591 billion (2021)
| website                         = [http://www.regierung.oberfranken.bayern.de regierung.oberfranken.bayern.de]
| official_name                   = 
| image_flag                      = Flagge Oberfranken.svg
| flag_size                       = 150px
| image_shield                    = Wappen Bezirk Oberfranken2.svg
}}
'''Upper Franconia''' ({{langx|de|Oberfranken}}, {{IPA|de|ˈoːbɐˌfʁaŋkn̩|pron|De-Oberfranken.ogg}}) is a {{lang|de|[[Regierungsbezirk]]}} (administrative [''Regierungs''] region [''bezirk'']) of the [[States of Germany|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 now part of the German Federal State of Bayern (''Bavaria'').

With more than 200 independent [[Brewery|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 (''Fränkische Brauereistraße'') runs through many popular breweries.

==Geography==
The administrative region borders on [[Thuringia]] (''Thüringen'') to the north, [[Lower Franconia]] (''Unterfranken'') to the west, [[Middle Franconia]] (''Mittelfranken'') to the south-west, and [[Upper Palatinate]] (''Oberpfalz'') to the south-east, [[Saxony]] (''Sachsen'') to the north-east and the [[Czech Republic]] to the east.

==History==
{{Unsourced|section|date=October 2022}}
After the founding of the [[Kingdom of Bavaria]] the state was totally reorganized and, in 1808, divided into 15 administrative government regions (German: Regierungsbezirke (singular [[Regierungsbezirk]])), in Bavaria called Kreise (singular: Kreis). 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 (e. g. loss of [[County of Tyrol|Tyrol]], addition of the [[Palatinate (region)|Palatinate]]), the number of Kreise was reduced to 8. One of these was the [[Mainkreis (Bavaria)|Mainkreis]] (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 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, Bavaria|Hof]], as well as the towns of  [[Lichtenfels, Bavaria|Lichtenfels]], [[Kronach]], [[Gößweinstein]] and [[Kulmbach]], the [[Schloss Weißenstein|Weißenstein Palace]], [[Banz Abbey]] and the [[Basilica of the Fourteen Holy Helpers]], the scenic attractions of the River [[Main (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==
{|
|- valign=top
||The coat of arms displays:
* the heraldic lion of [[Bamberg]] in the upper left
* the black and white pattern of the [[Hohenzollern]] family in the upper center
* the green crown in bend of the Arms of [[Saxony]] in the upper right
* the Arms of [[Franconia]] in the lower half
|}

==Administrative subdivisions==
Oberfranken is subdivided into nine ''Landkreise'' (districts) and four ''Kreisfreie Städte'' (district-free or independent cities). The lowest level is divided into 214 municipalities (including four cities).

''Landkreise'':
* [[Bamberg (district)|Bamberg]]
* [[Bayreuth (district)|Bayreuth]]
* [[Coburg (district)|Coburg]]
* [[Forchheim (district)|Forchheim]]
* [[Hof (district)|Hof]]
* [[Kronach (district)|Kronach]]
* [[Kulmbach (district)|Kulmbach]]
* [[Lichtenfels (district)|Lichtenfels]]
* [[Wunsiedel (district)|Wunsiedel]]

''Kreisfreie Städte'':
* [[Bamberg]]
* [[Bayreuth]]
* [[Coburg, Germany|Coburg]]
* [[Hof, Germany|Hof]]

==Historical population==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!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 
|}

== Economy ==
The [[gross domestic product]] (GDP) of the region was 40.6 billion € in 2018, accounting for 1.2% of German economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was €34,900 or 116% of the EU27 average in the same year. The GDP per employee was 96% 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>

==See also==
* [[Middle Franconia]] (''Mittelfranken'')
* [[Lower Franconia]] (''Unterfranken'')
* [[Kleinziegenfelder Tal]]
* [[Krassach (River)]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.bezirk-oberfranken.de Official website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028170551/https://www.bezirk-oberfranken.de/ |date=2020-10-28 }} (in German)
*[http://www.freizeitfuehrer-franken.de Sights in Franconia] (in German)

{{Regierungsbezirk (Bavaria)}}

{{coord|49|57|N|11|35|E|source:itwiki_type:adm2nd|display=title}}

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[[Category:Upper Franconia| ]]
[[Category:NUTS 2 statistical regions of the European Union]]
[[Category:Wine regions of Germany]]
[[Category:Government regions of Germany]]
[[Category:Regions of Bavaria]]