Aken (Elbe)

Aken (Elbe)
Town hall Town hall
Coat of arms of Aken (Elbe) Coat of arms
Aken (Elbe)
Location of Aken (Elbe) within Anhalt-Bitterfeld district 250px
Coordinates:
Country	Germany
State	Saxony-Anhalt
District	Anhalt-Bitterfeld
Government
• Mayor	Hansjochen Müller (SPD)
Area
• Total	59.91 km2 (23.13 sq mi)
Population (2013-12-31)
• Total	7,891
• Density	130/km2 (340/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]) 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

• Erwitte (North Rhine-Westphalia) since June 17, 1991
• Anor (France) since April 24, 1993

Culture and sights

File:2006-06 Aken 1.jpg

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

Notable people born in Aken

• August Ludwig Hülsen, German philosopher of the early romance
• Theodor von Sickel, German-Austrian historian
• Bernd Dießner, German athlete
• Diana Vellguth, Entertainer
• Christian Reike, Performer

Resident who influenced the history of the city

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

External links

• Official homepage
• (German) detailed history of town