Place:Wunsiedel, Wunsiedel, Oberfranken, Bayern, Germany

source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

History

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

was first mentioned in 1163 as the seat of a , Adelbertus or Albert. The name probably originates from ('glades') and ('noble seat'). In 1285, Burgrave Friedrich III of Nuremberg received the fiefdom of the town from King Rudolph I of Habsburg. In 1326, was given town rights by Burgrave Friedrich IV and this was confirmed in 1328 by Emperor Louis the Bavarian. In 1430 Hans of defeated the Hussites in the Battle of , a low mountain immediately south of , and in 1652 Jobst of beat the Bohemians also on the .

In the Middle Ages, was a centre of tin mining and achieved great economic importance through the manufacture of tin plate. In 1613, it became capital of the  — an area comparable in size to the modern district . The bailiffs in , , , and were all subordinated to the high bailiff in .

was a part of the  Principality of Bayreuth  until 1791/92 when the last margrave, Karl Alexander, abdicated and the region was placed under Prussian administration. It was occupied for four years by Napoleon's troops and, in 1810, became part of the Kingdom of Bavaria.

Fires in 1476, 1547, 1607, 1636, 1644, 1646, 1657 and 1731 destroyed various parts of the town. After the last major fire in 1834, which razed two-thirds of , the town was rebuilt in a classicist style.

Birthplace of the nationalist student (October 5, 1795) who later went on to assassinate , a famous conservative German playwright. Kotzebue's death was a direct result of his published ridicule of the student associations in general, however focusing harshest comments on the newly formed , student organizations that supported free institutions, a national German state, uncensored press. In addition, the affluent writer was appointed as Russia's "ambassador" (by Russia) making his death a certainty. In his role as ambassador, Kotzebue was accused as being a "spy" while his role as editor of a literature review magazine brought him accusation of outright plagiarism. In 1817 at the Wartburg Castle, during a gathering of students, the burning of his published works with those of other "enemies" bought him to the attention of the young Karl Sand. In retrospect, a case for post traumatic stress syndrome, as a complicating factor, could probably be made as Karl Sand witnessed, helplessly, the drowning of his good friend just months prior to the murder.

After World War II, was part of the American Zone and a was installed at the at the .

Wunsiedel and Rudolf Hess

In the late 1980s, the cemetery of became rather infamous after Adolf Hitler's deputy Rudolf Hess, who had died in a Berlin prison on 17 August 1987, was buried there. In the years that followed, neo-nazi groups organized memorial marches on each 17 August. The number of participants rose from 120 in 1988 to more than 1,100 in 1990. The gatherings faced protests from anti-fascist groups. Neo-Nazi marches were banned in 1991.

Under the impression that the situation had "cooled down", the Bavarian Administrative Court permitted the gatherings again in 2001. The result was unexpected: neo-nazi groups managed to amass more and more people, the peak being reached in 2004, when over 4,500 participants from all over Europe assembled in . The anti-fascist initiative "" (' is colourful, not brown') organised a counter-demonstration with about 800 participants, decorating the city with rainbow flags and spraying the marchers with confetti. The initiative later received the for commitment and bravery awarded by the German federal ministers and .

In 2005, the memorial march was banned for the first time on the basis of article 130 of the German criminal code, which outlaws incitement of the people. A complaint against the ban was rejected by the Federal Constitutional Court. Nevertheless, more than 2,500 people met on August 20, 2005, to celebrate a Day of Democracy in .

The town decided to have the Hess grave removed in 2011. The family of Rudolf Hess arranged with the cemetery to have Hess’s remains exhumed, cremated and scattered at sea to deter any further pilgrimages to his grave. The gravestone with the words "" ('I have dared') was removed and destroyed. Smaller neo-Nazi marches continued afterward, leading the human-rights group to organise a charity drive whereby a certain sum of money would be donated to the organisation , which helps neo-Nazis leave the movement, for each meter marched.

Research Tips