Achern is a city in Western
Baden-WürttembergBaden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine—but one which has some of its major cities straddling the banks of the Neckar River...
,
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
. It is located approximately 18 km southwest of
Baden-BadenBaden-Baden is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located on the western foothills of the Black Forest, on the banks of the Oos River, in the region of Karlsruhe.- History :The German word 'Baden' translates as 'to bath/bathe'...
and 19 km northeast of
OffenburgOffenburg is a city located in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. With about 60,000 inhabitants, it is the largest city, and also the capital of the Ortenaukreis.Offenburg also houses The Graduate School of Offenburg University of Applied Sciences.
...
. Achern is the fourth largest city in the county of
OrtenauOrtenaukreis is a district in the west of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Neighboring districts are Rastatt, Freudenstadt, Rottweil, Schwarzwald-Baar and Emmendingen...
(Ortenaukreis), after Offenburg,
Lahr / Black ForestLahr is a city in western Baden-Württemberg, Germany, approximately 38 km north of Freiburg in Breisgau and 100 km south of Karlsruhe. It is the second largest city in Ortenau after Offenburg, and serves as an intermediate economic center to the cities and towns of Ettenheim, Friesenheim,...
and Kehl.
As subsequent to the district reform in the 1970s the population passed the 20,000 mark, Achern requested to be awarded the status of
Große Kreisstadt. The status was granted by the State government effective January 1, 1974. Achern collaborates with the communities of Lauf, Sasbach, and Sasbachwalden in administrative matters.
Besides Achern itself, the municipality includes the boroughs of Fautenbach, Gamshurst, Großweier, Mösbach, Oberachern,
ÖnsbachÖnsbach is the second-largest district of the major district town of Achern in the north of Ortenaukreis, located in the Black Forest....
, Sasbachried and Wagshurst.
Geographic location
Achern is located in the northern
Black ForestThe Black Forest is a wooded mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany. It is bordered by the Rhine valley to the west and south. The highest peak is the Feldberg with an elevation of 1,493 metres ....
near the
HornisgrindeThe Hornisgrinde, 1164 m , is the highest mountain in the Northern Black Forest of Germany. The Hornisgrinde lies in northern Ortenaukreis district.- Origin of the name :...
, at the entrance to the Acher Valley and not far from the eastern edge of the
Upper RhineThe Upper Rhine is the part of the Rhine that flows northbound after Basel, Switzerland, along the Rhine rift, and then westward to Bingen, Germany...
Valley. Coming from the Black Forest, the Acher enters the city from the southeast and passes Oberachern on its way to the center of town with the historic center, the
Altstadt, situated on the right bank. The Acher then continues on in northwesterly direction between Fautenbach and Großweier and south of Gamshurst, before leaving the city to head for the
RhineThe Rhine is one of the longest and most important rivers in Europe, at , with an average discharge of more than ....
. The river gave the city its name.
Several artificially created lakes, some of which still produce gravel and sand. The largest lake is called Achernsee, near the Achern Autobahn ramp, in the West of the city.
Neighboring communities
Achern is surrounded by the following communities (starting clockwise from the north): Lichtenau and
OttersweierOttersweier is a community in western Baden-Württemberg, Germany.-Twin cities: - Westerlo, Flanders, Belgium, since 1962 - Krauschwitz, Germany, since 1989...
(both
Rastatt CountyRastatt is a district in the west of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Neighboring districts are Karlsruhe, Calw, Freudenstadt and the Ortenaukreis. To the west it borders the French département Bas-Rhin...
), as well as Sasbach (Ortenau),
Lauf (Baden)Lauf is a community in the district of Ortenau in Western Baden-Württemberg, Germany.Lauf is situated on the western edge of the Black Forest , located in a valley that slopes roughly east-west. The Laufbach stream which gives Lauf its name rises on the north-west side of the Hornisgrinde, and...
,
SasbachwaldenSasbachwalden is a touristic Black Forest town in Western Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located on the western slopes of mountain Hornisgrinde in the Northern Black Forest and belongs to the district of Ortenau. More than 70% of the town area are forest....
,
KappelrodeckKappelrodeck is a town in Western Baden-Württemberg, Germany and belongs to the district of Ortenau.-External links:...
,
RenchenRenchen is a small city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, part of the district of Ortenau.- Geography :Renchen is located in the foothills of the northern Black Forest at the entrance to the Rench valley at the edge of the Upper Rhine River Plains....
, and
Rheinau (Baden)Rheinau is a town in southwestern Baden-Württemberg, Germany and is part of the district of Ortenau.- Geography :Rheinau is located in the Upper Rhine River Plains directly on the Rhine and as such at the German-French border...
, all part of Ortenau County.
City boroughs
Within the municipal borders of Achern, the city is made up of the city center (Kernstadt), and the boroughs that were redistricted into Achern during the District Reform in the 1970s, namely, Fautenbach, Gamshurst, Großweier, Mösbach, Oberachern,
ÖnsbachÖnsbach is the second-largest district of the major district town of Achern in the north of Ortenaukreis, located in the Black Forest....
, Sasbachried and Wagshurst.
Except Oberachern, the boroughs also have community status under state administrative law, which entitles them to a borough council, elected by registered voters in municipal elections. The borough councils are headed up by the Borough President.
In some cases, named neighborhoods or developments are part of the boroughs, though often with few residents and not clearly defined limits. Examples of such neighborhoods are Litzloch, Michelbuch and Ziegelhütte in Gamshurst, Malghurst in Sasbachried, Lindenhof in Fautenbach and Schollenhof in Wagshurst.
History
Achern was first mentioned in 1095 as Acchara and developed later into Oberachern and Niederachern. Eventually, Niederachern was referred to only as Achern. During the High
Middle AgesThe Middle Ages of European history is a period of European history covering roughly a millennium in the 5th century through 16th centuries. More specific starting and ending points are sometimes adopted by scholars to suit their respective specializations or current focus...
the town became part of the German Reich, courtesy of the Staufenberger and Zähringer families, and was included in the
Landsvogtei of
OrtenauOrtenaukreis is a district in the west of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Neighboring districts are Rastatt, Freudenstadt, Rottweil, Schwarzwald-Baar and Emmendingen...
. In 1334, together with Ortenau Achern became part of
BadenBaden is a historical state on the east bank of the Rhine River in the southwest of Germany, now the western part of the Baden-Württemberg of Germany....
, in 1351 it went to
StrasbourgStrasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in north-eastern France. With 702,412 inhabitants in 2007, its metropolitan area is the ninth largest in France...
, in 1405 to the Palatinate, and in 1504 to
Fürstenberg- Noble families :*A comital and princely family of southern Baden-Württemberg, Germany; see Fürstenberg .*A genealogically unrelated baronial family of Westphalia; see Fürstenberg - Historical states :...
. In 1551 the town became part of
Further AustriaFurther Austria or Anterior Austria was the collective name for the old possessions of the Habsburgs in Baden and Swabia , Alsace and in Vorarlberg after the focus of the Habsburgs had moved to Austria...
and part of the
ReichlandsvogteiA Vogt in the Holy Roman Empire was the title of a reeve, an overlord exerting guardianship or military protection as well as secular justice over a certain territory...
Ortenau. In 1495 and then again in 1637 Achern burned to the ground and was uninhabited for several years thereafter.
In 1805 Achern again became part of what was then the
Grand Duchy of BadenThe Grand Duchy of Baden was a historical state in the southwest of Germany, on the right bank of the Rhine. It existed between 1806 and 1918.-History:...
and was made a district court seat. In 1808 it was awarded City status. In 1924 the district of Achern was dissolved and became part of the district of
Bühl-In Germany:*Bühl , in the district Rastatt*Bühl, Tübingen, in Tübingen...
which was awarded County status in 1939.
After
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Bühl County was part of the State of Baden and from 1952 part of the
RegierungsbezirkA Regierungsbezirk is a type of administrative region in Germany, a subdivision of certain federal states . It is loosely equivalent to a province in other countries. It is responsible for the districts , either Landkreise or urban districts: cities which constitute a district in their own right...
of South Baden. Pursuant to the district reform Bühl County was dissolved, effective January 1, 1973. Its southern part — and with it the city of Achern — was made part of the newly created
OrtenaukreisOrtenaukreis is a district in the west of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Neighboring districts are Rastatt, Freudenstadt, Rottweil, Schwarzwald-Baar and Emmendingen...
.
History of the boroughs
The boroughs all came under the rule of Baden in 1805 largely as part of the district of Achern. Exceptions are Mösbach, which first belonged to the district of Oberkirch and was joined into the Achern district in 1859, and Wagshurst, which first belonged to the district of
AppenweierAppenweier is a municipality in western Baden-Württemberg, Germany in the district of Ortenau....
and became part of the Achern district in 1819. When the district of Achern was dissolved in 1924, all of its communities except Wagshurst were joined with the district, and in 1939, County of Bühl. Wagshurst became part of the County of
KehlKehl is a town in southwestern Germany in the Ortenaukreis, Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the river Rhine, directly opposite the French city of Strasbourg.-History:...
.
- Fautenbach was first mentioned circa 1100 as Vultenbach. Via the cloister in Hirsau
Hirsau is a district of the town of Calw in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, located in the south-west portion of the country, about two miles north of Calw and about twenty four miles west of Stuttgart.-Town:...
it gained Großweier und Schauenburg.
- Gamshurst was first mentioned in 902 as Hurst des Gaman and was an expansion of Sasbach.
- Großweier was first mentioned around 1115 as Crosvvilare. It remained Croschweier well into the 19th century. Like Gamshurst it was an expansion of Sasbach. Großweier had been given to a family as a fief by the Duke of Baden. That vassal family lived in and took its name from the castle in town. When the last of the vassal family died, Großweier became the property of the Lords of Seldeneck who's kin sold it back to Baden in 1853. The Water Castle was then the seat of the district court until it was moved to Bühl after the castle's destruction in 1689.
- Mösbach was first mentioned in 1386 as Mestbach. It belonged to Strasbourg before it became part of Baden.
- Oberachern was first mentioned in 1347 as Obernacher. Before that date no distinction was made between Oberachern and Niederachern. It belonged to the Staufenberg family as early as 1100 though parts of it belonged to the cloister in Hirsau. Before 1130 Oberachern belonged to the cloister St. Georgen
Sankt Georgen im Schwarzwald is a town in Southwestern Baden-Württemberg, Germany and belongs to Schwarzwald-Baar County.-External links: * , on the Grässlin family's art collection in Sankt Georgen...
. In the 12th century a noble and free family who apparently also supplied the judges for Achern, named itself after the city. This family lived in a Water Castle the remains of which were later used in the construction of the Stephanus church tower in Oberachern. While Oberachern was part of the district court Achern und as such shared in Achern's luck, it had always been an independent village until it was annexed in 1971.
- Önsbach
Önsbach is the second-largest district of the major district town of Achern in the north of Ortenaukreis, located in the Black Forest....
was first mentioned in the 13th century as Ongisbach. The cloisters in HonauLichtenstein is a municipality in the Tübingen administrative region in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It lies at the foot of the Swabian Alb ....
, EttenheimEttenheim is a town in the Ortenaukreis, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.In the Middle Ages, Ettenheim belonged to the Archbishop of Strasbourg. It gained its Charter in 1302.In 1973 it was incorporated into the Ortenaukreis.- Districts :...
and Allerheiligen all owned property in the village. The village was part of the district of Achern.
- Sasbachried was first mentioned in 1697 as aus dem Rieth. It grew out of Sasbach and, like Sasbach, it used to belong to Strasbourg. In the 19th century, Sasbachried split from Sasbach and became an independent community.
- Wagshurst was first mentioned in 1136 as Wageshurst. It too belonged to Strasbourg and was part of the district court of Ulm
Ulm is a city in the German Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the River Danube. The city, whose population is estimated at 120,000 , forms an urban district of its own and is the administrative seat of the Alb-Donau district. Ulm, founded around 850, is rich in history and traditions...
.
Religions
In the beginning Achern was part of the diocese of Strasbourg. As a consequence of its belonging to Further Austria, the
ReformationThe Protestant Reformation was a Christian reform movement in Europe which is generally deemed to have begun with Martin Luther's Ninety-Five Theses in 1517 although a number of precursors such as Jan Hus predate that event...
did not take hold. Achern and its surrounding area therefore remained almost exclusively
CatholicThe word Catholic is derived from the Greek adjective , meaning "universal". In the context of Christian ecclesiology, it has a rich history and several usages. For some, the term "Catholic Church" refers to the church in full communion with the Bishop of Rome, made up of the Latin Rite and the 22...
throughout the centuries. In 1803 the communities were joined with the diocese of Konstanz before it became part of the newly-created
archdiocese of FreiburgThe Archdiocese of Freiburg im Breisgau is a Roman Catholic diocese in Baden-Württemberg comprising the former states of Baden and Hohenzollern...
in 1821 through 1827. The villages then belonged to the district of
OttersweierOttersweier is a community in western Baden-Württemberg, Germany.-Twin cities: - Westerlo, Flanders, Belgium, since 1962 - Krauschwitz, Germany, since 1989...
but in 1929 Achern became its own district with the Catholic city church (Stadtkirche) as its seat. Additional Catholic communities, whose churches were elevated to
parishA parish is a territorial unit that was usually historically served by a local church. This administrative unit is typically found in Roman Catholic, Anglican Communion, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Church of Sweden, United Methodist, and Presbyterian churches...
es early on, exist in almost all boroughs. Only Mösbach didn't become a parish until 1865 and Sasbachried is still serviced by the neighboring parish of Sasbach. All parishes now belong to the Acher-Renchtal district within the archdiocese of Freiburg.
At the dawn of the 19th century, Protestants started to move into Achern. The first Protestant service was held in 1842 in the Illenau hospital. The Protestant parish of Achern, founded in 1892, was able to build its church, the Christuskirche, in 1908 and 1909. The Protestant parish also serves the boroughs of Oberachern, Fautenbach, Gamshurst, Großweier and Sasbachried as well as the neighboring towns of Sasbach, Obersasbach and Lauf. The boroughs of Önsbach, Mösbach and Wagshurst on the other hand, are part of the parish of
RenchenRenchen is a small city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, part of the district of Ortenau.- Geography :Renchen is located in the foothills of the northern Black Forest at the entrance to the Rench valley at the edge of the Upper Rhine River Plains....
. The Protestant parish of Achern first belonged to the district of
RheinbischofsheimRheinau is a town in southwestern Baden-Württemberg, Germany and is part of the district of Ortenau.- Geography :Rheinau is located in the Upper Rhine River Plains directly on the Rhine and as such at the German-French border...
, and later on to the districts of Baden-Baden and Rastatt. The parish of Renchen belongs to the district of Kehl within the Protestant diocese of Baden. Finally, the Josua-Christian parish and the Christian parish Sasbachried are the two independent churches in Achern.
Also represented in Achern, though in smaller numbers, are Muslims,
Jehovah's WitnessesJehovah's Witnesses is a restorationist, millenarian Christian denomination. The religion reports worldwide membership of over 7 million adherents involved in evangelism; they report convention attendance of over 12 million, and annual Memorial attendance of over 17 million...
,
New Apostolic ChurchThe New Apostolic Church is a chiliastic church, numbered to Protestantism as a free church of the Catholic Apostolic Churches or Irvingism. The church has been existing since 1879 in Germany and since 1897 in the Netherlands...
, and
Seventh-day AdventistsThe Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ. It is the eighth largest international body of...
.
District reform
The following villages and areas were incorporated into the city of Achern:
- January 1, 1971: Oberachern
- January 1, 1973: Fautenbach, Gamshurst, Großweier, Mösbach, Önsbach, Sasbachried und Wagshurst
Demographics
Figures reflect the city limits at the time and are estimates or Census data (¹), or official extensions thereof, counting only primary residences.
| Year |
Population |
| 1808 |
1,300 |
| 1825 |
1,638 |
| 1845 |
2,242 |
| December 1, 1871 |
2,767 |
| December 1, 1880 ¹ |
3,145 |
| December 1, 1900 ¹ |
3,396 |
| December 1, 1910 ¹ |
3,962 |
| June 16, 1925 ¹ |
5,335 |
| June 16, 1933 ¹ |
5,338 |
| May 17, 1939 ¹ |
5,835 |
| 1946 ¹ |
4,492 |
|
| Year |
Population |
| September 13, 1950 ¹ |
4,932 |
| June 6, 1961 ¹ |
6,141 |
| May 27, 1970 ¹ |
7,596 |
| December 31, 1975 |
20,621 |
| December 31, 1980 |
20,543 |
| May 27, 1987 ¹ |
20,524 |
| December 31, 1990 |
21,382 |
| December 31, 1995 |
22,658 |
| December 31, 2000 |
23,911 |
| March 31, 2005 |
24,521 |
|
¹ Census result
City Council
The municipal elections on June 13, 2004 resulted in the following make-up of the City Council:
| CDU The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany....
|
8 Seats |
| Independents |
7 Seats |
| ABL |
5 Seats |
| UGA |
4 Seats |
SPDThe Social Democratic Party of Germany is Germany's oldest political party. The party governed at the federal level in a grand coalition with the Christian Democratic Union and the Christian Social Union until conceding defeat in the federal election of September 2009...
|
2 Seats |
Mayor
Heading up the village of Achern was the
Heimburge (later:
Bürgermeister or mayor) and the
Bauernzwölfer. Since becoming part of Baden, the Mayor and City Council attend to Achern's local administration. The mayor is elected for a period of 8 years in direct elections. The mayor is also the City Council President. The First Councilman or woman is given the additional role of Deputy Mayor.
Mayors since 1905
- 1905–1933: Wilhelm Schechter
- 1933–1945: Richard Krämer
- 1945–1955: Wendelin Morgenthaler
- 1955–1963: Richard Krämer
- 1963–1991: Winfried Rosenfelder
- 1991–2007: Reinhart Köstlin
- 2007–present: Klaus Muttach
Flag and coat of arms
Achern's
coat of armsA coat of arms, more properly called an armorial achievement, armorial bearings or often just arms for short, in European tradition, is a design belonging to a particular person and used by them in a wide variety of ways. Historically, they were used by knights to identify them apart from enemy...
shows a split shield in the front, on golden background half a black eagle with red tipped wings, and in the back a silver beam on red background. Achern's flag is red-white-red.
The coat of arms has been in use for a long time. The eagle was the symbol of the district court and appears in the seals of the court as early as 1415. When the district was lost to
AustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.3 million people in Central Europe. It borders both Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west...
the white beam was added to the seal. The seal later served as the foundation for the coat of arms which is in use to this day.
Museums
The Sensen- und Heimatmuseum Achern features an original scythe manufacturing facility. Displays also show the history of cutting tools from the
Bronze AgeThe Bronze Age of a culture is the period when the most advanced metalworking in that culture utilised bronze. This could either have been based on the local smelting of copper and tin from ores, or trading for bronze from production areas elsewhere...
through the present. In addition there is an exhibit covering Achern's local history.
Buildings
The St. Nikolaus Chapel, also called "Klausenkirchel", is the symbol of the city. It was built around 1300 and features a round corner tower. The main church in the city, it is a Catholic church, built in 1824 and designed in the Weinbrenner style. Its predecessor was a Chapel of Mary, that was promoted in 1489 to
Kaplanei and then again in 1535 to parish.
The former Grand Duchy's hospital is also a sight worth seeing. It was built in 1842 and was also the place where the first Protestant services were held in the city. A dedicated Protestant church was not built until 1909.
In the boroughs one can find the following churches: Catholic Church of Saint Bernard of Baden in Fautenbach (built in 1955 and 1956), Catholic Church of Saint Nicholas in Gamshurst (built in 1927 in
neo-baroqueThe Baroque Revival was an architectural style movement in the early 20th century. The term is used to describe architecture which displays important aspects of Baroque style, but is not from the Baroque period proper—i.e., the 17th and 18th centuries....
style), Catholic Church of Großweier (built from 1901 in neo-gothic style), Catholic Church of Saint Roman in Mösbach (built in 1862, neo-gothic), Catholic Church of Saint Stefan in Oberachern (built 1903 through 1905 in a mix of
neo-classicalNeoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, both as a reaction against the Rococo style of anti-tectonic naturalistic ornament, and an outgrowth of some classicizing features of Late Baroque...
, late
gothicGothic architecture is a style of architecture which flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
and
baroqueBaroque is an artistic style prevalent from the late 16th century to the early 18th century. The popularity and success of the Baroque style was encouraged by the Roman Catholic Church, which had decided at the time of the Council of Trent that the arts should communicate religious themes in...
styles), Pilgrims Chapel of Saint St. Antonius in Oberachern (built in 1763 and 1764), Catholic Church of Saint Joseph (built in 1808, but Joseph's Chapel existed as early as 1686), Catholic Church of Saint John the Baptist (built in 1899 in neoroman style, but there is evidence that a chapel exited already shortly after the
Thirty Years' WarThe Thirty Years' War was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history. The war was fought primarily in Germany and at various points involved most of the countries of Europe...
).
Events
- The Stadtfest takes place every other year during the second weekend in July
- The Achern City Soccer Championship is an annual event where the boroughs compete for the title of City Champion.
Economy and infrastructure
As Achern is the center of the otherwise rural region of northern Ortenau County, small merchant enterprises are very important.
Infrastructure
Achern is located off the
AutobahnAutobahn is the German word for a major high-speed road restricted to motor vehicles capable of driving at least 60 km/h and having full control of access, similar to a motorway or freeway in English-speaking countries.In most countries, it usually refers to the German autobahn specifically...
A 5is a 445 km long Autobahn in Germany. Its northern end is the Hattenbach triangle intersection is a 445 km (277 mi) long Autobahn in Germany. Its northern end is the Hattenbach triangle intersection is a 445 km (277 mi) long Autobahn in Germany. Its northern end is the Hattenbach triangle...
, Exit Achern (between
KarlsruheKarlsruhe is a city in the south west of Germany, in the Bundesland Baden-Württemberg, located near the French-German border....
and
BaselBasel is Switzerland's third most populous city . With 830000 inhabitants in the tri-national metropolitan area , Basel is Switzerland's second-largest urban area....
), and is easily accessed by car or truck also via
BundesstraßeBundesstraßen are German and Austrian federal highways. One distinguishing characteristic between German Bundesstraßen and the world-famous Autobahnen is that there is a general 100 km/h speed limit on federal highways, as opposed to the "recommended" limit of 130 km/h in unmarked sections of...
B 3The Bundesstraße 3 is one of the longest federal highways in Germany. It begins in Buxtehude and continues through Bergen, Celle, Hannover, Alfeld, Einbeck, Göttingen, Kassel, Marburg, Frankfurt am Main, Darmstadt, Heidelberg, Karlsruhe and Freiburg in southwestern Germany and ends at...
that runs through the city.
Achern's railway station is a stop on the
Karlsruhe-Basel|}The Mannheim–Karlsruhe–Basle railway is a German railway line from Mannheim via Heidelberg and Graben-Neudorf, Karlsruhe, Rastatt, Baden-Baden, Bühl, Achern, Offenburg, Lahr, Emmendingen, Freiburg im Breisgau, Bad Krozingen, Müllheim and Weil am Rhein to Basel...
route, a stop on line S32 and S4 of the
Stadtbahn KarlsruheThe Stadtbahn Karlsruhe is a German tram-train system combining tram lines in the city with railway lines in the surrounding countryside, serving the entire region of the middle upper Rhine valley and creating connections to neighbouring regions...
and used as the starting point of the SWEG line to Ottenhöfen.
Public transportation within the city and its immediate surroundings (ÖPNV) is offered by several bus lines.
Media
In Achern, the
Badischen Neuesten Nachrichten (
BNN), a daily newspaper operating out of
KarlsruheKarlsruhe is a city in the south west of Germany, in the Bundesland Baden-Württemberg, located near the French-German border....
, publishes a local edition by the name of
Acher und Bühler Bote and the Offenburger Tageblatt publishes its local edition as
Acher-Rench-Zeitung.
Public service
Achern is the seat of a district court, the Finance Ministry maintains an office, and residents can find a notary public. In addition, the Ortenau County Hospital is also located in Achern.
Education
Achern has a college-track highschool (
Gymnasium AchernGymnasium Achern is a Gymnasium in Achern, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, founded in 1877. It has some 1500 students and 120 teachers. It emphasizes science, foreign languages, and art...
), a non-college-track highschool (Robert-Schumann-Realschule, a school for the learning disabled (Achertalschule), three grammar and middle schools with a vocational highschool (Antoniusschule Oberachern, Grund- und Hauptschule mit Werkrealschule Achern, Grund- und Hauptschule Önsbach and Vinzenz-Wachter-Schule), as well as five grammar schools, one each in the boroughs of Gamshurst, Grossweier, Mösbach, Sasbachried and Wagshurst.
Ortenau County operates two vocational training schools (Gewerbeschule Achern and Kaufmännische und Hauswirtschaftliche Schule), the Maiwaldschule for the language handicapped, and the nursing school that is attached to the County Hospital in Achern.
Furthermore, Achern is home of the Music and Art School Achern-Oberkirch.
Sons and daughters of Achern
- 1789, January 15, Joseph Ignatz Peter, died 1872, politician and revolution
A revolution is a fundamental change in power or organizational structures that takes place in a relatively short period of time.Aristotle described two types of political revolution:...
ary
- 1892, April 7, Julius Hirsch, died 1943 in Auschwitz
Auschwitz-Birkenau was the largest of Nazi Germany's concentration camps and extermination camps, operational during World War II.The camp took its German name from the hosting town of Oświęcim. Following the German invasion of Poland in September 1939, Oświęcim was annexed by Nazi Germany and...
(murdered), soccer player and member of the national teamThe German national football team is the football team representing the country of Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association DFB which was founded in 1900....
- 1949, Helmut Merkel, German businessman and CEO of the department store chain Karstadt
Karstädt is a municipality in the Prignitz district, in Brandenburg, Germany....
Others
- Bertolt Brecht
' was a German poet, playwright, and theatre director. An influential theatre practitioner of the 20th century, Brecht made equally significant contributions to dramaturgy and theatrical production, the latter particularly through the seismic impact of the tours undertaken by the Berliner...
(born February 10, 1898 in AugsburgAugsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria in Germany. It is a College town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
; died August 14, 1956 in Berlin) influential German playwright and poet of the 20th century. As a child, Brecht lived with his grandparents, who resided in Achern.
- Heinrich Hansjakob, author. Several times, Hansjakob was a patient at the Illenau Hospital because of psychological illnesses.
Sister cities
Since 1987 Achern has partnered with the town of
MorezMorez is a commune of the Jura department in Franche-Comté in eastern France.The town is mostly known for the manufacture of spectacles. From 1680 to 1920, Morez was with Morbier the center of Comtoise clock production.-References:*...
in
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
.
For the past 18 years Achern has had an exchange program with
Morganton, North CarolinaMorganton is a city in Burke County, North Carolina, United States. Reader's Digest included Morganton in its list of top ten places to raise a family. The town was recently profiled in The 50 Best Small Southern Towns. The population was 17,310 at the 2000 census...
, which is a great, small city.