Aschaffenburg
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Aschaffenburg | |
| Coat of arms | Location |
 |
  |
| Administration | |
| Country |  Germany |
|---|---|
| State | Bavaria |
| Admin. region | Lower Franconia |
| District | Urban district |
| Town subdivisions | 10 districts |
| Lord Mayor | Klaus Herzog (SPD) |
| Basic statistics | |
| Area | 62.57 km² (24.2 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 138 m (453 ft) |
| Population | 68,672 (31/03/2007) |
| - Density | 1,098 /km² (2,843 /sq mi) |
| Other information | |
| Time zone | CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) |
| Licence plate | AB |
| Postal codes | 63701–63743 |
| Area codes | 06021,06028 |
| Website | www.aschaffenburg.de |
Aschaffenburg (IPA: [aˈʃafənbʊɐ̯k]; dialect: [ˈaʒəˌbɜːʃ]) is a large town in northwest Bavaria, Germany. It is located on the right bank of the Main at the foot of the Spessart, 41 kilometers (25 miles) SE of Frankfurt am Main. The town of Aschaffenburg is not considered part of the district of Aschaffenburg, but is the administrative seat. It is known as the Tor zum Spessart or "gate to the Spessart". Aschaffenburg is also called the "Bayerische Nizza" or "Bavarian Nice" due to its relatively mild climate for a Bavarian city and Mediterranean gardens overlooking the Main. Although it is within Bavaria, the town inhabitants claim to be Franconians, not Bavarians. This is consistent with the attitude of the inhabitants of other parts of Franconia, all of which lies within the state of Bavaria. However, Aschaffenburg was never part of historical Franconia, it belonged to the Archbishopric of Mainz. The inhabitants speak neither Bavarian nor Franconian but rather a type of Hessian dialect.
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[edit] Municipal districts
Aschaffenburg has 10 districts:
- Aschaffenburg (city-center)
- Damm
- Schweinheim
- Nilkheim
- Obernau
- Leider
- Strietwald
- Österreicher Kolonie (Austrian Colony)
- Gailbach
- Obernauer Kolonie
Nilkheim and Leider are the only districts located on the left bank of the Main.
[edit] History
[edit] Etymology
The name Aschaffenburg (Ascaffaburc, Ascapha or Ascaphaburg in the Middle Ages) originally meant "castle at the ash tree river" deriving from the river Aschaff that runs through parts of the town.
[edit] Brief history
The earliest remains of settlements in the area of Aschaffenburg date from the Stone Age. Aschaffenburg was originally a settlement of the Alamanni. Roman legions were stationed here, and on the ruins of their castra the Frankish mayors of the palace built a castle. In the Middle Ages the town was known as Ascaffaburc, Ascapha or Ascaphaburg. Saint Boniface erected a chapel to Saint Martin and founded a Benedictine monastery here. A stone bridge over the Main was built by Archbishop Willigis in 989. Adalbert increased the importance the town in various ways about 1122. In 1292 a synod was held here, and in 1474 an imperial diet, preliminary to that of Vienna, approved a concordat (sometimes called the Aschaffenburg Concordat).
The town suffered greatly during the Thirty Years' War, being held in turn by the various belligerents. In 1842–1849, King Ludwig I of Bavaria built a country house to the west of town. It was named Pompejanum after its model, the house of Castor and Pollux at Pompeii. In 1866 the Prussians inflicted a severe defeat on the Austrians in the neighbourhood during the Austro-Prussian War.
In World War II Aschaffenburg was heavily damaged by Allied area bombing, including Schloss Johannisburg.
The county district of Aschaffenburg, deriving its name from the town, comprised an area of 1694 km². It formed part of the electorate of the Archbishop of Mainz, and in 1803 was made over to the chancellor, Archbishop Charles of Dalberg. In 1806 it was annexed to the grand duchy of Frankfurt; in 1814 it was transferred to Bavaria, by virtue of a treaty concluded between that power and Austria. Within Unterfranken, it now forms a part of the Bundesland of Bavaria.
[edit] Sights
Its chief buildings are the Schloss Johannisburg, built 1605–1614 by Archbishop Schweikard von Kronberg, which contains a library with a number of incunabula, a collection of engravings and paintings; the Pompejanum, a replica of a Roman town house discovered in Pompeii commissioned by King Ludwig I. & built in 1850; the Stiftskirche basilica, founded in 974 by Otto of Swabia, duke of Bavaria, but dating in the main from the early 12th century on, in which are preserved various monuments by the Vischers, a sarcophagus with the relics of Saint Margaret, and a famous painting by Matthias Grünewald; the Capuchin hospital; a theatre, which was formerly a house of the Teutonic Order; several mansions of the nobility; and the historical "Altstadt" (the oldest section of Aschaffenburg).
The graves of Clemens Brentano and his brother Christian Brentano (died 1851) and that of Wilhelm Heinse are on the Altstadtfriedhof.[1]
[edit] US military presence
Aschaffenburg was the location of several United States Army installations throughout the Cold War. The US Army occupied facilities formerly used and controlled by the Wehrmacht. The installation sites were known as Ready Kaserne, Smith Kaserne, Graves Kaserne, Fiori Kaserne, Engineer Kaserne and Jaeger Kasern, housing armour, infantry, engineer, maintenance and artillery elements of the US Army 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division and various VII Corps elements including the 9th Engineer Brigade. Much of the US Army presence in Aschaffenburg ended in 1992 with the ending of the Cold War. The last bases were handed back in 2007.
[edit] Population
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[edit] Transportation
Aschaffenburg is located on Bundesautobahn 3 between Frankfurt am Main and Würzburg. The southern terminus of Bundesautobahn 45 is located just west of the city. Bundesstraßen B 8 and B 26 pass through the city. Three road bridges cross the river Main at Aschaffenburg: Ebert Bridge, Willigis Bridge and Adenauer Bridge.
A new limited-access "inner-city-ring" road is currently under construction and will be completed by 2011. It will allow motorists to bypass the city-center and reduce traffic congestion in Aschaffenburg, which has been a problem in recent years. A section of the road has already opened.
Aschaffenburg has a comprehensive bus network serving all districts and the surrounding region. Regional and long-distance InterCityExpress trains serve the Aschaffenburg Hauptbahnhof. Regional trains stop at Aschaffenburg's three other train stations: Aschaffenburg-Sued, Hochschule (opened in 2008) and Obernau. Aschaffenburg also has an active port along the river Main with railway access and a small airport (actually located in nearby Großostheim).
[edit] Shopping
The City Galerie, opened in 1974, is the largest shopping mall in Northern Bavaria. It was one of the first indoor shopping malls to open in Germany. It was first renovated in 1984 and from 1997 to 1999 it was expanded & modernized. Aschaffenburg also has a pedestrian shopping zone closed to motor vehicles (except for deliveries). Several upscale stores have opened in this zone in recent years.
[edit] Entertainment and recreation
Aschaffenburg hosts many festivals & concerts throughout the year including the annual Stadtfest, held in late August. Aschaffenburg has a modern multiplex cinema called the Kinopolis, directly across the street from the City Galerie shopping mall. Aschaffenburg has numerous parks including Schönbusch Park, located in the Nilkheim district and Schöntal Park, located in the city-center. A large recreational complex is located in the district of Leider. It includes an indoor & outdoor swimming pool complex as well as an indoor ice rink and tennis courts, which are open to the general public. There is also a boating dock on the Main.
[edit] Sports
Viktoria Aschaffenburg is the primary football (soccer) club. The club was formed on June 24, 1904 out of the merger of FC Aschaffenburg (August 6, 1901) and FC Viktoria Aschaffenburg (April 12, 1902). It was re-named Sportverein Viktoria 01 Aschaffenburg on June 3, 1906. Their homefield is Stadion am Schönbusch (Schönbusch stadium), a modern stadium located in the Nilkheim district. In 1996, the Aschaffenburg Stallions began playing American football at Schönbusch stadium.
[edit] Printed media
- Main-Echo, Newspaper published daily except Sunday
- Prima Sonntag, Newspaper published only on Sunday
- FRIZZ Das Magazin, Culture/scene magazine
- Brot & Spiele, Culture magazine
- Szene Magazin
[edit] Radio and television
- Radio Primavera, Frequency in Aschaffenburg 100,4 MHz (internet-streaming available)
- Radio Galaxy, Frequency in Aschaffenburg 91,6 MHz
- TV touring, Aschaffenburg programming
[edit] Internet
- Kommweichei.com e.V., The community & party scene in Aschaffenburg
- MainReporter.de - Portal for Aschaffenburg (city & regional)
- abscene.de | NEWAGE MAGAZINE
- ABhörn, Online Magazine
- Main-netz.de, News & community information for the region
[edit] Town twinning
Aschaffenburg is twinned with:
In 2006, Aschaffenburg and Perth celebrated the 50th anniversary of their partnership.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Official Website (German, English, French, Italian, Hebrew)
- Webcam Aschaffenburg Beautiful live view on Schloss Johannisburg, Pompeiianum and the river Main
- Former US Army Installations
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