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Cham (Oberpfalz)

Cham
Church in Cham
Church in Cham
Coat of arms of Cham
Coat of arms
Cham  is located in Germany
Cham
Cham
Coordinates: 49°13′N 12°39′E / 49.217°N 12.650°E / 49.217; 12.650Coordinates: 49°13′N 12°39′E / 49.217°N 12.650°E / 49.217; 12.650
Country Germany
State Bavaria
Admin. region Oberpfalz
District Cham
Government
 • Mayor Karin Bucher (FWG)
Area
 • Total 80.67 km2 (31.15 sq mi)
Elevation 370 m (1,210 ft)
Population (2015-12-31)
 • Total 16,529
 • Density 200/km2 (530/sq mi)
Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes 93413
Dialling codes 0 99 71
Vehicle registration CHA
Website www.cham.de

Cham (German pronunciation: [ˈkaːm]) is the capital of the district of Cham in the Upper Palatinate in Bavaria in Germany.

Cham lies within the Cham-Further lowland, which is bordered on the south by the Bavarian Forest and on the north by the Oberpfälzer Wald. The city lies on the Regen River, which joins the Danube at Regensburg.

The name "Cham" is of Celtic origin and probably means "bend" or "curvature". In fact, a few kilometers from the city, a winding brook called the Chamb flows into the Regen; it probably gave its name to Cham, the first settlement at the bend of the larger river. Alternatively, the name may have derived from Kamm (comb). The city's coat of arms contains a comb. A partner city, also called "Cham" in Switzerland, is actually pronounced with an initial "ch" sound, whereas Bavarian Cham is pronounced with a /k/.

Monks from Regensburg founded the Marienmünster, the first and oldest church in the Bavarian forest, at Chammünster in the 8th century. The first reference to Cham as a city appears in 976. An imperial castle stood on the Galgenberg (German: "gallows hill"), providing protection for the trade route into Bohemia. Cham was granted its own currency around 1000, the so-called Cham Denar. The 12th century saw the town's location shifted to its current place. The Hussite Wars of the 15th century inflicted great hardships on the townspeople. In 1742, the Pandur troops of Franz Freiherr von der Trenck overran and destroyed the city.


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