Kitzingen

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Kitzingen


Country	Germany
State	Bavaria
Administrative region	Lower Franconia
District	Kitzingen
Population	21,178 (2005-06-30)
Area	46.99 km²
Population density	21,178 /km²
Elevation	186-230 m
Coordinates	49°44′ N 10°10′ E
Postal code	97301-97318
Area code	09321
Licence plate code	KT
Mayor	Bernd Moser
Website	www.kitzingen.info

Kitzingen is a town in the German state of Bavaria, capital of the district Kitzingen. It is part of Franconia geographical region and has around 21,000 inhabitants.

Surrounded by vineyards, Kitzingen County is the largest wine producer in Bavaria. It is said to be Franconia's wine trade center.

1 History
2 Main sights
3 Sister cities
4 External link

[edit] History

According to legend, Kitzingen was founded when the Countess of Schwanberg lost her jeweled scarf while standing on the ramparts of her castle. The castle was located high above the fertile section of the Main River Valley where Kitzingen now lies

The Countess promised to build a cloister on the spot where the scarf was found. When it was found by a shepherd named Kitz, she kept her word and built a cloister which she called Kitzingen.

That Benedictine cloister, founded in the eighth century on the site of the present town of Kitzingen, defended the ford across the Main river.

The Old Synagogue in Kitzingen.

Kitzingen's history is closely tied to Würzburg. Kitzingen became a free imperial city around the year 1000. During the next century the town changed rulers often, mostly being ruled by Würzburg bishops who sold the town twice to fill their empty treasury.

In 1629 the Bishop of Wuerzburg took up his option to repurchase Kitzingen after the Peasants' Revolt in 1525. He abolished Protestantism and forced more than 1,000 residents to leave the town. This blow to the town's strength was followed by the Swedish three-year occupation during the Thirty Years' War.

Kitzingen's revival is credited to the wisdom of Bishop Johann Philip von Schoenborn of Würzburg, whose Edict of Toleration in 1650 encouraged the return of the expelled Protestants. This is why both Catholicism and Protestantism are present in Kitzingen today.

The resulting prosperity carried Kitzingen through the 18th century as one of the most important ports on the Main River. Kitzingen's life under the Prince Bishops ended with the coming of French revolutionary armies and Napoleon.

In 1814 the Congress of Vienna confirmed Kitzingen's passing, along with the rest of the region, to the Kingdom of Bavaria.

During the Cold War, Kitzingen was a staging area for the US European Command's (USAREUR) air defenses against possible Soviet air and nuclear attack. Two US Army Bases, Larson Barracks and Harvey Barracks, were located in the town. As of 2006, Larson Barracks and Harvey Barracks are to be handed back to the German Government in Fiscal Year 2007, with the move of the 3rd Infantry Division (also known as the Marne Division, or Rock of the Marne) back to the United States. Since January 2007 there is no more US Army personnel based in Kitzingen. Facilities are closed down and surveillance is discontinued.

The Crooked Tower (Falterturm) in Kitzingen.

[edit] Main sights

The city's main landmark is the Crooked Tower, built during the 1200s. It is distinctive for its crooked roof. According to town legend, the tower was being built during wine fest and workers used wine instead of water to make the mortar causing the top of the tower to lean. Today the tower holds a carnival (Fasching) museum.

A local legend is that the golden ball atop the crooked tower contains the heart of Vlad Dracula of Romania. If you follow the path of the crooked tower, the golden ball leans directly toward a grave in the Kitzingen Old Cemetery located across the street from the tower that is called the Grave of Dracula.