Amberg

Amberg

Coat of arms

Location

Administration

State

Admin. region

District

Lord Mayor

Wolfgang Dandorfer (CSU)

Basic statistics

Area

50.04 km² (19.3 sq mi)

Elevation

374 m (1227 ft)

Population

44,456 (30/09/2006)

- Density

888 /km² (2,301 /sq mi)

Other information

Time zone

CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)

Licence plate

Postal code

92224

Area code

09621

Website

www.amberg.de

Coordinates: 49°26′40″N 11°50′54″E / 49.44444, 11.84833

History

The town was first mentioned in 1034, at that time under the name Ammenberg. It became an important trading centre in the Middle Ages, exporting mainly iron ore and iron products. In 1269, together with Bamberg, the town became subordinate to the Wittelsbach dynasty that ruled Bavaria.

In 1329 the town and the entire Upper Palatinate fell to a branch line of the Wittelsbach family and was no longer part of the duchy of Bavaria. Although in geographic terms it was regarded as Bavarian and the region was part of the Bavarian circle in the organisation of the Imperial Circles. The rulers of Upper Palatinate were open-minded towards Protestantism. In the 16th century the town turned to Lutheranism, but attempts of the ruling family to introduce the more radical Calvinism failed due to the reluctance of its citizens.

In 1628 Amberg and Upper Palatinate became part of the electorate of Bavaria. The inhabitants were given the choice: return to Catholicism or leave the town forever. Many families left the town and fled to the Free Imperial Cities of Regensburg and Nuremberg.

Amberg was the regional capital of Upper Palatinate until 1810 when power was transferred to the larger city of Regensburg.

After the Second World War, after which Bavaria fell into the American Sector, Amberg was home to Pond Barracks, a United States Army base. The base was finally closed in 1992 and turned over to the local community for housing, most of it social housing.

Sights

Stadtbrille

A defining feature of the town is the Stadtbrille - a bridge, originally a part of the town fortifications, whose arches reflected on the river waters resemble a pair of glasses.

Other tourist attractions in Amberg include:

Market Square (Germ. Marktplatz), which contains the Gothic town hall (built in 1358) and the late-Gothic Parish Church of St. Martin

The New Palace (Germ. Neues Schloß), the former residence of the counts of the Rhennish Palatinate, built at the beginning of the 15th century and renovated in 1603

The Gothic town hall

A well preserved section of the medieval walls and gates

The baroque Franciscan monastery on the Hill of Our Lady Help of Christians (Germ. Mariahilfberg) above the town. This hill was given its name during the bubonic plague in the Thirty Years' War in 1633/4 when the locals beseeched the Virgin Mary to rid them of the plague

The 'Little Wedding House' (Germ. Eh’häusl), claimed by town authorities to be the world's smallest hotel. Built in 1728, the 2 meter wide hotel was 'sold' to young couples for one night to circumvent laws prohibiting marriages between poor people^[1]