Lichtenfels, Bavaria

Lichtenfels is a town in the Upper Franconian region of Bavaria, Germany, the administrative seat of Lichtenfels district. It is mainly known as the German "Basket City".

Lichtenfels
Town
Town hall
Coat of arms
Location of Lichtenfels within Lichtenfels district
Lichtenfels Show map of Germany Lichtenfels Show map of Bavaria
Coordinates: 50°08′N 11°02′E
Country	Germany
State	Bavaria
Admin. region	Oberfranken
District	Lichtenfels
Government
• Mayor (2020–26)	Andreas Hügerich[1] (SPD)
Area
• Total	122.27 km2 (47.21 sq mi)
Elevation	271 m (889 ft)
Population  (2022-12-31)[2]
• Total	20,217
• Density	170/km2 (430/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	96215
Dialling codes	09571
Vehicle registration	LIF, STE
Website	www.lichtenfels.de

Geography

It is on the upper path of the river Main, about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) southeast of Coburg, and 30 kilometres (19 mi) northeast of Bamberg. The hilly landscape is called Gottesgarten am Obermain ("God's garden on the upper Main"), referring to the Basilica of the Fourteen Holy Helpers and Banz Abbey. The Maintal (valley of the Main) goes from East to West. The most important cities of the district are Burgkunstadt, Bad Staffelstein and the district city of Lichtenfels. The Rodach river, a tributary of the Main, runs through the area and reaches its greatest width in the northern part between Hochstadt am Main and Lichtenfels.

The district of Lichtenfels is in the western part of the government region (Regierungsbezirk) of Oberfranken (Upper Franconia). It is surrounded by (from the north and clockwise) the districts of Coburg, Kronach, Kulmbach, Bayreuth and Bamberg.

The southern edge of the Main stretches up to the mountain range of the Franconian Jura (Fränkische Alb) below the Staffelberg close to Bad Staffelstein. The northern edge of the Main stretches up to the Itz-Baunach Highlands.

Administrative division

The town is divided into several districts:

Buch am Forst, Degendorf, Eichig, Gnellenroth, Hammer, Isling, Klosterlangheim, Kösten, Köttel, Krappenroth, Lahm, Mistelfeld, Mönchkröttendorf, Oberlangheim, Oberwallenstadt, Reundorf, Roth, Rothmannsthal, Schney, Schönsreuth, Seehof, Seubelsdorf, Stetten, Stöcken, Tiefenroth, Trieb, Unterwallenstadt und Weingarten.

Twin towns – sister cities

Lichtenfels is twinned with:^[3]

• Ariccia, Italy (2004)
• Cournon-d'Auvergne, France (1992)
• Prestwick, Scotland, United Kingdom (1974)
• Vandalia, United States (1975)