Weissenburg

Weißenburg lies in Franconia near the site of the Roman fort of Biriciana, once part of the imperial frontier. Its later name appears in a deed of 867, and the settlement became a royal residence under the Franks. In 1296 Weißenburg became a Free Imperial City, governing itself within the Holy Roman Empire. The town adopted the Protestant Reformation, suffered heavily in the wars that followed, and recovered its imperial rights in the final peace settlement.