Hof

Geography

Administrative divisions

The town of Hof consists of the following districts in particular:

Surroundings

Hof is located in between the areas of the Franconian Forest, the Fichtel Mountains and the Vogtland.

Climate

Hof has an humid continental climate (Köppen: Dfb; Trewartha: Dclo). Hof is located at an altitude of 565.2 metres (1,854 ft), which is much cooler than other areas in Bavaria. The average annual temperature ranges from −1 °C (30 °F) in winter to 17 °C (63 °F) in summer, and the annual precipitation is 712.6 mm (28.06 in).

The Hof weather station has recorded the following extreme values:

Its highest temperature was 35.3 °C (95.5 °F) on 20 July 2022.

Its lowest temperature was −27.0 °C (−16.6 °F) on 10 February 1956.

Its greatest annual precipitation was 1,010.5 mm (39.78 in) in 1995.

Its least annual precipitation was 388.2 mm (15.28 in) in 1953.

The longest annual sunshine was 2,008.9 hours in 1959.

The shortest annual sunshine was 1,247.5 hours in 1978.

History

Roman period

Hof in the Middle Ages was located in the Provincia Variscorum and was known in Latin as Curiae Variscorum or Curiae Nariscorum meaning "Court of the Varisci/Narisci." It is assumed then that Hof was the place where the chief(s) of the Varisci (or Narisci) tribe of the Suebi people held court (and/or perhaps a pagan temple or hall). The Varisci appear briefly in Tacitus' Germania (Chapter 42) as participants in the Marcomannic Wars. Their chief, Valao, was killed during battle around 167 AD and it is possible that these ancient peoples were then transplanted to Italy by Marcus Aurelius and lost their identity. A few centuries later (4th or 5th century) the obscure Armalausi peoples appear where the Varisci once lived, however the Latin name of Varisci stuck to the region. This is evidenced by nearby Plauen being called Plavia Variscorum and Hof: Curia Variscorum. The name Curiae Variscorum has been used to denote the city of Hof in numerous documents and publications throughout the years. This legacy remains even to this day as the word Hof is German for 'court', just as curiae is Latin for 'court'.

Sorbish-Frankish Conflicts (c. 600 – 1080)

Sometime around the 6th century AD the Slavic Sorbs began arriving near the Saale River which runs through Hof. They are first mentioned in 631 A.D., when Fredegar’s Chronicle described them as "Surbi" and as under the rule of a Dervan, an ally of Samo. The Frankish Kingdom of Charlemagne and his descendants were determined to Christianize the pagan Slavs and various campaigns were waged against them. The Annales Regni Francorum state that in 806 A.D. Sorbian Duke Miliduch fought against the Franks and was killed by Charles the Younger the son of Charlemagne around nearby modern-day Weißenfels.

The region where Hof is located first came under the ecclesiastic control of the Dioceses of Würzburg during this time period. Then in 1007 the region which contains Hof came under the Bishopric of Bamberg which was established out of the Dioceses of Würzburg to further spread Christianity throughout this area.

While the area around Hof remained terra incognita during this time period it was not isolated from the rest of the world. Although not home to a king or prince, Hof was on located on a somewhat protected, and very important trade route; the Via Imperii. This route led from Italy to the Baltic Sea and Hof was well situated to be a place of rest for travelers and traders as the flourishing markets of Leipzig, Zwickau, and Nuremberg began to develop. The budding mining industry of silver and tin from the nearby Ore Mountains would also contribute to the development of trade in this region.

Andechs-Merania and Vögte of Weida (1080–1373)

It appears that the missionary efforts of Bamberg were fairly successful in Hof as sometime around 1080 a group of farmers (possibly Sorbish) settled parts of modern-day Hof had built a chapel on Klausenberg an der Saale. They called their settlement "Rekkenze" which appears to be derived from the Western Slavic word Rekavica meaning "river." Rekkenze was first mentioned in a document written by one Pastor Albertus of St. Lorenzkirche in 1214 to the Bishop of Bamberg.

The Slavic language has left many marks on the geography of this region and to this day there are two waterways known as "Regnitz" near Hof: the Upper/Southern Regnitz (which flows in the south of Hof on the east side of the Saale River) and the Lower/Northern Regnitz (which flows in the north and east side of the Saale). Also of note, the area around Hof, the southern Bavarian-Bohemian part of the Vogtland, was known as the Regnitzland.

This Rekkenze settlement, which later became Hof, went by this and many other names through the years. For example, Hof is also called "curia Reckenize" (court of Reckenize) and "schlosz Reckenitz" (Castle Reckenitz) in a document of the Vögte of Weida in the year 1276. It has been suggested that the name "Hof" is the shortened form of Stadt am Regnitzhof meaning "City on the Court at the Regnitz". Other names for Hof have included: Curia Bavarica (Variscorum), Curiae Nariscorum, Curiae Regnitianae, Curiae Regnitianae ad Salam, Curiae Variscorum, Hoff, Hofii, Hof an der Saale, and Hoff im Voitlande to name but a few.

In 1098 Count Berthold II of Andechs inherited his father's lands including those in modern-day Upper Franconia. In the 1130s he built Plassenburg Castle in Kulmbach and from 1137 he styled himself as 'Count of Plassenburg". He thus strengthened his influence in and around the nearby Regnitzland.

Around 1230, Count Berthold's great-grandson, the Crusader Duke Otto I von Andechs-Merania fortified the area north of the Rekkenze farming settlement (Altstadt) at the area downstream now known as Neustadt (New City).

By 1248 the royal house of Andechs-Merania dies out with Duke Otto II. Soon after the Vögte of Weida acquired the Regnitzland including Hof. Vogt Henry VIII of Weida (1258–1279) earned the city of Hof and Regnitzland. He was married to Sophie, daughter of Count Hermann II of Orlamünde and Beatrix of Andechs-Merania (daughter of Count Otto I).

Brandenburg period (1373–1792)

Burgrave Friedrich V died on January 21, 1398, and his lands were split between his two sons, Johann III and Friedrich IV, thus creating what has been called the Principality of Bayreuth. Hof was under this Hohenzollern Principality until December 2, 1791, and during this time was known as the Hochfürstlich-Brandenburgische Hauptstadt Hoff im Voigtlande (the "Princely Brandenburg capital city of Hof in the Vogtland").

Close to the end of the Hussite Wars (between the 4th and 5th Crusade against them) Hof was sacked by the Hussite followers of Jan Hus. In 1430, during the period the Hussites called the Spanilé jízdy (or "beautiful rides") they raided and devastated the city of Hof. on 25 January they burnt Plauen and then turned their attention to Hof. From the end of January into February they attacked and finally broke through killing many Hofers and looted and burned Hof. They also took away inhabitants of Hof as booty.

In 1432 a militia was organized to defend Hof. The organization of this Shooter's Guild is still celebrated in Hof annually in festival called Schlappentag [see description above].

in 1464 the Hospital and Hospital Church (Hospitalkirche Archived 2014-11-21 at the Wayback Machine) were rebuilt.

1487 a foundation in Niclaskirche for pilgrims on the Jacobsweg was built near the modern day St. Marienkirche. Jacobsweg is part of the famous Camino de Santiago which ends in at Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain. There is a plaque on the wall of Marienkirche that commemorates this pilgrim inn that is now lost.

In 1498 a watch tower was constructed to add to the defenses of Hof.

While 1517 brought the 95 Theses, the spark that ignited the Protestant Reformation, in Hof 1517 sparked a terrible fire that destroyed some 50 homes around the Orlaplatz and St. Michaeliskirche, severely damaging the rectory. The various churches and chapels in Hof at this time were all under the head pastor (German: Oberpfarrer) of Hof, Margrave Friedrich von Brandenburg of the Hohenzollern family. This family often fought amongst themselves during the reformation using religion to gain political power. Friedrich tended to side with the Catholic Church against his brother George "the Pious" who used the new Protestant religion to his advantage.

Prussian rule (1791–1805)

Hof came under Prussian rule on December 2, 1791, when Margrave Karl Alexander, the last Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach and Brandenburg-Bayreuth, sold it to King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia, a fellow member of the House Hohenzollern.

Napoleonic Conflicts (1805–1810)

On 3 November 1805 the Prussians had signed the Treaty of Potsdam, agreeing to enter the War of the Third Coalition against Napoleon if he didn't agree to peace within four weeks. This treaty came to nothing after the Battle of Austerlitz on 2 December 1805, when Napoleon decisively crushed the Third Coalition. This forced the Prussian envoy, Count Karsten of Haugwitz, to negotiate a treaty of friendship called the Convention of Schönbrunn (15 December 1805) proclaiming an alliance between Prussia and France. As part of this treaty Prussia was forced to give up Brandenburg-Ansbach.

In February 1806 Haugwitz went to Paris to ratify this Treaty of Schönbrunn and to attempt to secure some modifications in favour of Prussia. He was received with a storm of abuse by Napoleon, who insisted on tearing up the treaty and drawing up a fresh one, which doubled the amount of territory to be ceded by Prussia and forced her to a breach with Great Britain by binding her to close the Hanoverian ports to British commerce. The treaty, signed on 15 February, left Prussia wholly isolated in Europe and led Prussia into war with Napoleon later that year.

In the War of the Fourth Coalition (1806–1807) Hof was then briefly held by General Bogislav Friedrich Emanuel von Tauentzien of the Prussian Army. Tauentzein more or less abandoned Hof on 8 October 1806 and Hof was easily taken by light cavalry from Napoleon's Marshal General Jean-de-Dieu Soult's IV Corps that same day. Hof's geographic position made it an ideal 'jumping off' point of Napoleon's Campaign in Saxony Archived 2010-09-11 at the Wayback Machine which quickly resulted in the French-won Battle of Schleiz the next day and soon thereafter the famous Napoleon victory at the Battle of Jena.

Napoleon sold Hof to the Kingdom of Bavaria on 30 June 1810.

Bavarian rule (1810–1918)

On 4 September 1823, the town was virtually destroyed by a fire as 9 out of 10 buildings were destroyed.

World War II

In 1945, Hof suffered minor destruction due to aerial attacks but by the end of 1945 housed twice its previous population, receiving German-speaking refugees from neighbouring Bohemia, where extensive ethnic cleansing of Czechoslovakia's German-speaking population was taking place.

Modern era

From 1945 to 1990 Hof was very close to the border between East Germany and West Germany.

In 1989 thousands of East German citizens, who had demanded the right to travel or emigrate to West Germany and had been allowed to do so, first arrived on western soil at Hof's railway station, having been placed on a special train and officially "expelled" by the East German government. Hof is located near the old Berlin-Munich autobahn, which was thought to be a possible invasion route by Warsaw Pact forces had the Cold War ever escalated into armed conflict (see Fulda Gap).

Politics

Margraves of Kulmbach and Bayreuth

1398: Johann III of Nuremberg

1420: Friedrich I of Brandenburg

1440: Johann IV the Alchemist

1457: Albert I Achilles (also Margrave of Brandenburg from 1470)

1486: Siegmund

1495: Friedrich III (also Margrave of Ansbach as Friedrich I)

1515: Kasimir

1527: Albert Alcibiades

1553: Jürgen Friedrich (also Margrave of Ansbach)

1603: Karsten

1655: Karsten Ernst

1712: Jürgen Wilhelm

1726: Jürgen Friedrich Karl (previously Margrave of Kulmbach from 1708)

1735: Friedrich

1763: Friedrich Karsten

1769: Karsten Friedrich (to 1791; also Margrave of Ansbach)

Mayors (first mayors and lord mayors)

(since the introduction of the Bavarian Municipal Code in 1818)

Twin towns – sister cities

Hof is twinned with:

Culture

Points of interest

Botanischer Garten der Stadt Hof, a municipal botanical garden and the Hof Zoo, a zoological garden located on the Theresienstein, a hill near the downtown

Freiheitshalle, event building

St Mary's Cathedral, highest church of the town (65 meters high)

St Michel's Cathedral, second largest church

Untreusee, a lake in the south of the town

Concert, theatre and festivals

Freiheitshalle, the biggest hall for events and concerts in north-east Bavaria, famous for TV shows and trade fairs, with a capacity of more than 6,000 people.

Theater Hof, a multi-purpose theatre, opera house and drama theatre. It hosts also the city's ballet company and a youth theatre. Intendant: Reinhardt Friese.

Hofer Symphoniker, the symphony orchestra of Hof, plays as opera orchestra at the theatre and gives concerts at the Freiheitshalle Hof. Notable is also the Hofer Symphoniker Music School, which is unique among Germany's professional orchestras. Intendant: Ingrid Schrader.

Church music at City churches St Mary's and St Michel's. Music direktors: Ludger Stühlmeyer and Georg Stanek.

International Violin Competition Henri Marteau: Named after the violinist and violin teacher Henri Marteau, the competition takes place under the responsibility of the District of Upper Franconia and organized by Hofer Symphoniker every three years in Lichtenberg and Hof.

Hof International Film Festival.

Schlappentag (see above in the general description)

Hofer Volksfest: The term Volksfest means fair or folk festival. The Hofer Volksfest is the biggest of its type in the area. It takes place at the end of July and beginning of August every year. It begins on the last Friday of July with a big parade which passes through the town centre in the direction of the festival area where it finishes. The festival occupies a big amusement park with a wide variety of attractions and all kinds of local food and beer specialties, and partly occupies a big beer tent area. Most of the latter takes place in a big concert hall but the atmosphere is similar to that of a beer tent. Every night, different local bands play mostly traditional Bavarian music.

Weather and geography

Hof is also known as Bavarian Siberia because temperatures are usually a few degrees lower than in most other parts of Bavaria, particularly in winter, but summers are warm.

The coat-of-arms of Hof is a red shield with two white towers against which leans a black shield with a gold lion. 322 miles away the town of Heimbach where Hengebach castle is located (former capital of the Duchy of Jülich) the coat-of-arms is almost the reverse: a black shield with a red roof on a white tower against which leans a gold shield with a black lion. Although Hof is 322 miles away from Heimbach, the two cities have some association. The castle of Hengebach in Heimbach is located in the section that was the former village of Schmidt and there lived a branch of the baronial dynasty of von Schmidt auf Altenstadt until they emigrated in 1749 and the seat of the barons von Altenstadt was very near Hof, in a part of the municipality of Gattendorf known as Kirchgattendorf, where the ruins of the von Altenstadt castles can still be seen. But the coincidences do not stop there: the family arms of the von Schmidts auf Altenstadt were a swan and the arms of Gattendorf are a swan.

The barons von Schmidt auf Altenstadt, as barons of the village Gattendorf in the environs of Hof were a significant part of social and aristocratic life in the town. In the nineteenth century, Christoph August von Schmidt, after having served as a Provost at the University of Saint Petersburg, Russia where he was ennobled by the Tsar and awarded the orders of St Stanislaus and Sts Ann-and-Vladimir, erected a monument describing his adventure and bearing the simplified, swan version of his coat-of-arms which today has been adopted by the village of Gattendorf as its municipal arms.

Hof provided Anthony Hope (author of "The Prisoner of Zenda") with his inspiration for Strelsau, capital of his fictitious kingdom of Ruritania. Although the book locates Ruritania along the railway line between Dresden in Sachsen (Saxony) and Prague, capital of Bohemia (modern day Czech Republic), one can see Hof in the descriptions of Strelsau. Among the clues there is the name "Altstadt" for the "old town", similar to Altenstadt, the older part of Strelsau where "Black Michael", the Duke of Strelsau, was popular.

Climate

Climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year-round. The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is "Cfb" (Marine West Coast Climate/Oceanic climate).

Education

Hof is also home to the University of Applied Sciences Hof which has around 3,700 students and the University of Applied Sciences for Administration and Legal Affairs in Bavaria which has around 1,800 students.

Media

In Hof is the headquarters of the Frankenpost, the regional newspaper.

There are two radio stations Radio Euroherz and Extra Radio.

Furthermore are the studios of the regional television channel TV Oberfranken (TV Upper-Franconia) in Hof.

Military

Hof was of special interest during the Cold War as it was near the border with Czechoslovakia and the GDR. On Hohe Saas, there was a radar site. A border camp of the American 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment was near the town. The 511th Military Intelligence Battalion also maintained a border resident office in Hof*. Between 1949 and 1993, Hof was also the site of an RIAS transmitting station.

Transport

Hof central station is on the Regensburg–Hof, Bamberg–Hof and Leipzig–Hof main lines and the Hof–Bad Steben branch line.

Buses are run by HofBus, which operates 12 routes in the town.

Hof has a regional airport. However, there are no schedule flights to and from the airport. The nearest airports are Nuremberg Airport, located 137 km (85 mi) south west, Erfurt Weimar Airport, located 157 km (98 mi) north west, Dresden Airport, located 182 km (113 mi) north east and Václav Havel Airport Prague, located 217 km (135 mi) east of Hof.

Notable people

Born in Hof

Nikolaus Decius (1485–after 1546), monk, minister, cantor, hymns poet and Prussian reformer

Johann Christian Reinhart (1761–1847), painter, etcher and draftsman

Johann Georg August Wirth (1798–1848), journalist and political activist

Johann Erhard Fischer (1817–1884), pastor, historian, author and editor of Freimund's kirchlich-politisches Wochenblatt für Stadt und Land

Heinrich Gerber (1832–1912), civil engineer, bridge-builder and inventor of the Gerber girder

Otto von Schrön (1837–1917), physician, epidemiologist, Director of the Institute of Pathological Anatomy at the University of Naples, freeman of Naples

Otto von Lossow (1868–1938), General, commander of the Infantry School in Munich

Ernst Pöhner (1870–1925), Munich Police President and one of the parties at the Hitler Ludendorff Putsch in 1923

Hans Georg Hofmann (1873–1942), SA-Obergruppenführer and Regierungspräsident of Middle and Upper Bavaria

Stefan Dittrich (1912–1988), politician (CSU), member of the Bundestag

Gerhard Hetz (1942–2012), float and swim coach

Klaus Wedemeier (born 1944), SPD - politician, 1971–1985 and 1995–1999 member of the Bremen Regional Parliament (Landtag), 1985–1995 mayor and president of the Senate of Bremen

Reinhard Kapp (born 1947), musicologist

Those associated with Hof

Stephan Agricola (1491–1547), theologian and reformer in Hof

Paul Daniel Longolius (1704–1779), rector of the school in Hof, chief editor of Zedler Universal Lexicon

Jean Paul (1763–1825), writer, visited the school in Hof

Bernhard Lichtenberg (1875–1943), Catholic priest who took a position critical during the Nazi era, died on the way to Dachau concentration camp in court. Was awarded for his commitment to persecuted Jews in the Israeli memorial Yad Vashem as "Righteous Among the Nations" (memorial bust in the Parish Church of St. Mary)

Leo Götz (1883–1962), painter, died in Hof

Richard Wendler (1898–1972) mayor in Hof

Hans Hofner (1908–1982), local historian, winner of the Golden Ring of Honour of the city Hof

Enoch zu Guttenberg (1946–2018), honorary conductor of the Hofer Symphoniker

Hans-Peter Friedrich (born 1957), German politician of the CSU, former Interior Minister

Ludger Stühlmeyer (born 1961), deanerycantor, docent, musicologist and composer

Barbara Stühlmeyer (born 1964), author, scientist, church musician

Alfredo Stroessner (1912–2006) 42nd president of Paraguay's father, Hugo Strößner was from Hof