History
Hof’s development
| around 1080 | settlement Rekkenze with first parish St Lorenz |
| 1214 | first documented mention of the town |
| around 1230 | creation of the fortified new town (Neustadt) |
| 1292 | Franciscan monastery |
| 1299 | fire destroys the old and the new town |
| 1319 | Hof receives its town charter |
| 1348 | convent of the Poor Clare Sisters |
| 1373 | the Vogt (bailiff) of Weida sells Hof and the neighbouring region Regnitzland to the burgraves of Nuremberg |
| 1430 | pillage by the Hussites |
| 1433 | first “Schlappentag” in Hof |
| 1465 | the Hof Altar |
| 1529 | the Reformation comes to Hof |
| 1546 | the Gymnasium, Hof’s grammar school, is founded |
| 1553 | seven-week siege of Hof in the Margravial War |
| 1557 | first printing press in Hof |
| 1563 - 66 | town hall built by Nikolaus Hofmann from Halle |
| 1592 | Enoch Widmann’s chronicles appear |
| 1625, 1690 | major fires |
| 1632 - 43 | the worst years of the Thirty Years War |
| 1783 | Hof’s first newspaper |
| 1792 | Hof becomes part of Prussia |
| 1806 | Hof is administered by the French (as a result of the Napoleonic Wars) |
| 1810 | Hof now becomes part of the Kingdom of Bavaria |
| 1823 | 9/10 of the town is destroyed by fire |
| 1848 | opening of the railway lines Hof – Neuenmarkt and Hof – Plauen |
| 1853 | first textile factory opened (the Mechanische Baumwollspinnerei) |
| 1864 | laying of the foundation stone of the Catholic Marienkirche (St Mary’s Church) |
| 1865 | opening of the railway line Hof - Eger |
| 1867 | the Fichtelgebirgsbahn railway to Regensburg goes into service |
| 1880 | the new railway station is opened |
| 1884 | a further textile factory, the Vogtländische Baumwollspinnerei, commences production |
| 1906 | Hofeck and Moschendorf become part of the town of Hof |
| 1921 | Bismarckturm look-out tower is completed |
| 1931 | Hof’s new municipal hospital |
| 1945 | 14th February: air raid on Leimitzer Straße and Poststraße; 8th April: air raid on the area around the station with many casualties; 15th April: American troops reach Hof; |
| towards the end of the year: camp for displaced persons opened in Moschendorf; large treks of refugees and DPs; altogether about 600,000 refugees are processed in Hof, with 23,292 of them staying in Bavaria; | |
| Hof’s symphony orchestra, the Hofer Symphoniker, is founded | |
| 1952 | inauguration of the indoor swimming baths |
| 1960 | the Berufsschule, a vocational school, is opened |
| 1961 | inauguration of the high-rise courts of justice building |
| 1962 | Gerhard Hetz, a son of the town, sets up a world record in swimming (400 metres individual medley) in Moscow |
| 1969 | Hof-Pirk Airport is opened |
| 1970 | the Fachoberschule, a college of higher education, is opened |
| 1971 | the German army, Bundeswehr, establishes a garrison in Hof |
| the observatory is opened | |
| the Fachakademie für Sozialpädogik training college opens | |
| 1972 | Unterkotzau, Eppenreuth, Pirk and Osseck become part of the town of Hof |
| 1974 | the new Freiheitshalle is inaugurated |
| the main customs office gets a new building | |
| the municipal ice-rink is opened | |
| 1975 | the Johann-Christian-Reinhart-Gymnasium moves into a brand-new building |
| the Jahn-Sporthalle is completed | |
| the Civil Service University (Bayerische Fachhochschule für öffentliche Verwaltung und Rechtspflege) opens its doors to the first 40 students on 1st October | |
| 1976 | the town council decides to build the Untreusee reservoir |
| the Therapeutisch-Pädagogisches Zentrum, a sheltered workshop, is opened | |
| 1977 | Leimitz and Jägersruh are incorporated |
| the town hall extension building in Klosterstraße and the new bus station are completed | |
| 1978 | incorporation of Haidt and Wölbattendorf |
| the Hofer Symphoniker open their music school | |
| 1980 | “Q-Bogen” underpass and Michaelis Bridge are opened to traffic |
| Villeneuve-la-Garenne near Paris is twinned with Hof | |
| 1981 | opening ceremony for Lake Untreusee recreation area |
| the Lernhof school for the disabled begins teaching | |
| 1982 | topping-out ceremony for the new the Civil Service University buildings |
| 1983 | re-opening of the outdoor swimming-pool after its face-lift |
| the museum of local history Museum Bayerisches Vogtland, founded in 1908, moves into new premises | |
| 1984 | topping-out ceremony for hospital extension |
| 1986 | Hof gets a pedestrian precinct (Altstadt and Lorenzstraße) |
| 1987 | local radio stations “Radio Euroherz” and “Extraradio” go on air |
| Hof is twinned with Plauen | |
| 1989 | shortly before the fall of the wall, 14 special trains bring 13,600 refugees from East Germany via Prague and Dresden to Hof |
| in the three days after the opening-up of the East German border, 330,000 people in more than 90,000 cars come to visit Hof | |
| 1990 | opening of the new indoor swimming pool “HofBad” |
| 1991 | the foundation stone for the new theatre is laid |
| 1992 | extension of the Hof-Pirk Airport to meet international requirements |
| 1993 | Hof’s clinic is fitted out with state-of-the-art radiological equipment |
| 1994 | a new University of Applied Sciences opens with 96 students |
| the Bavarian national garden exhibition “Landesgartenschau” takes place in Hof | |
| “Don Giovanni“ is the first performance in Hof’s new theatre | |
| 1995 | the Bavarian theatre festival “Theatertage” takes place in Hof from 18th June to 2nd July |
| 1996 | the new youth wave radio station “HO*T FM” goes on the air |
| the Bavarian Radio’s yearly round Bavaria cycle tour ends in Hof | |
| 1997 | the historic “Bürgergesellschaft” opens its renovated rooms to the public |
| laying of the foundation stone for the University of Applied Sciences | |
| first local plebiscite in Hof fails to get a majority | |
| 1998 | in February the “Innovations- und Gründerzentrum” is opened to help people starting up businesses of their own |
| inauguration of the new synagogue of the Jewish community | |
| 28th May: President Roman Herzog visits Hof | |
| ceremonial opening of the new Applied Sciences University campus in Septembermber | |
| 1999 | 1st January: Hof’s Airport is changed to a public limited company under the name of “Flughafen Hof-Plauen”; |
| 19th March: traffic comes to a standstill as a result of a major demonstration for a motorway bypass of Hof | |
| Hof is on the route of the cycle tour “Friedensfahrt” | |
| 2000 | motorway A93 bypassing Hof to the east is officially opened at the end of the year |
| the new Bavarian Virtual Campus gets its headquarters in Hof | |
| 2001 | a new course of studies “Administration Informatics” is introduced at the university |
| the Bavarian Virtual Campus is started | |
| 2002 | opening of a container terminal at the freight station |
| 2003 | Hof’s park Theresienstein is voted the most beautiful park in Germany in a national competition |
| 1st September: work commences on a new industrial estate in Hof-Gattendorf, where components for the automobile industry are to be produced | |
| 2004 | 12th January: Hof cultural association “Hofer Kunstverein” opens its new gallery in the Theresienstein complex with an exhibition “KunstSaat 7” |
| 2005 | Lessing Bridge is demolished because of structural damage and replaced by a new bridge, which is finished by December |
| Hof’s main railway station, built in 1880 to replace the original railway station in the centre of town, celebrates its 125th anniversary in March and April | |
| the partnership with Hof’s French twin Villeneuve-la-Garenne is now 25 years old | |
| the Krötenbruck primary school parents’ association wins the Bavarian “Bürgerkulturpreis | |
| 2006 | Dr Harald Fichtner is elected Mayor with 61.38 per cent of the votes |
| the Bavarian Environmental Institute “Landesamt für Umweltschutz” is transferred to Hof | |
| major roadworks improve Lessingstraße and Schleizer Straße and Rekkenzeplatz (Rekkenze Square) is redesigned | |
| during the World Cup in football the “Hof-WM 06” takes place in the Altstadt | |
| 2007 | hurricane Kyrill strikes and causes severe damage |
| May 9: EU summit on European structural support in Hof | |
| May 19: notice of rejection by the North Bavarian aviation office about the airport extension arrives | |
| November 30: inauguration of the triple gymnasium „Lion Halle“ at the Sigmundsgraben | |
| 2008 | March 2: city council election |
| July 4: After consultation with Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann, Upper Franconian district president Wenning validates Hof’s city council election | |
| October 31: 450th anniversary of the deanery in Hof | |
| 2009 | July 22: The signing of the contract finalizes the merger between the Kreis- und Stadtparkasse Hof (bank) and the Sparkasse Fichtelgebirge to Sparkasse Hochfranken |
| November 9: On occasion of the 20-year anniversary of the border opening, the cabinet of the Bavarian state government holds a meeting at city hall in Hof | |
| 2010 | February 26: District administrator Bernd Hering is awarded the citizen’s medal of the city of Hof |
| July 5: Hof has been a part of Bavaria for 200 years; this has been commemorated by various speeches and events since March | |
| November 9: 65th anniversary of the Hofer Symphoniker. On 17th October 2010 hey have already been awarded the „Echo Klassik“ for the promotion of young talents in Essen, the „Kulturpreis der Bayerischen Landesstiftung“ followed on 9th November 2010 | |
| 2011 | January 24: At the start of the „Bürgerforum 2011“ - initiated by Federal President Christian Wulff - which is an opportunity for German citizens to have a say in politics, representatives from 25 German regions were invited to Bellevue Palace in Berlin. Among them, as one of altogether 400 participants - mayor Dr. Harald Fichtner |
| May 27: On 3rd April 1861 the „Turnverein zu Hof 1861“ (gymnastics club) was founded in Hof. Highlight of the celebrations on occasion of the 150-year anniversary is a festive evening in the Bürgergesellschaft | |
| August 20: The new overpass at the main station is opened to the public and the old one is closed off. | |
| 2012 | On March 11th Mayor Dr. Harald Fichtner is reelected by 56% of the popular vote. On May 1st 4000 citizens are opposing a demonstration of 300 Neo-Fascists. |
| 2013 | Former German Chancellor Dr. Helmut Kohl is honored by the Bavarian Government for his merits concerning the German Reunification Process in the years 1989-1990. The ceremonial act takes place at Freiheitshalle Hof and in the formerly divided village Mödlareuth nearby. |
| 2014 | A new City Council is elected. German Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel and the State Premier of Bavaria, Horst Seehofer, are visiting the City of Hof. Ceremonial Act to celebrate 750 years of Hospitalstiftung Hof (the oldest foundation in the district of Upper-Franconia). Church service to celebrate „800 years St. Lorenz“. |
| 2015 | Reopening of the reconstructed Dr. Wirth-Place. |
| 2016 | The Adult Education Center Hof-County starts the conversion of the former Water Management Office. Heinz Badewitz, founder and director of the Hof Filmfestival „Hofer Filmtage“ and honorary citizen of the City of Hof, dies surprisingly on March 10th – the 50th jubilee of the Festival takes place without him in October. 1st Hof City-Fest attracts thousands of visitors. The official „Day of Franconia“ is celebrated in Hof for the first time. |
Contact
Bürgerzentrum der Stadt Hof
Karolinenstr. 40
95028 Hof
+49 (0)9281 815 1460
+49 (0)9281 815 1455
buergeramt@stadt-hof.de
