Baunach
Baunach is a town in the Upper Franconian district of Bamberg and the seat of the administrative community ("Verwaltungsgemeinschaft") of Baunach. Until administrative reform in 1972, Baunach belonged to the Lower Franconian district of Ebern. Baunach calls itself the “Franconian Three-River Town” because it lies on the rivers Baunach, Lauter and Main. These three rivers are depicted in the town's coat of arms, in which a golden pike lies over the three rivers. In 2002, the town celebrated its 1,200-year jubilee. Moreover, the river Itz flows through the community area. The name Baunach comes from the  Indo-Germanic word for river: "bunahu". This may be translated as “swelling water”. For thousands of years the entire region near Baunach has been populated by Celts and Franconians. Geography. Baunach lies on the right bank of the Main, 11 km north of Bamberg. Kraiberg (with a height of 365 metres) and Stiefenberg (396 metres high) are the most important mountains in the area. Baunach lies within the Hassberge and thus is member city of the Haßberge Nature Park. Constituent communities. Baunach's main town and namesake centre is by far the biggest of its "Ortsteile" with a population of  3,069. The town furthermore has these outlying centres, each given here with its own population figure: The town also has these traditional rural land units, known in German as "Gemarkungen": Appendorf, Baunach, Daschendorf, Dorgendorf, Priegendorf, Reckenneusig, Stiefenberg, Daschendorfer Forst, Lußberger Forst. The last-named two are wooded areas without any inhabitant. It is traditional for a "Gemarkung" to be named after a town or village lying nearby. History. The first sources of a city called Baunach date from the year 802. Nevertheless, the entire region from Baunach to the Staffelberg has been populated for thousands of years. Emperor Ludwig the  Bavarian bestowed upon Baunach town rights in 1328. The town was both an "Obervogtamt" (“higher reeve’s office”) and headquarters of a famous regional knight county before Secularization and belonged to the Prince-Bishopric of Bamberg. In 1727, the last execution was carried out in Baunach. In 1803 Baunach came to Bavaria as a result of the "Reichsdeputationshauptschluss". After World War II many refugees came to Baunach. Population development. Within the town's area, 2,914 inhabitants were counted in 1970, 3,174 in 1987 and 3,807 in 2000. On 30 June 2007 it was 3,933. Politics. The current mayor is Tobias  Roppelt (Christliche Bürgerschaft Baunach), elected in March 2020. Previous mayors were: Town council. In 1999 the town's tax revenue, converted to euros, was €1,791,000, of which business taxes (net) amounted to €414,000. Coat of arms. On 15 July 1447, the Bamberg Bishop Anton von Rotenhan conferred upon the market town of Baunach “"ein sigill und panir"” (“a seal and banner”). He made clear the charges (not the colours, though – they only came later) to appear in the town's arms: “"sullen steen drey wasserfluss. Und durch dieselben drey wasserfluss soll ein gantzer hecht mit dem haupt von  der einen obern ecke des schilts... geen."” (“shall stand three rivers. And through the same three rivers shall go a whole pike with the head from the one upper corner of the shield”). The three rivers are the Baunach, the Lauter and the Main. The pike symbolizes the town's wealth of fish. Prince-Bishop Johann Philipp von Gebsattel (1599–1609) completed the coloured arms with the following colours: red for the field, silver for the rivers and gold for the pike. Culture and sightseeing. Museums. The "Heimatmuseum Baunach" (“homeland” or local museum) at the Old Town Hall has exhibits from  the town's and the parish's prehistory and early history as well as from Baunach's club life. There are also agricultural devices and others from historical crafting as well as from town and country households. In the town hall's former session chamber is found a comprehensive collection by painter and graphic artist Max Schnös. The local organists are Hubert Reinhard, who is vice-organist of the Basilica minor in Vierzehnheiligen, Marga Büttner, and Matthias Bahr. Regular events. Baunach holds a "Kirchweih" (church consecration festival), "Altstadtfest" (old town festival), "Magdalenenmarkt" (Magdalen Market) and "Weihnachtsmarkt" (Christmas Market). Baunach Baunach