The district of Upper Franconia is the institution responsible for the international music retreat Haus Marteau. The commitment for the preservation, research cultivation, marketing, distribution and evolution of the Upper Franconian culture is part of the responsibility of the district. It improves the regional identity with subsidies and activities in the field of “Kultur- und Heimatpflege” (cultivation of culture and homeland).
The work of “Kultur- und Heimatpflege” focuses particularly on the Upper Franconian history and its monuments – historical buildings and grounds –, on museums and collections, music and dance, amateur theatre and the dialect, but does not exclude further cultural activities of the region.
The “Kultur- und Heimatpflege” gives advice to people who are interested in cultural subjects and accompanies the work of associations and institutions of cultural life. The advice can be in the form of one-to-one discussions, presentations, seminars and workshops. Both the regional presence of competent consultants and the connections between various cultural branches provide effective support for cultural activities.
In the field of music, for instance, the cultural work includes the cultivation of traditional music, the promotion of young talents by offering master classes which take place in the international music retreat Haus Marteau and the support of rock, pop and jazz bands.
The “Kultur- und Heimatpflege” organises, partly in cooperation with other institutions, the Upper Franconian traditional music festival, the Upper Franconian dialect theatre days, the Upper Franconian youth symphony orchestra, a rock festival and regional museum days. It publishes texts on Upper Franconian topics, sheets of music, and recordings.