Aalen

Aalen is a town in the eastern part of the German state of Baden-Württemberg, about 70 kilometres east of Stuttgart and 48 kilometres north of Ulm. It is the largest town in the Ostwürttemberg region and the seat of the Ostalbkreis district. Since 1956, Aalen has been recognized as a Große Kreisstadt, which means a major district town.

The town is famous for its many beautiful half-timbered houses built between the 16th and 18th centuries. These old houses add charm to the town's historic center. With an area of 146.63 km², Aalen is the seventh largest town in Baden-Württemberg and the second largest in the Government Region of Stuttgart, after Stuttgart itself.

Today, Aalen is home to about 66,000 people, making it the 15th most-populated place in Baden-Württemberg. The town has a rich history and remains an important community in the region.

Geography

Aalen is a town in the eastern part of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It sits on the upper reaches of the river Kocher, near the Swabian Jura to the south and the Ellwangen Hills to the north. The town is surrounded by forested areas and hills, making it a picturesque place to live.

The town's landscape changes from area to area, with different types of soil and rock formations. Some parts have sandy soil, while others have gravel or clay. Aalen is known among scientists for showing many different layers of rock from long ago, which helps them learn about Earth's history. The town centre sits in a valley with a mix of older soil layers and newer river deposits.

History

Civic history

First settlements

Numerous remains of early civilization have been found in the area. Tools made of flint and traces of Mesolithic human settlement dated between the 8th and 5th millennium BC were found on several sites on the margins of the Kocher and Jagst valleys. On the Schloßbaufeld plateau (appr. 650 by 350 m (2,130 by 1,150 ft)), situated behind Kocherburg castle near Unterkochen, a hill-top settlement was found, with the core being dated to the Bronze Age. In the Appenwang forest near Wasseralfingen, in Goldshöfe, and in Ebnat, tumuli of the Hallstatt culture were found. In Aalen and Wasseralfingen, gold and silver coins left by the Celts were found. The Celts were responsible for the fortifications in the Schloßbaufeld settlement consisting of sectional embankments and a stone wall. Also, Near Heisenberg (Wasseralfingen), a Celtic nemeton has been identified; however, it is no longer readily apparent.

Roman era

After abandoning the Alb Limes (a limes generally following the ridgeline of the Swabian Jura) around 150 AD, Aalen's territory became part of the Roman Empire, in direct vicinity of the then newly erected Rhaetian Limes. The Romans erected a castrum to house the cavalry unit Ala II Flavia milliaria; its remains are known today as Kastell Aalen ("Aalen Roman fort"). The site is west of today's town centre at the bottom of the Schillerhöhe hill. With about 1,000 horsemen and nearly as many grooms, it was the largest fort of auxiliaries along the Rhaetian Limes. There were Civilian settlements adjacent along the south and the east. Around 260 AD, the Romans gave up the fort as they withdrew their presence in unoccupied Germania back to the Rhine and Danube rivers, and the Alamanni took over the region. Based on 3rd- and 4th-century coins found, the civilian settlement continued to exist for the time being. However, there is no evidence of continued civilization between the Roman era and the Middle Ages.

Foundation

Based on discovery of alamannic graves, archaeologists have established the 7th century as the origination of Aalen. In the northern and western walls of St. John's church, which is located directly adjacent to the eastern gate of the Roman fort, Roman stones were incorporated. The building that exists today probably dates to the 9th century.

The first mention of Aalen was in 839, when emperor Louis the Pious reportedly permitted the Fulda monastery to exchange land with the Hammerstadt village, then known as Hamarstat. Aalen itself was first mentioned in an inventory list of Ellwangen Abbey, dated ca. 1136, as the village Alon, along with a lower nobleman named Conrad of Aalen. This nobleman probably had his ancestral castle at a site south of today's town centre and was subject first to Ellwangen abbey, later to the House of Hohenstaufen, and eventually to the House of Oettingen. 1426 was the last time a member of that house was mentioned in connection with Aalen. Documents, from the Middle Ages, indicate that the town of Aalen was founded by the Hohenstaufen some time between 1241 and 1246, but at a different location than the earlier village, which was supposedly destroyed in 1388 during the war between the Alliance of Swabian Cities and the Dukes of Bavaria. Later, it is documented that the counts of Oettingen ruled the town in 1340. They are reported to have pawned the town to Count Eberhard II and subsequently to the House of Württemberg in 1358 or 1359 in exchange for an amount of money.

Imperial City

During the war against Württemberg, Emperor Charles IV took the town without a fight after a siege. On 3 December 1360, he declared Aalen an Imperial City, that is, a city or town responsible only to the emperor, a status that made it a quasi-sovereign city-state and that it kept until 1803. In 1377, Aalen joined the Alliance of Swabian Cities, and in 1385, the term civitas appears in the town's seal for the first time. In 1398, Aalen was granted the right to hold markets, and in 1401 Aalen obtained proper jurisdiction.

The oldest artistic representation of Aalen was made in 1528. It was made as the basis of a lawsuit between the town and the Counts of Oettingen at the Reichskammergericht in Speyer. It shows Aalen surrounded by walls, towers, and double moats. The layout of the moats, which had an embankment built between them, is recognizable by the present streets named Nördlicher, Östlicher, Südlicher and Westlicher Stadtgraben (Northern, Eastern, Southern and Western Moat respectively). The wall was about 6 metres (20 ft) tall, 1518 single paces (990 metres (3,250 ft)) long and enclosed an area of 5.3 hectares (13 acres). During its early years, the town had two town gates: The Upper or Ellwangen Gate in the east, and St. Martin's gate in the south; however due to frequent floods, St. Martin's gate was bricked up in the 14th century and replaced by the Lower or Gmünd Gate built in the west before 1400. Later, several minor side gates were added. The central street market took place on the Wettegasse (today called Marktplatz, "market square") and the Reichsstädter Straße. So the market district stretched from one gate to the other, however in Aalen it was not straight, but with a 90-degree curve between southern (St. Martin's) gate and eastern (Ellwangen) gate.

Around 1500, the civic graveyard was relocated from the town church to St. John's Church, and in 1514, the Vierundzwanziger ("Group of 24") was the first assembly constituted by the citizens.

Reformation

Delegated by Württemberg's Duke Louis III, on 28 June 1575, nearly 30 years after Martin Luther's death, Jakob Andreae, professor and chancellor of the University of Tübingen, arrived in Aalen. The sermon he gave the following day convinced the mayor, the council, and the citizens to adopt the Reformation in the town. Andreae stayed in Aalen for four weeks to help with the change. This brought along enormous changes, as the council forbade the Roman Catholic priests to celebrate masses and give sermons. However, after victories of the imperial armies at the beginning of the Thirty Years' War, the Prince-Provostry of Ellwangen, which still held the right of patronage in Aalen, were able to temporarily bring Catholicism back to Aalen; however after the military successes of the Protestant Union, Protestant church practices were instituted again.

Fire of 1634

On the night of 5 September 1634, two ensigns of the army of Bernard of Saxe-Weimar who were fighting with the Swedes and retreating after the Battle of Nördlingen set fire to two powder carriages, to prevent the war material to fall into Croatian hands and to prevent their advance. The result was a conflagration, that some say destroyed portions of the town. There are differing stories regarding this fire. According to 17th-century accounts, the church and all the buildings, except of the Schwörturm tower, were casualties of the fire, and only nine families survived. 19th century research by Hermann Bauer, Lutheran pastor and local historian, discovered that the 17th-century account is exaggerated, but he does agree that the town church and buildings in a "rather large" semicircle around it were destroyed. The fire also destroyed the town archive housed in an addition to the church, with all of its documents. After the fire, soldiers of both armies went through the town looting. It took nearly 100 years for the town to reach its population of 2,000.

French troops marched through Aalen in 1688 during the Nine Years' War; however, unlike other places, they left without leaving severe damages. The French came through again in 1702 during the War of the Spanish Succession and in 1741 during the War of the Austrian Succession, the latter also caused imperial troops to move through in 1743.

The town church's tower collapsed in 1765, presumably because proper building techniques were not utilized during the reconstruction after the fire of 1634. The collapsing tower struck two children of the tower watchman who died of their injuries, and destroyed the nave, leaving only the altar cross intact. The remaining walls had to be knocked down due to the damage. Reconstruction began the same year, creating the building that exists today.

On 22 November 1749, the so-called Aalen protocol regulating the cohabitation of Lutherans and Roman Catholics in the jointly ruled territory of Oberkochen was signed in Aalen by the Duchy of Württemberg and the Prince-Provostry of Ellwangen. Aalen had been chosen because of its neutral status as a Free Imperial City.

Napoleonic era and end of the Imperial City of Aalen

During the War of the First Coalition (1796), Aalen was looted. The War of the Second Coalition concluded in 1801 with the signing of the Treaty of Lunéville, which led to the German Mediatisation of 1803 that assigned most Imperial Cities to the neighbouring principalities. Aalen was assigned to the Electorate of Württemberg, which later became the Kingdom of Württemberg, and became seat of the District ("Oberamt") of Aalen. During the War of the Third Coalition, on 6 October 1805, Napoleon Bonaparte arrived in Aalen, with an army of 40,000. This event, along with Bavarian and Austrian troops moving in some days later, caused miseries that according to the town clerk "no feather could describe".

In 1811, the municipality of Unterrombach was formed out of some villages previously belonging to Aalen, some to the Barons of Wöllwarth, and the eastern villages were assigned to the municipality of Unterkochen.

In the age of the Napoleonic wars, the town walls were no longer of use, and in the 18th century, with the maintenance of walls, gates and towers becoming more neglected Finally, due to the fact that the funds were lacking, starting in 1800, most towers were demolished, the other buildings followed soon.

Industrial Revolution

Before the Industrial Revolution, Aalen's economy was shaped by its rural setting. Many citizens were pursuing farming besides their craft, such as tanning. In the mid 19th century, there were twelve tanneries in Aalen, due to the proximity of Ulm, an important sales market. Other crafts that added to the economy were weaving mills, which produced linen and woolen goods, and baking of sweet pastry and gingerbread.

In Aalen, industrialisation was a slow process. The first major increase was in the 1840s, when three factories for nails and some other factories emerged. It was the link with the railway network, by the opening of the Rems Railway from Cannstatt to Wasseralfingen in 1861, that brought more industry to Aalen, along with the royal steel mill (later Schwäbische Hüttenwerke) in Wasseralfingen. The Rems Railway's extension to Nördlingen in 1863, the opening of the Brenz Railway in 1864 and of the Upper Jagst Railway in 1866 turned Aalen into a railway hub. Furthermore, between 1901 and its shutdown in 1972, the Härtsfeld Railway connected Aalen with Dillingen an der Donau via Neresheim. Part of becoming a rail hub entailed more jobs based on the rail industry. These included, a maintenance facility, a roundhouse, an administrative office, two track maintenance shops, and a freight station with an industrial branch line. This helped shape Aalen into what today's historians call a "railwayman's town". Starting in 1866, the utilities in town all began to be upgraded. Starting with the Aalen gasworks which were opened and gas lighting was introduced. Then in 1870, a modern water supply system was started and in 1912 the mains electricity. Finally, in 1935, the first electrically powered streetlights were installed.

To fight housing shortage during and immediately after World War I, the town set up barracks settlement areas at the Schlauch and Alter Turnplatz grounds. In spite of the industry being crippled by the Great Depression of 1929, the public baths at the Hirschbach creek where modernized, extended and re-opened in 1931.

Nazi era

In the federal election of 1932, the Nazi Party performed below average in Aalen with 25.8% of votes compared to 33.1% on the national level, thus finishing second to the Centre Party which had 26.6% (11.9% nationwide) of the votes, and ahead of the Social Democratic Party of Germany with 19.8% (20.4%). However, the March 1933 federal elections showed that the sentiment had changed as the Nazi Party received 34.1% (still below German average 43.9% nationwide), but by far the leading vote-getter in Aalen, followed by the Centre party at 26.6% (11.3% nationwide) and the Social Democrats 18.6% (18.3% nationwide).

The democratically elected mayor Friedrich Schwarz remained in office until the Nazis removed him from office, in 1934, and replaced him by chairman of the Nazi Party town council head and brewery owner Karl Barth. Karl Barth was a provisional mayor until the more permanent solution of Karl Schübel. In August 1934, the Nazi consumer fair Braune Messe ("brown fair") was held in Aalen.

During Nazi rule in Germany, there were many military offices constructed in Aalen, starting with, in 1936, a military district riding and driving school for Wehrkreis V. The Nazis also built an army replenishment office (Heeresverpflegungsamt), a branch arsenal office (Heeresnebenzeugamt) and a branch army ammunitions institute (Heeresnebenmunitionsanstalt).

Starting in 1935, mergers of neighbouring towns began. In 1938, the Oberamt was transformed into the Landkreis of Aalen and the municipality of Unterrombach was disbanded. Its territory was mostly added to Aalen, with the exception of Hammerstadt, which was added to the municipality of Dewangen. Forst, Rauental and Vogelsang were added to Essingen (in 1952 the entire former municipality of Unterrombach was merged into Aalen, with the exception of Forst, which is part of Essingen until present).

In September 1944, the Wiesendorf concentration camp, a subcamp of Natzweiler-Struthof, was constructed nearby. It was designated for between 200 and 300 prisoners who were utilized for forced labor in industrial businesses nearby. Until the camp's dissolution in February 1945, 60 prisoners died. Between 1946 and 1957, the camp buildings were torn down; however, its foundations are still in place in house Moltkestraße 44/46. Also, there were several other labour camps which existed where prisoners of war along with women and men from occupied countries occupied by Germany were pooled. The prisoners at these other camps had to work for the arms industry in major businesses like Schwäbische Hüttenwerke and the Alfing Keßler machine factory.

In the civic hospital, the deaconesses on duty were gradually replaced by National Socialist People's Welfare nurses. Nazi eugenics led to compulsory sterilization of some 200 persons there.

Fortunately, Aalen avoided most of the combat activity during World War II. It was only during the last weeks of the war that Aalen became a target of air warfare, which led to the destruction and severe damage of parts of the town, the train station, and other railway installations. A series of air attacks lasting for more than three weeks reached its peak on 17 April 1945, when United States Army Air Forces planes bombed the branch arsenal office and the train station. During this raid, 59 people were killed, more than half of them buried by debris, and more than 500 lost their homes. Also, 33 residential buildings, 12 other buildings and 2 bridges were destroyed, and 163 buildings, including 2 churches, were damaged. Five days later, the Nazi rulers of Aalen were unseated by the US forces.

Post-war era

Aalen became part of the State of Baden-Württemberg, upon its creation in 1952. Then, with the Baden-Württemberg territorial reform of 1973, the District of Aalen was merged into the Ostalbkreis district. Subsequently, Aalen became seat of that district, and in 1975, the town's borough attained its present size (see below).

The population of Aalen exceeded the limit of 20,000, which was the requirement for to gain the status of Große Kreisstadt ("major district town") in 1946. On 1 August 1947, Aalen was declared Unmittelbare Kreisstadt ("immediate district town"), and with the creation of the Gemeindeordnung (municipal code) of Baden-Württemberg on 1 April 1956, it was declared Große Kreisstadt.

Religions

On 31 December 2008, 51.1 percent of Aalen were members of the Catholic Church, 23.9 percent were members of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church. About 25 percent belong to other or no religious community or gave no information. The district of Waldhausen was the district with the highest percentage of Roman Catholic inhabitants at 75.6 percent, and the central district was the one with the highest percentage of Evangelical-Lutheran inhabitants at 25.6 percent, as well as those claiming no religious preference at 32.5 percent.^{[citation needed]}

Protestantism

Aalen's population originally was subject to the jus patronatus of Ellwangen Abbey, and thus subject to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Augsburg.

With the assistance of the Duke of Württemberg, in 1575, the reformation was implemented in Aalen. Subsequently, Aalen has been a predominantly Protestant town for centuries, with the exception of the years from 1628 until 1632 (see reformation section). Being an Imperial City, Aalen could govern its clerical matters on its own, so Clerics, organists and choir masters were direct subjects to the council, which thus exerted bishop-like power. There was even a proper hymn book for Aalen. After the transition to Württemberg, in 1803, Aalen became seat of a deanery, with the dean church being the Town Church (with the building constructed from 1765 to 1767 and existing until present). Georg Pfäfflin was dean in Aalen (1952–1967). He carried out the parish service with great commitment, built community centers and renovated churches. When he said goodbye to Aalen, the newspaper Schwäbische Post paid tribute to him: A distinguished personality in intellectual life is leaving Aalen.

Another notable church in Aalen is St. John's Church, located on the cemetery and refurbished in 1561.

As Aalen's population grew in the 20th century, more parishes were founded: St. Mark's parish with its church building of 1967 and St. Martin's parish with its church of 1974. In the borough of Unterrombach, Aalen had implemented the reformation as well, but the community remained a chapel-of-ease of Aalen. A proper church, the Christ Church, was erected in 1912 and a proper parish was established in 1947. In Fachsenfeld, the ruling family of Woellwarth resp. of Leinroden implemented the reformation. A parish church was built in 1591, however with an influx of Catholics in the 18th century, a Catholic majority was established. The other districts of present-day Aalen remained mostly catholic after the reformation, however Wasseralfingen established a Lutheran parish in 1891 and a church, St. Magdalene's Church, in 1893. In Unterkochen, after World War II, a parish was established and a church was built in 1960. All four parishes belong to the deanery of Aalen within the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Württemberg. Furthermore, in Aalen there are Old Pietistic communities.

Catholicism

The few Catholics of today's central district were covered by the parish of Unterkochen until the 19th century, a situation which continued for some years even after completion of St. Mary's Church in 1868, which was constructed by Georg Morlok. However, in 1872 Aalen got its proper parish again, and in 1913, a second Catholic church, Salvator's Church, was completed, and in 1969 the Holy Cross Church was also finished. In 1963, a second parish was set up, and in 1972 it got a new Church, the new St. Mary's Church, which has been erected in place of the old St. Mary's church, which had been torn down in 1968. Another church of the second parish was St. Augustine's Church, which was completed in 1970. Finally, in 1976 and 1988, St. Elizabeth's Church and St. Thomas' Church were completed. Furthermore, in 1963, the St. Michael pastoral care office was built.

Hofherrnweiler has its own Catholic church, St. Boniface's, since 1904. The villages of Dewangen, Ebnat, Hofen, Waldhausen and Wasseralfingen had remained Catholic after reformation, so old parishes and churches persist there. The Assumption of Mary Church in Dewangen has an early Gothic tower and a newly built nave (1875). Mary's Immaculate Conception Church in Ebnat was constructed in 1723; however the church was first mentioned in 1298.

Hofen's Saint George's Church is a fortified church, whose current nave was built between 1762 and 1775. Alongside the church, the Late Gothic St. Odile's Chapel is standing, whose entrance has the year 1462 engraved upon it. Foundations of prior buildings have been dated to the 11th and 13th century.

St. Mary's Church of Unterkochen was first mentioned in 1248, and has served the Catholics of Aalen for a long time. Waldhausen's parish church of St. Nicholas was built between 1699 and 1716. Wasseralfingen at first was a chapel of ease for Hofen, but has since had its own chapel, St. Stephen, built. It was presumably built in 1353 and remodeled in 1832. In 1834, a proper parish was established, which built a new St. Stephen's Church. This new building utilized the Romanesque Revival architecture style and was built between 1881 and 1883, and has since remained the parish's landmark. Also, Fachsenfeld received its own church, named Sacred Heart in 1895. All Catholic parishes within Aalen are today incorporated into four pastoral care units within the Ostalb Deanery of the Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart; however these units also comprise some parishes outside of Aalen. Pastoral Care Unit two comprises the parishes of Essingen, Dewangen and Fachsenfeld, unit four comprises Hofen and Wasseralfingen, unit five comprises both parishes of Aalen's centre and Hofherrnweiler, unit five comprises Waldhausen, Ebnat, Oberkochen and Unterkochen.^{[clarification needed]}

Other Christian communities

In addition to the two major religions within Aalen, there are also free churches and other communities, including the United Methodist Church, the Baptists, the Seventh-day Adventist Church and the New Apostolic Church.

Other religions

Until the late 19th century, no Jews were documented within Aalen. In 1886 there were four Jews were living in Aalen, a number that rose to ten in 1900, fell to seven in 1905, and remained so until 1925. Upon the Nazis' rise to power in 1933, seven Jews, including two children, lived in Aalen. During the Kristallnacht in 1938, the vitrines of the three Jewish shops in the town were smashed and their proprietors imprisoned for several weeks. After their release, most Aalen Jews emigrated. The last Jews of Aalen, Fanny Kahn, was forcibly resettled to Oberdorf am Ipf, which had a large Jewish community. Today, a street of Aalen is named after her. The Jew Max Pfeffer returned from Brussels to Aalen in 1948 to continue his shop, but emigrated to Italy in 1967.

In Aalen, there is an Islamic Ditib community, which maintains the D.I.T.I.B. Mosque of Aalen (Central Mosque) located at Ulmer Straße. The mosque's construction started on 30 August 2008. The Islamist Millî Görüş organisation maintains the Fatih Mosque, as well at Ulmer Straße.

Mergings

The present-day make up of Aalen was created on 21 June 1975 by the unification of the cities of Aalen and Wasseralfingen, with the initial name of Aalen-Wasseralfingen. This annexation made Aalen's territory one third larger than its prior size. On 1 July 1975, the name Aalen was revived. Prior to this merger, the town of Aalen had already annexed the following municipalities:

• 1938: Unterrombach
• 1 January 1970: Waldhausen
• 1 July 1972: Ebnat
• 1 January 1973: Dewangen, Fachsenfeld (including the village of Hangendenbach, which was transferred from Abtsgmünd in 1954) and Unterkochen. The merging of Dewangen nearly doubled the territory of Aalen.

Population's progression and structure

During the Middle Ages and the early modern period, Aalen was just a small town with a few hundred inhabitants. The population grew slowly due to numerous wars, famines and epidemics. It was the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century where Aalen's growth accelerated. Whereas in 1803, only 1,932 people inhabited the town, in 1905 it had already increased to 10,442. The number continued to rise and reached 15,890 in 1939.

The influx of refugees and ethnic Germans from Germany's former eastern territories after World War II pushed the population to 31,814 in 1961. The merger with Wasseralfingen on 21 June 1975 added 14,597 persons and resulted in a total population of 65,165 people. On 30 June 2005, the population, which was officially determined by the Statistical Office of Baden-Württemberg, was 67,125.

The following overview shows how the population figures of the borough were ascertained. Until 1823, the figures are mostly estimates, thereafter census results or official updates by the state statistical office. Starting in 1871, the figures were determined by non-uniform method of tabulation using extrapolation.

On 31 December 2008, Aalen had precisely 66,058 inhabitants, of which 33,579 were female and 32,479 were male. The average age of Aalen's inhabitants rose from 40.5 years in 2000 to 42.4 in 2008.^{[citation needed]} Within the borough, 6,312 foreigners resided, which is 9.56 percent. Of them, the largest percentage are from Turkey (38 percent of all foreigners), the second largest group are from Italy (13 percent), followed by Croatians (6 percent) and Serbs (5 percent).^{[citation needed]}

The number of married residents fell from 32,948 in 1996 to 31,357 in 2007, while the number of divorced residents rose in the same period from 2,625 to 3,859. The number of single residents slightly increased between 1996 and 2004 from 25,902 to 26,268 and fell slightly until 2007 to 26,147. The number of widowed residents fell from 5,036 in 1996 to 4,783 in 2007.^{[citation needed]}

Average age of Aalen's inhabitants

Ratio of married inhabitants contrasted to unmarried

Return only the adapted Markdown section. No explanation, no preamble

Politics

Aalen has a partnership with the towns of Essingen and Hüttlingen.

Since the local election of 25 May 2014, the town council has 51 members and serves for five years. The mayor of Aalen is elected for eight years and leads the council.

Aalen’s coat of arms shows a black eagle with a red tongue on a golden background. On the eagle’s chest is a red shield with a silver eel. This design dates back to 1385 and represents the town’s history. The town’s flag is red and white and features the coat of arms.

The name Aalen may come from the German word for "eel" because the town is near a river where eels were caught. Other ideas suggest the name relates to an old Roman fort or a Celtic word for water.

Twin towns – sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany

Aalen has friendly partnerships with towns in several countries. These partnerships help bring together people from different places to share traditions, sports, and school activities.

Aalen’s partner towns include:

• Saint-Lô in France (since 1978)
• Christchurch in the United Kingdom (since 1981)
• Tatabánya in Hungary (since 1987)
• Antakya in Turkey (since 1995)
• Cervia in Italy (since 2011)
• Vilankulo in Mozambique (since 2018)

The Twin Towns Society of Aalen works to support these friendly connections between the towns.

Culture and sights

Theatre

The Theater der Stadt Aalen theatre was founded in 1991 and stages 400 to 500 performances a year.

Schubart Literary Award

The town gave out the "Schubart Literary Award" (Schubart-Literaturpreis) in 1955 to honor Christian Friedrich Daniel Schubart, who grew up in Aalen. It is one of the oldest literary awards in Baden-Württemberg and is given every two years to writers in German whose work matches Schubart's ideas. It is worth 12,000 Euros.

Music

Founded in 1958, the "Music School of the Town of Aalen" now has about 1,500 students taught by 27 music teachers in 30 different subjects. In 1977, a symphony orchestra was started in Aalen, now called Aalener Sinfonieorchester, made up mostly of teachers and students from the music school. It gives three concerts each year: a "New Year's Concert" in January, a "Symphony Concert" in July, and a "Christmas Concert" in December. Music festivals also happen in Aalen, like the Aalen Jazzfest.

The Aalen volunteer fire department has had a marching band since 1952, which began in 1883. In 1959, the band got its first glockenspiel from TV host Peter Frankenfeld after a TV show.

A famous German rapper, designer, and singer named Cro was born in Aalen and lived there when he was young.

Arts

The Kunstverein Aalen was started in 1983 as a non-profit art group and is now in the Old Town Hall. With over 400 members, it focuses on showing solo and group exhibitions by artists from around the world. It is part of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Deutscher Kunstvereine (ADKV), an organization for non-profit art groups.

Museums and memorial sites

Museums

In the central part of Aalen, there are two museums: The "Aalen Limes Museum" (Limesmuseum Aalen) is where the largest Roman cavalry fort north of the Alps once stood until about 200 AD. It opened in 1964. The museum shows many objects from Roman times. The ruins of the cavalry fort next to the museum are open for visitors. Every other year, a Roman festival happens there (see below).

In the Geological-Paleontological Museum in the old town hall, there are over 1500 fossils from the Swabian Jura, including ammonites, ichthyosaurs, and corals.

In the Waldhausen area, the Heimatstüble museum shows local history with displays about farming and village life.

In Wasseralfingen, there are two more museums: The Museum Wasseralfingen has a local history exhibit and an art gallery with works by Hermann Plock, Helmut Schuster, and Sieger Köder. It also shows the stove plate collection from the Schwäbische Hüttenwerke steel mill, with how the plates are made from design to finished product.

Memorial sites

There is a memorial stone at the Schillerlinde tree above Wasseralfingen's ore pit for four prisoners from a subcamp of Natzweiler-Struthof concentration camp who died there. Also in Wasseralfingen, in the cemetery, there is a memorial with a Polish message "To the victims of Hitler" for the forced laborers who died there.

In 1954, the town built a bell tower on Schillerhöhe hill to remember Aalen's victims of both world wars and people who were moved from their homes. The tower was designed by Emil Leo, and the bell was given by Carl Schneider. The tower is open if you ask. Every evening at 18:45 (before 2003: at 19:45), the bell rings.

Buildings

Churches

The town center has the Evangelical-Lutheran St. Nicholas' Church, built between 1765 and 1767. It is the only major Late Baroque building in Aalen and the main church for the Evangelical-Lutheran community.

St. John's Church is inside St. John's cemetery in the western part of town. The building likely dates back to the 9th century, making it one of the oldest churches in Württemberg. The inside has frescos from the early 13th century.

For other churches in Aalen, see the Religions section.

Historic Town Hall with "Spy"

The Historic Town Hall was first built in the 14th century. After a fire in 1634, it was rebuilt in 1636. It got a clock from Lauterburg, and the Imperial City of Nuremberg gave it a Carillon. It has a figurine of the "Spy of Aalen" and used to have other figures, but they were lost in a fire in 1884. Since then, the Spy has been inside the rebuilt tower and has become a symbol of the town. The building was used as the town hall until 1907. Since 1977, the Geological-Paleontological Museum is in the Historic Town Hall.

According to a story, the people of Aalen owe the "Spy of Aalen" (Spion von Aalen) for their town being saved from the emperor's army:

The Imperial City of Aalen had a problem with the emperor, and his army was about to attack the town. The people of Aalen were scared and sent their "cleverest" person to spy on the enemy's troops. He went straight into the enemy camp, where he was caught and taken to the emperor. When the emperor asked him what he had lost there, he answered in Swabian German: "Don't worry, sir, I just want to see how many cannons and other war tools you have, because I am the spy of Aalen." The emperor laughed at this bold answer, showed him around the camp, and then sent him home. Soon after, the emperor left with his army because he thought a town with such clever people deserved to be spared.

Old Town Hall

The Old Town Hall was first recorded in 1575. Its outside wall has the oldest known coat of arms from 1664. Until 1851, it also had the Krone-Post hotel, which was a station for the Thurn und Taxis postal company. It has had many important people. The so-called "Napoleon Window" with an "N" painted on it reminds us of when French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte stayed there in 1805. According to the story, he hit his head hard on this window when he was surprised by his soldiers making fun of the "Spy of Aalen." The building was used as Aalen's town hall from 1907 to 1975. Today it has a cabaret café and the stage for the Theatre of the Town of Aalen. The town supports the Wischau Linguistic Enclave Society and keeps their traditional clothes in the building.

Bürgerspital

The Bürgerspital ("Civic Asylum") is a timber-frame house built on Spritzenhausplatz ("Fire Engine House Square") in 1702. Until 1873, it was used as a civic hospital, then later as a home for older people. After a big renovation in 1980, it became a center for older adults.

Limes-Thermen

On a slope of the Langert mountain, south of town, are the Limes-Thermen ("Limes Thermae") hot springs. They were built in ancient Roman style and opened in 1985. The spa has water that is about 34 to 36 °C (93 to 97 °F).

Market square

The market square is the historic center of Aalen and runs about 150 meters (490 ft) from the town hall in the south to the Historic Town Hall and the Old Town Hall in the north, where it ends at Radgasse alley. Since 1809, it has been the place for the weekly market on Wednesday and Saturday. About 10 meters (33 ft) in front of the Reichsstädter Brunnen fountain at the town hall, the coats of arms of Aalen, its twin cities, and the Wischau language area are paved into the street as a mosaic.

Market fountain

In 1705, a well was built at the north end of the market square, in front of the Historic Town Hall, to supply water to Aalen. It was a gift from duke Eberhard Louis. The fountain had a statue of emperor Joseph I., who ruled in 1705 and in 1707 gave Aalen its Imperial City rights again. The fountain got water from a wooden pipe. Extra water went away through ditches from the Kocher river. When Aalen's water system was built in the early 1870s, the fountain was replaced by a smaller one about 100 meters away. In 1975, the old market fountain was put back in its old style. It has a copy of the emperor's statue, with the original kept in the new town hall's lobby. The cast iron plates on the fountain show the 1718 coat of arms of the Duchy of Württemberg and the coats of arms of Aalen and the merged towns.

Reichsstädter Brunnen

The Reichsstädter Brunnen fountain ("Imperial Civic Fountain") is in front of the town hall at the south end of the market square. It was made by sculptor Fritz Nuss in 1977 to remember Aalen's time as an Imperial City (1360–1803). Around it is a frieze with bronze figures showing the town's history.

Radgasse

The Radgasse ("Wheel Alley") has Aalen's oldest building face. Originally, there was a small pond there. The buildings were built between 1659 and 1662 for people who had town rights but were farmers, and they were fixed up in the mid-1980s. The alley is named after the "Wheel" tavern, which was at today's Radgasse 15.

Tiefer Stollen

The old iron ore mine Wilhelm at Braunenberg hill was turned into the Tiefer Stollen tourist mine to remember the hard work of miners and keep it as a memory of early industry in Aalen. It has a mine museum for visitors, and a mine railway takes people deep into the mountain. The Town of Aalen, a group to help the mine, and many people worked thousands of hours to make the mine like it is now. As much as possible, things were left as they were. In 1989, a tunnel was made where people can rest and get treatment for breathing problems.^{[clarification needed]} Because of this, the Aalen village of Röthard, where the tunnel is, was given the title "Place with rest cure tunnel" in 2004.

Observatory

The Aalen Observatory was built in 1969 as a school observatory for the Schubart Gymnasium. In 2001, it became a public observatory. Since then, it has been run by the Astronomische Arbeitsgemeinschaft Aalen ("Aalen Astronomical Society"). It is on Schillerhöhe hill and has two refractive telescopes. They were made by Carl Zeiss AG, which has its main office in nearby Oberkochen and a factory in Aalen (see below). The observatory has regular tours and talks.

Windpark Waldhausen

The Windpark Waldhausen wind farm started in early 2007. It has seven REpower MM92 wind turbines, each making 2 MW of power. Each turbine is 100 meters (330 ft) tall, with a blade circle of 92 meters (302 ft).

Aalbäumle observation tower

The 26 meters (85 ft) tall Aalbäumle observation tower is on Langert mountain. This popular hiking spot was built in 1898 and fixed in 1992. It gives a great view of Aalen and the Welland area, up to Rosenstein mountain and Ellwangen. Below the tower, there is an adventure playground and a cabin. A flag on the tower shows if the cabin's restaurant is open.

Natural monuments

The Baden-Württemberg State Institute for Environment, Measurements and Natural Conservation has set aside six protected lands in Aalen (the Swabian Jura escarpment between Lautern and Aalen with nearby areas, the Swabian Jura escarpment between Unterkochen and Baiershofen, the Hilllands around Hofen, the Kugeltal and Ebnater Tal valleys with parts of Heiligental valley and nearby areas, Laubachtal valley and Lower Lein Valley with side valleys), two protected forests (Glashütte and Kocher Origin), 65 big natural monuments, 30 single natural monuments and the following two protected areas:

The 24.1 hectares (60 acres) Dellenhäule protected area between Aalen's Waldhausen area and Neresheim's Elchingen area, made in 1969, is a sheep field with juniper and wood pasture of old willow trees.

The 46.5 hectares (115 acres) Goldshöfer Sande protected area was made in 2000 and is between Aalen's Hofen area and Hüttlingen. The sand hills from the Early Pleistocene are important for science, and the different types of trees give a home to birds that are in danger.

Sports

The football team, VfR Aalen, was started in 1921 and played in the 2nd German League from 2012 to 2015, then moved down to 3. Liga. Its home is the Scholz-Arena in the west part of town, which was called Städtisches Waldstadion Aalen ("Civic Forest Stadium of Aalen") until 2008. From 1939 to 1945, VfR played in the Gauliga Württemberg, one of the top soccer leagues in Germany at the time.

The KSV Aalen wrestling team plays in the Wrestling Federal League. It won the German team wrestling title in 2010. Its older team, KSV Germania Aalen, stopped in 2005, won the title eight times and was second five times since 1976. Another Aalen team, TSV Dewangen, played in the Federal League until 2009.

Two American sports, American football and Baseball, are played by MTV Aalen. Volleyball has become more popular in Aalen. The first men's team of DJK Aalen made it to the regional league in the 2008/09 season.

The Ostalb ski lifts are south of the town center, on the north side of the Swabian Jura. The skiing area has two platter lifts that go up 130 and 30 meters (427 and 98 ft), with two runs that are 800 and 1,200 meters (2,600 and 3,900 ft) long and a beginner's run.

Regular events

Reichsstädter Tage

Since 1975, the Reichsstädter Tage ("Imperial City days") festival has been held every year in the town center on the second weekend of September. It is considered the biggest festival in the Ostwürttemberg area, and it has a shopping Sunday following the Ladenschlussgesetz rule. The festival also has visitors from the town's twin cities. On the town hall square, on Sunday, there is an ecumenical service.

Roman Festival

The international Roman Festival (Römertage) happens every two years at the site of the old Roman fort and the modern Limes museum. The ninth event in 2008 had about 11,000 people.

Aalen Jazz Festival

Every year during the second week of November, the Aalen Jazz Festival brings famous and new artists to Aalen. It has had musicians like Miles Davis, B. B. King, Ray Charles, David Murray, McCoy Tyner, Al Jarreau, Esbjörn Svensson, and Albert Mangelsdorff. The festival also has extra concerts in spring and summer, making about 25 concerts with around 13,000 visitors.

Economy and infrastructure

Aalen is a busy town with many jobs. In 2008, about 30,000 people who lived in Aalen worked somewhere, mostly in making things like machines and tools, or in selling and serving people. Many people from around the area come to Aalen to work, while some people from Aalen travel out to jobs in other places.

The town has around 4,700 businesses, from big factories to small shops. Making metal things and building machines are very important for Aalen, but there are also companies that work with light, paper, computers, chemicals, clothes, medical tools, medicine, and food.

Aalen is a central place for trains and buses. The main train station connects Aalen to cities like Stuttgart, Ulm, and Nuremberg. There are also many bus lines that help people get around the town and nearby areas. Some roads connect Aalen to big highways, making it easy to drive to places like Würzburg or Füssen. There are also places to ride bikes and small airports for private planes and gliding.

Aalen has important public buildings such as a local court, offices for jobs and taxes, and hospitals. The town has many schools, including three high schools, several middle schools, special schools for students who need extra help, and eight primary schools. There is also a college called Hochschule Aalen that focuses on engineering and business.

Two radio stations, Radio Ton and Radio 7, have studios in Aalen. The town also has several local newspapers and magazine rental services.

Notable people

Aalen has been home to many interesting people throughout history. Some well-known figures include Johann Christoph von Westerstetten, a prince-bishop and church leader, and Christian Friedrich Daniel Schubart, a poet and musician who spent his childhood there. Other notable individuals include Karl Joseph von Hefele, a church historian, and Rudolf Duala Manga Bell, a leader from Kamerun who lived in Aalen in the late 1800s.

The town has also seen many athletes grow up or live there, such as Thomas Zander, a world champion wrestler, and Andreas Beck, a footballer who played for the German national team. Other famous sports figures include Walter Adams, a middle-distance runner, and Carl-Uwe Steeb, a retired tennis player.

• Johann Christoph von Westerstetten (1563–1637), Prince-bishop of Eichstätt and counter-reformer
• Christian Friedrich Daniel Schubart (1739–1791), poet, organ player, composer and journalist; lived in Aalen as a child and adolescent.
• Karl Joseph von Hefele (1809–1893), Roman Catholic theologian, clerical historian and bishop.
• Stephan Jakob Neher (1829–1902), Catholic priest and church historian.
• Rudolf Duala Manga Bell (1873–1914), King of Duala and resistance leader in the German colony of Kamerun, lived in Aalen from 1891 until 1896.
• Karl Wahl (1892–1981), Gauleiter of Gau Swabia, Obergruppenführer
• Kurt Jooss (1901–1979), born in Wasseralfingen; dancer, choreographer and dance educator
• Georg Elser (1903–1945), opponent of Nazism, worked in 1923 as an apprentice carpenter in Aalen.
• August Zehender (1903–1945), SS Brigade Commander and Major General of the Waffen-SS
• Bruno Heck (1917–1989), politician (CDU), former minister of the government and CDU secretary general
• Hermann Bausinger (1926–2021), cultural scientist
• Hans Elsässer (1929–2003), astronomer and founding director of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy
• Werner Sobek (born 1953), architect and structural engineer
• Gerhard Thiele (born 1953 in Heidenheim), physicist and former astronaut, attended school in Aalen.
• Angela Schanelec (born 1962), actress, film director and screenwriter
• Ulrich Spiesshofer (born 1964), business executive, former CEO of the ABB Group
• Martin Gerlach, (DE Wiki)) (born 1965), independent politician, mayor of Aalen (2005–2013)
• Steffen Schorn (born 1967), jazz musician & professor at the Hochschule für Musik Nürnberg
• Carlo Waibel (born 1990), singer known as Cro, wears a panda mask on stage.

Sport

• Werner Bickelhaupt (born 1939), football coach, lives in Aalen since 2004, head coach for Swaziland for 3 months in 2003
• Walter Adams (born 1945 in Wasseralfingen), middle-distance runner
• Thomas Zander (born 1967), wrestler, world champion in 1994 and silver medallist at the 1996 Summer Olympics
• Carl-Uwe Steeb (born 1967), retired tennis player
• Erol Sabanov (born 1974), former football goalkeeper who played about 300 games
• Andreas Beck (born 1987), footballer, immigrated aged 3, grew up in Aalen; played about 475 games and 9 for Germany
• Patrick Funk (born 1990), footballer, played about 375 games
• Fabio Kaufmann (born 1992), footballer, played over 350 games

Honorary citizens

• Erwin Rommel (1891–1944), Field Marshal of World War II, grew up in Aalen
• Wilhelm Jakob Schweiker (1859–1927), founder of the Aalen Historical Society (Geschichts- und Altertumsverein Aalen)_ and name giver of the Wilhelm Jakob Schweiker Award
• Ulrich Pfeifle, Mayor of Aalen from 1976 until 2005