Naila

Naila is a town in the Frankenwald hills, in the Hof district of Bavaria. Naila is situated some 18 km from the larger city of Hof. It is situated on both banks of the Selbitz river.HistoryThe earliest documentation of Naila dates at 1.9.1343. The first settlements in the area around Naila probably happened between the 12th and 14th century. The name Naila first appeared as "Neulins" (and variations thereof), has its origins most likely in the meaning "Small new settlement".Up until 1972 it was the seat of the then district of Naila. The village of Marxgrün incorporated to Naila in 1978.After World War II the Iron Curtain, just 8 km north of Naila, cut off a large part of the market for the local industries. In 1979, the town was the landing site of the Strelzyk and Wetzel families' famous balloon escape from East Germany.Mayors 1906–1919: Wilhelm Hagen 1919–1926: Heinrich Kanzler 1926–1933: Julius Borger 1933-1933: Ludwig Wunner 1933–1945: Karl Jakob Schmidt 1945–1945: Georg Fugmann 1945–1948: Heinrich Lang senior 1948–1952: Christian Schlicht 1952–1953: Georg Fugmann 1953–1956: Karl Otto Zander 1956–1959: Hilmar Jahn 1960–1964: Fritz Jahn 1964–1968: Hans Künzel 1968–1972: Albin Bischoff 1972–1996: Robert Strobel 1996–2001: Hannsjürgen Lommer since 2001: Frank Stumpf (FWG)Population developmentThe numbers are with the incoorporated districts.