Fürth [key], city, Bavaria, S Germany, at the confluence of the Rednitz and Pegnitz rivers. It is an industrial suburb of Nuremberg. It produces gold leaf, beaten metals, aluminum, and bronze powders. Other products include glassware, toys, optical instruments, and furs. Reputedly founded by Charlemagne in the late 8th cent., Fürth rose to importance when the Jews who were denied entrance to Nuremberg settled there (14th cent.). During the Thirty Years War (1618–48), Gutavus II (Gustavus Adolphus) of Sweden made the city his headquarters and fought an indecisive battle there with Wallenstein in 1632. Fürth passed to Bavaria in 1806 and became part of Middle Franconia.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: German Political Geography