Etzelwang

Etzelwang is a municipality in the district of Amberg-Sulzbach in Bavaria in Germany.HistoryEtzelwang has existed as a parish since the second half of the 11th century. However, the present municipality of Etzelwang was not created until the Bavarian administrative reforms of 1972 to 1975. It was created from the political units of Neidstein, Kirchenreinbach, and Schmidtstadt.NameEtzel comes from the same root as Heinrich or English Henry. It is not certain which Heinrich gave his name to the parish and subsequently to the municipality. It is possible that it refers to Holy Roman Emperor Heinrich II, who founded the bishopric of Bamberg, to which the parish belonged.SightsPlaces of interest in Etzelwang include the following:Schloss Neidstein, a castle once owned by actor Nicolas Cage.St. Nikolaus churchThe church was originally dedicated in 1059, but subsequently destroyed. The present church was built from 1721 to the completion of the tower in 1763.Ruins of Burg HauseckNeutra cliffsBurg RupprechtsteinHofmark of KirchenreinbachChurch of St. Ulrich in Kirchereinbach