Ansbach, Germany Summary

ANSBACH, 50km southwest of Nürnberg and less than a tenth of the size, is nevertheless the capital of the province of Middle Franconia. With only a relatively short interregnum, it has had capital status ever since 1331, when it became the seat of the first principality established by the Hohenzollerns. For most of its history, this was known as the Margravate of Brandenburg-Ansbach, though it was never the frontier district its name would suggest: the title was transferred from the dynasty’s subsequent power base of Brandenburg after the latter was promoted to the rank of an Electorate of the Holy Roman Empire. The town wears a grand air which is quite disproportionate to its small size, and is well endowed with handsome buildings from a variety of architectural periods. It has also gone down in the annals of German history as the site of the unsolved murder of Kaspar Hauser, the notorious foundling.