Earl mate

Basic data
State :	Bavaria
Administrative region :	Upper Franconia
County :	Kulmbach
Management Community :	Marktleugast
Height :	570 m above sea level NHN
Area :	20.81 km 2
Residents:	869 (Dec. 31, 2019)
Population density :	42 inhabitants per km 2
Postal code :	95356
Area code :	09255
License plate :	KU, EBS , SAN
Community key :	09 4 77 117
LOCODE :	DE GGA
Market structure:	28 districts
; Market administration address :	Main street 19 ; 95356 Grafengehaig
Website :	www.grafengehaig.de
Mayor :	Werner Burger ( village community / regional voter community )
Location of the Grafengehaig market in the district of Kulmbach

Grafengehaig is a market in the Upper Franconian district of Kulmbach .

geography

Geographical location

Grafengehaig is located on the western slope of the quarry mountain in the Franconian Forest Nature Park , surrounded by deep valleys at an altitude of 568 to approx. 700 meters above sea level. The valleys correspond to the asymmetrical valley shapes of the southwestern Franconian forest, that is, the southern slopes are flatter than the northern slopes, a consequence of geomorphological processes since the last ice age. Remains of terracing are suspected in the Steinach valley area.

Viewpoints

The viewing rock is located above Grafengehaig at 646 m above sea level. NN between the Hohenreuther settlement and the Steinbruchberg ( 688.1 m above sea level ). The 400 meter long ascent is signposted from the Hohenreuther settlement in Grafengehaig. At the top there is a view of the Steinach Valley, the heights of the Franconian Forest and the Fichtel Mountains.

Near the village of Grafengehaig is the highest mountain in the Franconian Forest, the Döbraberg ( 794.6 m above sea level , about eight kilometers away), with its tower as a lookout point.

Lookout rock, facing southeast
Lookout rock, facing southwest

Community structure

The municipality of Grafengehaig has 28 districts:

Adjacent communities

Guttenberg , Helmbrechts , Marktleugast , Presseck , Stadtsteinach .

history

Grafengehaig town center

Grafengehaig from the north-west

Until the 19th century

Grafengehaig's historical beginnings can be traced back to the time around the turn of the first millennium . It was first mentioned in a backdated contract of the Counts of Henneberg from 1017. However, the authenticity of the contract is disputed, so a document from 1318 is far more important. With this, the "castrum Wildenstein" with its associated villages was sold by Bamberg Bishop Wulving von Stubenberg to Nikolaus von der Grün.

In 1455 a Veit von Wildenstein was named, the founder of an early mass, possibly in connection with a benefice . Both of these factors probably led to the parish becoming a chaplain . During this time, the Lords of Guttenberg and their landholders were also mentioned, at least for the lower local area. From 1585 both sexes exercised a Compatronat. After the Thirty Years' War , the Wildenstein family perished in 1632, whereby the patronage passed to the bishops of Bamberg. After a short time it came to the Barons Voit von Rieneck , based in Heinersreuth. The barons of Guttenberg also had scattered rights in the wider municipality . In 1803 the seat of power in Heinersreuth was occupied by the Bavarians and Grafengehaig came to Bavaria .

Incorporations

On January 1, 1972, the large community Grafengehaig was formed, the previously independent communities Eppenreuth, Grünlas, Horbach, Rappetenreuth, Schlockenau, Walberngrün and Weidmes were incorporated.

Population development

In the period from 1988 to 2018, the population fell from 1,061 to 879 by 182 or 17.2%. On December 31, 1992 the market had 1123 inhabitants.

Population development
year	1950	1961	1970	1987	1991	1995	2002	2005	2010	2015
Residents	1935	1589	1431	1109	1093	1119	1075	1018	958	887

Religions

In the 16th and 17th centuries the Bamberg prince-bishops tried very hard to recatholize the Protestant town. From 1625 to 1631 a priest was installed in the knightly place for this purpose, but had to give way under the pressure of the evangelical party, which grew stronger in the Swedish turn of the war in 1631/1632. After the war, on the basis of the normal annual rule of the Peace of Westphalia, the parish could again be freely and continuously occupied by Protestant clergy.

The majority of the population of Grafengehaig is now Protestant-Lutheran. The parish includes the town of Gösmes and the Protestant population from Buckenreuth , Hohenberg , Neuensorg and Traindorf beyond the political parish boundary .

politics

The community is a member of the Marktleugast administrative community .

Municipal council

Town hall Grafengehaig

The local elections in 2002, 2008 and 2014 led to the following allocation of seats in the municipal council:

Voter group	2002	2008	2014
Village community / supra-local voter community	05 seats	04 seats	05 seats
Eppenreuth-Schlockenau voter community	03 seats	03 seats	03 seats
Mühlweg voter group	02 seats	03 seats	03 seats
United Weidmes Community of Voters	01 seate	01 seate	0------e
Free voter community Horbach-Grünlas	01 seate	01 seate	01 seate
total	12 seats	12 seats	12 seats

mayor

Werner Burger (village community / regional electoral community) has been mayor since 2008.

Sein Vorgänger war Fritz Schramm (Dorfgemeinschaft/überörtliche Wählergemeinschaft).

Community finances

In 2011, the municipal tax revenue was 475,000 euros, of which 69,000 euros were trade tax revenues (net).

coat of arms

	Blazon : “A silver defensive wall in red. In the middle a silver gate tower with a pointed roof, which is flanked on the right by a golden shuttle with a silver spool and on the left by a golden ear of wheat. " The municipal coat of arms received ministerial approval in 1968.
	Foundation of the coat of arms: In Grafengehaig house weaving has been in operation for a long time , which, in addition to agriculture, shaped the economic life of the community. Today the textile industry is represented by large weaving mills.

The fortified church of the Holy Spirit with its fortifications is remarkable in terms of art topography . The gate tower to the market, which was renewed in the 18th century, is a landmark of the place. The local history is indicated by the Bamberg colors silver and red, because the bishopric of Bamberg held state sovereignty over Grafengehaig.

Sights / buildings

Fortified church "To the Holy Spirit"

Fortified church

Fortified Church of the Holy Spirit

built in the 13th / 14th Century, with a fortified tower and churchyard fortifications from the 15th century. There are grave monuments of those von Wildenstein, a crucifix from 1532 and a pulpit from 1520. The hall has three aisles and is supported by four mighty round pillars. A ribbed vault from around 1500 and ceiling paintings from around 1500 and 1625 characterize the interior of the church. The churchyard fortification includes the sacristan's house and a fortified tower from the 15th century.

Burgstall Eulenburg

The Eulenburg castle stable is located on the Eulenburg mountain of the same name, 626 m above sea level. NN between the southern exit of Grafengehaig and the Hohenreuther settlement. According to oral tradition, it was a ruin around 1900, later it was removed and there are underground passages in the mountain.

Architectural monuments

Soil monuments

Nature and soil monuments

Steinachklamm

The Steinachklamm in the Steinach Valley marks the breakthrough of the Lower Steinach and is a natural monument . It is located southwest of Grafengehaig (about four kilometers), directly behind the municipal boundary below the village of Wildenstein, which already belongs to the municipality of Presseck . The rock walls of the Steinachklamm are made of quartz keratophyr , a very hard volcanic rock . Like a huge barrier wall, the rock bar lay against the watercourse of the Untere Steinach, until it had gnawed a breakthrough over thousands of years. The rocks stand on top of each other in mighty banks and in the past supported Wildenstein Castle on their summit .

The Steinachklamm has been designated by the Bavarian State Office for the Environment as Geotope 477R003 and has been awarded the official seal of approval for Bavaria's most beautiful geotopes .

Steinachklamm
Steinachklamm

Eisenberg

The Eisenberg at 544 m above sea level. NN is about two kilometers southwest of Grafengehaig. The Seifersreuth district is located in a depression on its southern slope. The place name probably goes back to the mining of ore by soap .

The name of the mountain arose as a result of the local mining of iron ore , which was processed in the Guttenberg hammer and the gun hammer. The summit of the Eisenberg is a ground monument , on it was a prehistoric or prehistoric fortification, probably from the Celtic era . The Mühlenweg leads around the mountain.

Eisenberg from the west
Mariengrotte on Mühlenweg

Economy and Infrastructure

Industry, trade and commerce offer approx. 300 jobs (weaving mills, locksmiths, hammer mills, construction, food). There are also several farms with an agriculturally used area of 907 hectares, of which 613 hectares are arable land (as of 2012).

In Grafengehaig there is a general medical group practice as well as a practice for physiotherapy and an alternative practitioner in the community area. The Diakonieverein Grafengehaig / Presseck is responsible for nursing. There is a local helper (HvO) for the community area.

To supply the population there is a food market that also offers baked goods and meat products. In Grafengehaig there is the Frankenwaldhalle and an inn, in Seifersreuth, Schlockenau, Horbach and Weidmes there is a country inn and in Walberngrün there is a sports center.

Established businesses

The four largest companies in Grafengehaig are:

Horn textiles - Horn KG
J. Erhardt & Sohn GmbH & Co. KG
Krumpholz tools
Vießmann Bau GmbH

education

There are the following institutions (as of 2014):

a kindergarten with 25 places

leisure

In the municipality there are 23 clubs . The landscape invites you to hiking , cycling , mountain biking and in winter for skiing , cross-country skiing and sledding one. In Grafengehaig there is a guesthouse and several holiday apartments .

The Frankenwaldhalle

Frankenwaldhalle Grafengehaig

offers a variety of options for sports and festive events . It is also used for concerts , theater performances and large events with a capacity of approx. 500–700 people.
Walber green glacier

Winter sports center in the Walberngrün district with floodlit trail (length approx. 2.5 kilometers, 80 meters in altitude). Around the winter sports center there are around 20 kilometers of groomed trails .

Sports

SV Grafengehaig

Soccer
Ladies gymnastics

SG Gösmes / Walberngrün

Soccer
Winter sports
Gymnastics group

traffic

The community is connected to State Road 2158. The B 289 is six kilometers away and the A 9 is around 15 km away . There is a bus connection Kulmbach - Grafengehaig - Helmbrechts. The next train stations are in Untersteinach and Helmbrechts; these can also be reached by bus.