Aken (Elbe)

Aken
Town hall

Coat of arms
Aken
Location of Aken (Elbe) within Anhalt-Bitterfeld district
Coordinates: 51°51′0″N 12°03′0″E / 51.85000°N 12.05000°E / 51.85000; 12.05000Coordinates: 51°51′0″N 12°03′0″E / 51.85000°N 12.05000°E / 51.85000; 12.05000
Country Germany
State Saxony-Anhalt
District Anhalt-Bitterfeld
Government
 • Mayor Jan-Hendrik Bahn (Ind.)
Area
 • Total 59.91 km2 (23.13 sq mi)
Elevation 60 m (200 ft)
Population (2017-12-31)[1]
 • Total 7,687
 • Density 130/km2 (330/sq mi)
Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes 06385
Dialling codes 034909
Vehicle registration ABI
Website www.aken.de

Aken (Elbe) (German pronunciation: [ˈaːkən] ( listen)) is a town in the district of Anhalt-Bitterfeld in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. The town is located at the left bank of the Elbe river.

Geography

Aken located at the Middle Elbe is approx. 8 km west of Dessau-Rosslau in extended lowlands within the Biosphere Reserve Middle Elbe. Approx. 15 km west of Aken the Saale river enters the Middle Elbe.

Districts

Heidehof, Kleinzerbst, Kühren, Lorf, Mennewitz, Obselau and Susigke

Growth of population

year citizen
1970 12,154
2005 9,083

History

The castle Gloworp was first mentioned in the 12th century. The town itself was first documented in 1219, naming the mayor Waltherus de Aken. In 1270 Aken received its town charter as Civitas. The name Aken is based on the Latin name Aqua (location at or near the water). Probably this was a foundation from lower rhenish settlers from Aachen which is spelled Aken in the Dutch language.

Town twinning

Culture and sights

Fountain at the market
  • historical town hall
  • two medieval churches: St. Nicholas and St. Mary
  • "Stone Kemenate" (heated residential building) from the 13th century with arches
  • town wall from the Middle Ages with 3 remaining towers
  • passenger navigation on the river Elbe
  • Biosphere Reserve Middle Elbe

Notable persons

Honorary citizens

  • Friedrich Wilhelm Steinbrecht, lieutenant in Lützow Free Corps
  • 2001: Otto Benecke, head of museum of local history
  • 2015: Hansjochen Müller, mayor from 1990 - 2015

Notable people born in Aken

Theodor Sickel

Resident who influenced the history of the city

  • Friedrich Ernst Arnold Werner Nolopp, teacher, conductor, composer

References

  1. ↑ "Bevölkerung der Gemeinden – Stand: 31. Dezember 2017" (PDF). Statistisches Landesamt Sachsen-Anhalt (in German).
  2. ↑ See Rainer Hering (1998). "Witte, Otto Karl Emil". In Bautz, Traugott. Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL) (in German). 13. Herzberg: Bautz. cols. 1427–1439. ISBN 3-88309-072-7.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.