During the Second Margrave War in 1552, Forchheim was occupied by troops of Margrave of Culmbach and later expanded with new fortifications. The town's defenses were improved with bastions, towers, and gates. During the Thirty Years' War, Forchheim served as a strategic location and a refuge, and its fortifications were further developed. Various outworks and defensive structures were added, designed by prominent architects. In the 18th century, additional buildings were constructed in the town center. After changes in ownership, the fortress lost its military importance and was gradually demolished starting in 1875. However, the moats were transformed into a park for public enjoyment.
References:The Pilgrimage Church of Wies (Wieskirche) is an oval rococo church, designed in the late 1740s by Dominikus Zimmermann. It is located in the foothills of the Alps in the municipality of Steingaden.
The sanctuary of Wies is a pilgrimage church extraordinarily well-preserved in the beautiful setting of an Alpine valley, and is a perfect masterpiece of Rococo art and creative genius, as well as an exceptional testimony to a civilization that has disappeared.
The hamlet of Wies, in 1738, is said to have been the setting of a miracle in which tears were seen on a simple wooden figure of Christ mounted on a column that was no longer venerated by the Premonstratensian monks of the Abbey. A wooden chapel constructed in the fields housed the miraculous statue for some time. However, pilgrims from Germany, Austria, Bohemia, and even Italy became so numerous that the Abbot of the Premonstratensians of Steingaden decided to construct a splendid sanctuary.