Erlangen
[key], city, Bavaria, S Germany, at the confluence of the Schwabach and
Regnitz rivers. It is an industrial and transportation center. Manufactures
include medical equipment, gloves, hats, and drapery. Erlangen belonged to
the bishopric of Bamberg from 1017 to 1361, when it was sold to Emperor
Charles IV. Chartered in 1398, it passed (1402) to the Franconian branch of
the house of Hohenzollern, under which it shared the history of Bayreuth.
Industry began in Erlangen in the late 17th cent. with the settlement of
Huguenot refugees from France. The city passed to Bavaria in 1810. Rebuilt
after a devastating fire in 1706, the present city center has a
predominantly baroque character; there are also modern industrial and
residential sections. Erlangen is well known for its university (founded
1742 at Bayreuth and transferred to Erlangen in 1743). The philosopher
Schelling and the theologian Schleiermacher taught at the university in the
19th cent.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: German Political Geography
