Lower Franconia (German: Unterfranken) is one of the three administrative regions of Franconia in Bavaria (seven regions), Germany (22 regions in five Federal States, 11 Federal States are not subdivided into regions).
The district was formed in 1817 under the name of Untermainkreis (Lower Main District) and renamed in 1837 as Unterfranken und Aschaffenburg (Lower Franconia and Aschaffenburg). In 1933 the regional Nazi Gauleiter Otto Hellmuth insisted on renaming the district Mainfranken, but after 1945 the name Unterfranken was resurrected.
Unterfranken is the north-west part of Franconia and consists of three district-free cities ("Kreisfreie Städte") and nine country districts ("Landkreise").
The major portion of the Franconian wine region is situated in Lower Franconia.
Read more about Lower Franconia: Coat of Arms, Area and Population, Historical Country Districts, Well Known People, Institutes of Higher Education