The
Upper Palatinate is one of the seven
administrative regionIn Germany, a Government District, in German: Regierungsbezirk – is a subdivision of certain federal states .They are above the Kreise, Landkreise, and kreisfreie Städte...
s of
BavariaBavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
,
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, located in the east of Bavaria.
History
The region took its name first in the early 16th century, because it was by the
Treaty of PaviaThe Treaty of Pavia which divided the House of Wittelsbach two branches, was signed in Pavia in 1329. Under the accord, Emperor Louis IV granted during his stay in Italy the Palatinate including the Bavarian Upper Palatinate to his brother Duke Rudolph's descendants, Rudolph II, Rupert I and...
one of the main portions of the territory of the
WittelsbachThe Wittelsbach family is a European royal family and a German dynasty from Bavaria.Members of the family served as Dukes, Electors and Kings of Bavaria , Counts Palatine of the Rhine , Margraves of Brandenburg , Counts of Holland, Hainaut and Zeeland , Elector-Archbishops of Cologne , Dukes of...
Elector Palatine, who also ruled over the Lower Palatinate in the Rhineland, now normally just called the Palatinate, or Pfalz. The capital of the Upper Palatinate was
AmbergAmberg is a town in Bavaria, Germany. It is located in the Upper Palatinate, roughly halfway between Regensburg and Bayreuth. Population: 44,756 .- History :...
. Cadet branches of the Wittelsbach also ruled over smaller territories in
NeuburgNeuburg can refer to:* Neuburg an der Donau, a town in the state of Bavaria, Germany* Neuburg an der Kammel, a town in the district of Günzburg, Bavaria, Germany* Neuburg am Inn, a town in the district of Passau, Bavaria, Germany...
and
Sulzbach- Germany :* Sulzbach-Rosenberg, a town in the district Amberg-Sulzbach, Bavaria* Sulzbach, Saarland, a town in the district of Saarbrücken, Saarland* Sulzbach, Hesse, a municipality in the Main-Taunus-Kreis, Hesse...
. As a result of the Elector Palatine
Frederick V'sFrederick V was Elector Palatine , and, as Frederick I , King of Bohemia ....
abortive claim to the
BohemiaBohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
n throne in 1619–1620, the Upper Palatinate, along with the rest of his lands, were declared forfeit to the Emperor and, along with the Electoral title, given to the Duke of
BavariaBavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
. Although the Lower Palatinate was restored to Frederick's son by the
Peace of WestphaliaThe Peace of Westphalia was a series of peace treaties signed between May and October of 1648 in Osnabrück and Münster. These treaties ended the Thirty Years' War in the Holy Roman Empire, and the Eighty Years' War between Spain and the Dutch Republic, with Spain formally recognizing the...
in 1648, the Upper Palatinate remained under the Elector of Bavaria, and has remained a part of Bavaria ever since. The smaller territories of Sulzbach and Neuburg came to Bavaria in 1742, while the city of
RegensburgRegensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube. To the east lies the Bavarian Forest. Regensburg is the capital of the Bavarian administrative region Upper Palatinate...
, an Imperial Free City, was not joined with the rest of the region until the end of the
Holy Roman EmpireThe Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
in 1806.
Districts
Landkreise
(districts) |
Kreisfreie Städte
(district-free towns) |
|---|
- Amberg-Sulzbach
Amberg-Sulzbach is a district in Bavaria, Germany. It surrounds but does not include the city of Amberg. It is bounded by the districts of Neustadt , Schwandorf, Neumarkt, Nürnberger Land and Bayreuth.- History :...
- Cham
Cham is a district in Bavaria, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Regen, Straubing-Bogen, Regensburg and Schwandorf and by the Czech Plzeň Region.- History :...
- Neumarkt
Neumarkt is a district in Bavaria, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Nürnberger Land, Amberg-Sulzbach, Schwandorf, Regensburg, Kelheim, Eichstätt and Roth.-History:...
- Neustadt (Waldnaab)
Neustadt is a district in Bavaria, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Schwandorf, Amberg-Sulzbach, Bayreuth and Tirschenreuth, and by the Czech Republic...
- Regensburg
Regensburg is an administrative district in Bavaria, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Schwandorf, Cham, Straubing-Bogen, Kelheim and Neumarkt...
- Schwandorf
Schwandorf is a Kreis in the east part of Bavaria, Germany. Neighboring districts are Cham, Regensburg, Neumarkt, Amberg-Sulzbach, Neustadt , and the Czech Plzeň Region.-History:...
- Tirschenreuth
Tirschenreuth is a Kreis in the northeastern part of Bavaria, Germany. Neighboring districts are Neustadt , Bayreuth and Wunsiedel. To the east are the Czech districts of Plzeň and Karlovy Vary.-Geography:...
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- Amberg
Amberg is a town in Bavaria, Germany. It is located in the Upper Palatinate, roughly halfway between Regensburg and Bayreuth. Population: 44,756 .- History :...
- Regensburg
Regensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube. To the east lies the Bavarian Forest. Regensburg is the capital of the Bavarian administrative region Upper Palatinate...
- Weiden in der Oberpfalz
Weiden in der Oberpfalz is a district-free city in Bavaria, Germany. It is located 100 km east of Nuremberg and 35 km west of the Czech border. A branch of the German Army's NCO Academy is located here...
|
Population
Historical Population of Upper Palatinate:
- 1900: 553,841
- 1910: 600,284
- 1939: 694,742
- 1950: 906,822
- 1961: 898,580
- 1970: 963,833
- 1987: 969,868
- 2002: 1,088,929
- 2005: 1,089,543
- 2006: 1,087,939
- 2008: 1,085,216
- 2010: 1,081,206
External links