Naila

For other uses, see Naila (disambiguation).

Naila
Town
Naila
Coat of arms
Location of Naila within Hof district
Location of Naila
Naila Show map of Germany Naila Show map of Bavaria
Coordinates: 50°19′N 11°41′E / 50.317°N 11.683°E / 50.317; 11.683
Country	Germany
State	Bavaria
Admin. region	Oberfranken
District	Hof
Government
• Mayor (2020–26)	Frank Stumpf[1] (FW)
Area
• Total	37.04 km^2 (14.30 sq mi)
Elevation	512 m (1,680 ft)
Population  (2023-12-31)[2]
• Total	7,618
• Density	205.7/km^2 (532.7/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	95119
Dialling codes	09282
Vehicle registration	HO, NAI
Website	www.naila.de

Naila (German pronunciation: [ˈnaɪlaː] ^ⓘ) is a town located in the Hof district of Bavaria, Germany. It lies in the Franconian Forest. Naila is 18 km (11 mi) from the larger city of Hof, on both banks of the Selbitz river.

Naila: The Church of the Transfiguration

History

The earliest documentation of Naila was recorded on 9 January 1343.^[3] The first settlements in the area around Naila probably happened between the 12th and 14th century. The name Naila first appeared as "Neulins" (and variations thereof), has its origins most likely in the meaning "Small new settlement". In 1454, Naila was awarded a coat of arms by its overlord, Margrave John.

After a brief episode under Prussian reign (1792–1810), Naila was included into the newly-established Kingdom of Bavaria. In 1818, it was awarded town privileges and in 1886, a railroad station was opened in Naila.^[3] However, after World War II, the establishment of Iron Curtain just 8 km (5.0 mi) north of Naila, cut off a large part of the market for the local industries.

The town served as the seat of the then district of Naila until this was merged into Hof district in 1972, and had to give up their number-plate code NAI in favour of HO. In 1978, the nearby villages of Marxgrün, Lippertsgrün and Marlesreuth were incorporated to Naila.^[3]

In 1979, Naila was the landing site of the Strelzyk and Wetzel families' famous homemade hot-air balloon escape from East Germany.^[4]

Mayors

• 1906–1919: Wilhelm Hagen
• 1919–1926: Heinrich Kanzler
• 1926–1933: Julius Borger
• 1933-1933: Ludwig Wunner
• 1933–1945: Karl Jakob Schmidt
• 1945–1945: Georg Fugmann
• 1945–1948: Heinrich Lang senior
• 1948–1952: Christian Schlicht
• 1952–1953: Georg Fugmann
• 1953–1956: Karl Otto Zander
• 1956–1959: Hilmar Jahn
• 1960–1964: Fritz Jahn
• 1964–1968: Hans Künzel
• 1968–1972: Albin Bischoff
• 1972–1996: Robert Strobel
• 1996–2001: Hannsjürgen Lommer
• 2001- : Frank Stumpf

Population development

The numbers are with the incorporated districts.

Year Inhabitants 1840 4357 1871 4549 1900 5201 1925 6336 1939 6955

Year Inhabitants 1950 10090 1956 9668 1960 9522 1965 9829 1970 9821

Year Inhabitants 1975 9631 1980 9217 1985 8675 1990 8893 1995 9037

Year Inhabitants 2000 8547 2005 8410 2010 8071 2015 7640

Personalities

• Emre Dönmez (born 1996), screenwriter, photographer and movie critic^{[citation needed]}
• Hans-Peter Friedrich (born 1957), jurist, CSU politician, Member of Bundestag since 1998, Federal Ministry of the Interior 2011-2013

See also

• Franconian Forest
• Wild man
• Höllental

External links

• Official website (in German)
• History of the city-seal Archived 2012-07-16 at the Wayback Machine (in German)
• Description of the balloon-escape from the GDR (in German)

References

1. Liste der ersten Bürgermeister/Oberbürgermeister in kreisangehörigen Gemeinden, Bayerisches Landesamt für Statistik, 15 July 2021.
2. "Alle politisch selbständigen Gemeinden mit ausgewählten Merkmalen am 31.12.2023" (in German). Federal Statistical Office of Germany. 28 October 2024. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
3. "Daten der Stadtgeschichte". Stadt Naila (in German). City of Naila. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
4. "Homemade balloon carries 8 to freedom". The Prescott Courier. 17 September 1979.