Franconian Switzerland

Franconian Switzerland (German: Fränkische Schweiz) is an upland in Upper Franconia, Bavaria, Germany and a popular tourist retreat.

Two law students of Erlangen University, Ludwig Tieck and Wilhelm Heinrich Wackenroder have been credited as "discoverers" of the region.

The "Eine Reise in die Fränkische Schweiz" issue of their joint production Franz Sternbalds Wanderungen[1] (Berlin, 1798) enthralled many contemporaries.

The 1820 book Die kleine Schweiz (Little Switzerland), written by Jakob Reiselsberger of Waischenfeld, gave the region its name.

Its boundaries are Obermainland (north), Erlangen (south), Bayreuth (east), Forchheim (west), and Bamberg (northwest).

The limestone and dolomite rocks that formed during this time period, along with the deeply incised river valleys and dry, arid plateaus, characterize this karst landscape.

The most prominent peak in this region is the Ehrenbürg, commonly known as Walberla, a table hill east of Forchheim.

There is an annual festival on the hilltop on 30 April, the birthday of Saint Walburga, which attracts thousands of people.

This custom likely emerged as celebration of water, a precious resource in the arid high plateau of Franconian Switzerland.

Home to the annual Franconian Switzerland Marathon, beginning in Forchheim, slowly climbing to Sachsenmühle-Wende, and then descending to Ebermannstadt, the area includes 375 km of some of the best trails for running, Nordic walking, and rambling in Germany, which are maintained by the European community-funded Running Experience Project, founded in July 2011.