Burgkunstadt

History

The earliest archeological evidence of settlement dates to the 8th century, and the first written record of a settlement dates to April 13, 1059 in the time of Friedrich Barbarossa. The city earned its charter on April 27, 1426 under Prince Frederick Bishop of Bamberg. The town experienced outbreaks of plague in 1312, 1348, 1448, 1473, and 1626. 195 villagers died, approximately one third of the population. The town fell under the sway of Protestantism in 1517 but returned to Catholicism in 1624. The city's residents supported the peasant revolt of 1525, but the ruling diocese ordered the city plundered as punishment, and the city capitulated in June when order was restored. In the Second Margrave War of 1553, the town was occupied by Albert Alcibiades who burned nearly the entire town. In the Thirty Years War, the town was occupied by Swedish troops for one year and five months from 1632 onwards, causing a tremendous decline in living conditions. The town hall building dates to 1690 and is an archetypical Franconian half-timbered building. During the Seven Years' War, Prussian troops were stationed in the town resulting in yet more destruction and looting. In the Napoleonic wars, the ruling Bishop was forced to resign in 1802, and the town government was secularized. A new main Catholic church dated to 1812. The town opened to industrialization with the construction of a railway line with service starting on February 15, 1846. A steam boiler factory opened in 1862, and the first telegraph reached the town in 1877. The town became known for its shoe factories, and it supplied military boots during the First World War. Following the war, the town suffered from the rampant inflation of the 1920s. During the Nazi period, Dr. Leo Feusinger was appointed Mayor, and…

Most-observed species

• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  496
• Eurasian Blue Tit

  Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  469
• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  423
• European Robin

  Erithacus rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  391
• Great Spotted Woodpecker

  Dendrocopos major (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  382
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  363
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  323
• Yellowhammer

  Emberiza citrinella Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  307

Most recent

• M 3.2 — 2018-05-22
  2 km ENE of Luby, Czechia
• M 4.1 — 2018-05-21
  2 km SSE of Erlbach, Germany
• M 3.8 — 2014-05-31
  4 km NE of Skalná, Czechia
• M 4 — 2011-09-04
  5 km WSW of Habartov, Czechia
• M 2.9 — 2008-11-23
  4 km SW of Oloví, Czechia
• M 2.9 — 2008-10-31
  3 km NW of Zwota, Germany