Nothing is known about the founding of Bubenreuth. The suffix -reuth indicates that it was created by a
forest clearance. The town is first mentioned as "Bubenrode" in a document dating 24 November 1243. Bubenreuth gained some prominence after
World War II when the town, then having 400 inhabitants, voted to admit 2,000
expelled German refugees from Schönbach im
Egerland (now
Luby,
Czech Republic). Schönbach was then known for its numerous
violin makers and instrument builders that now fled to Bubenreuth and opened new workshops there. Höfner manufactured a number of popular guitars and basses in Bubenreuth, such as the
Höfner 500/1, a
bass guitar used by
Paul McCartney since 1961. == References ==