Burgebrach

Geography

Burgebrach is said to be the eastern gateway to the Steigerwald (forest), where the Mittlere Ebrach empties into the Rauhe Ebrach. It is to be found on Bundesstraße 22 halfway between Bamberg and Ebrach.

Neighbouring communities

Lisberg, Stegaurach, Frensdorf, Pommersfelden, Mühlhausen (Erlangen-Höchstadt district), Schlüsselfeld, Burgwindheim, Schönbrunn im Steigerwald and Walsdorf all border on Burgebrach.

Constituent communities

Burgebrach’s main and namesake centre is by far the biggest of its Ortsteile with a population of 3,316. The market town furthermore has these outlying centres, each given here with its own population figure:

History

The first known name for the place was Urbs Ebraha in 1023. Emperor Heinrich II donated it to the Bishopric of Würzburg, which then sold it to the High Monastery at Bamberg. Burgebrach was the original parish for more than 40 outlying places. It was granted market rights on 21 August 1472 by Bamberg Bishop Georg von Schaumburg.

In 1499, on the Bishop’s demands, three defensive towers had to be built, for which the Bishop exempted the market town from taxes. Walls were needless, as the boggy meadows and the Ebrach’s two arms had long been thwarting enemy attacks. Thus Burgebrach was spared the fury of the Hussite and German Peasants' Wars. Only in 1550 was it beset by the notorious Margrave Albrecht Alkibiades’s, and on 16 February 1632 in the Thirty Years' War by the Swedes’ plundering and pillaging. In 1706, a great deal of money and goods were forced out of the townsfolk by the French.

Since the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss of 1803, the community has no longer belonged to the High Monastery at Bamberg, but rather to Bavaria.

Burgebrach once had Jewish inhabitants who had at their disposal a synagogue and a mikvah. The former has been converted into a home, while the latter, a ritual bath, is used nowadays as a garage. The dead were buried in Walsdorf.

Population development

Within town limits, 4,761 inhabitants were counted in 1970, 5,037 in 1987, 6,212 in 2000 and 6479 in 2006. In 2007 it was 6,438.

Politics

Since 1990 the mayor has been Georg Bogensperger (CSU).

The town council is made up of 20 members, listed here by party or voter community affiliation, and also with the number of seats that each holds and percentage of votes received:

In 1999, municipal tax revenue, converted to euros, amounted to €2,610,000 of which business taxes (net) amounted to €776,000.

Town partnership

There is a partnership arrangement with the community of Kapsweyer in Rhineland-Palatinate.

Buildings

Wayside shrines

The local historical inscription from 1958 describes “Hans Leisentritt’s” last minutes: “...The sun was climbing on this last day of September in full brightness high above the Jura. Hans Leisentritt did not see it, nor did he see the blue sky as he faltered through the North Gate. Before the Marter at the brook he knelt down and the sentence was read out once again. ‘Crucified Lord Jesus Christ, have pity with me!’ In holy mercifulness the Lord on the Cross looked upon the poor sinner. A picture of misery of a man stumbled in fetters on towards the gallows. Nobody ran up to cut the ropes off from him so that he could run back into the market town, flee into the church and thereby be saved. None wanted to help him. Thus, he staggered on, up to the gallows. There, the hangman carried out his duty.”

The Gothic Marter bears on its octagonal shaft the yeardate 1522 and on the lantern 1512.

The lantern itself is adorned on both front and back by a Crucifixion scene, and on the edges are found Emperor Heinrich and Empress Kunigunde.

On the octagonal shaft, on the side towards the road – when the light is just right – the outlines of a human figure can be made out. At this wayside shrine, it is believed that Martin Luther preached on his way to Heidelberg, leading some to believe that the shape that could be seen on the shaft was Martin Luther’s, thereby also leading others to batter the image with stones into unrecognizability. Whatever the truth is about this story, it cannot be confirmed that Martin Luther ever came to Burgebrach.

On 8 June 1968, Alfred Seel noted this 220-cm tall memorial with its 60-cm wide lantern in his description of field memorials in the City and District of Bamberg. In 1976, Hanns Leitherer strengthened and restored the memorial and the municipality laid a sandstone plaque at the foot of the shrine bearing both names.

The inscription “Ren. 1811” points to a renovation. The last restoration – in the 20th century – was financed by the Heimatverein Burgebrach (“homeland club”).

Two legends, although neither one’s provenance can be confirmed, are connected with this place:

1. When the newly chosen Bamberg Bishop, coming from Würzburg reached here on 1 February 1203, a delegation from Bamberg was already waiting to greet the new landlord.
2. Ursula von Windeck (14th century) was driving to Burgebrach for church services on Trinity Sunday (the first Sunday after Whitsun) with a team of horses. As the coach coming from the castle turned into the main road, the firecrackers were set off in Burgebrach; the horses shied. Ursula sent an ejaculatory prayer to the Holy Trinity and the approaching misfortune was averted. Ursula thereupon endowed a wayside shrine.

In the front relief described as a representation of the Trinity, one does not see the usual representation of an at once glorious and dolorous Trinity, but rather God the Father gazes out from the clouds with outstretched arms, the dove, symbol of the Holy Ghost, sweeps across the middle of the relief over the Christ Child, who is being led by Mary and Joseph.

Regular events

Economy and infrastructure

Burgebrach is a subcentre and has its own hospital, the Steigerwaldklinik. Moreover, there are many retail businesses in Burgebrach. The firm IDEAL Automotive and the Musikhaus Thomann with worldwide online mail ordering further enhance the economy.

Transport

Through Burgebrach run Staatsstraße 2262 and Bundesstraße 22. The town may be reached by Autobahn through the Schlüsselfeld or Pommersfelden interchange on the A 3.

Sons and daughters of the town

Other