Freihung (German pronunciation: [ˈfʁaɪʊŋ]) is a municipality (Marktgemeinde) in the district of Amberg-Sulzbach in the Upper Palatinate region of Bavaria, Germany.
Geography
Freihung is located in the Oberpfalz (Upper Palatinate) administrative region of Bavaria. The municipality covers an area of 46.35 km² (17.90 sq mi) and has an elevation ranging from 418 m to 438 m above sea level. As of December 2024, the population was 2,545, giving a population density of approximately 55 inhabitants per km².
The municipality consists of the following villages and localities: Blauenneuschacht, Böcklmühle, Elbart, Freihungsand, Großschönbrunn, Hämmerleinshof, Hämmerleinsmühle, Kleinschönbrunn, Konradinsgrund, Mauerhof, Riedhof, Rothaar, Rumpelmühle, Schallermühle, Schickenhof, Schmelzmühle, Schwadermühle, Seugast, Tanzfleck, Thansüß, and Weickenricht.
History and Character
Freihung is a market town (Markt) in the district of Amberg-Sulzbach and belongs to the Nuremberg Metropolitan Region. The community is notably shaped by its proximity to the Grafenwöhr military training area, which has resulted in a significant presence of the United States Army, with many American personnel residing in local housing areas.
Government
The current mayor (2020–2026) is Uwe König, representing the Freie Wähler (Free Voters) party.
Notable People
- Johannes Stark (15 April 1874 – 21 June 1957), born in Schickenhof (part of Freihung), was a physicist who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1919 for his discovery of the Stark effect (the splitting of spectral lines in an electric field).
Infrastructure
Freihung has a railway station (Freihung station) providing regional rail connections. The municipality's postal code is 92271, and its vehicle registration code is AS (Amberg-Sulzbach).
