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Grafenwohr

Grafenwöhr
Coat of arms of Grafenwöhr
Coat of arms
Grafenwöhr   is located in Germany
Grafenwöhr
Grafenwöhr
Coordinates: 49°43′N 11°54′E / 49.717°N 11.900°E / 49.717; 11.900Coordinates: 49°43′N 11°54′E / 49.717°N 11.900°E / 49.717; 11.900
Country Germany
State Bavaria
Admin. region Upper Palatinate
District Neustadt a.d.Waldnaab
Government
 • Mayor Edgar Knobloch
Area
 • Total 216.24 km2 (83.49 sq mi)
Population (2015-12-31)
 • Total 6,521
 • Density 30/km2 (78/sq mi)
Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes 92655
Dialling codes 09641
Vehicle registration NEW
Website www.grafenwoehr.de

Grafenwöhr (Northern Bavarian: Groafawehr) is a town in the district Neustadt (Waldnaab), in the region of the Upper Palatinate (German: Oberpfalz) in eastern Bavaria, Germany. It is widely known for the United States Army military installation and training area, called Grafenwöhr Training Area (Tower Barracks), located directly south and west of the town.

The town of Grafenwöhr (Island of the Count), was founded in the 9th century on an island (wöhr), located between the river Creussen and the Thum stream. In its early history, the inhabitants and the town of Grafenwöhr proper belonged to nobles from Schweinfurt, Bamberg, and Leuchtenberg.

In 1907, Prince Luitpold, regent of the Kingdom of Bavaria, selected the area near the town of Grafenwöhr as the place best suited for training of the Bavarian Army (1806–1919). Construction began in 1908, and, by 1915, the training reservation was 96 square kilometres (37 sq mi) in area; the first artillery round was fired in the training area at 08:00 on 30 June 1910. Throughout World War I (1914–1918) the Grafenwöhr training area was used for equipping and training army units for combat. After the War, the High Command, Berlin, used Grafenwöhr to train the 100,000–man German army, allowed by the Treaty of Versailles (1919). In 1936, the Nazi Government expanded the training area to the present size of 230 square kilometres (90 sq mi). On 5 and 8 April 1945, the training camp and the town of Grafenwöhr proper were bombed during Allied air raids. The last German Army Commander of the Grafenwöhr training area surrendered to the U.S. Army on 20 April 1945. Afterwards, during the Cold War (1945–1991), the Grafenwöhr training area was an important, combined arms training site for the U.S. Army and allied forces.


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