Vilseck

Vilseck is a town in the Oberpfalz region of northeastern Bavaria, Germany situated on the river Vils, a tributary of the Naab river.The town is geographically separate from a nearby large American military base known as the Rose Barracks but more commonly referred to as Vilseck. The base, built in 1937-1938, was captured during World War II from the Germans; it was previously known as Südlager.The town of Vilseck's population was 6,484 citizens living within its area of 64.71km2 in 35 hamlets and villages as of December 31, 2005. The town is 402 meters (1,300 feet) above sea level.Its name comes from the location of a castle built in 920. Eck is the German word for corner. The Vils river has a tight bend where the Burg is located. Thus, the name Vilseck.Nearby municipalitiesDirect neighbour municipality are the municipalities Edelsfeld, Königstein, Freihung and Hahnbach.History of Vilseck920Construction of the castle at around 925. Primary wooden watchtower with piling and moat, stone watchtower built in the 12th century. At this time a "Burg" (castle) was called an Eck; thus the name Vilseck derived from: City next to the Vilsburg. (Vilseck). It is also possible that the name comes from the fact that the city is situated on the Vils on a west-to-east stretch between two distinct 90-degree bends in the river. The German word for corner is also "Eck".