Herzogenaurach

Herzogenaurach
Adidas factory outlet in Herzogenaurach
Herzogenaurach
Location of the town of Herzogenaurach within Erlangen-Höchstadt district
Coordinates	49°34′N 10°53′E
Administration
Country	Germany
State	Bavaria
Admin. region	Middle Franconia
District	Erlangen-Höchstadt
Town subdivisions	12 districts
Mayor	German Hacker (SPD)
Basic statistics
Area	47.60 km2 (18.38 sq mi)
Elevation	301 m  (988 ft)
Population	23,050 (31 December 2010)
- Density	484 /km2 (1,254 /sq mi)
Other information
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Licence plate	ERH
Postal code	91074
Area code	09132
Website	www.herzogenaurach.de

Herzogenaurach is a town in the district of Erlangen-Höchstadt, in Bavaria, Germany. It is probably best known for being the home of the sporting goods companies Adidas and Puma.

Geography

Herzogenaurach is situated in the Middle Franconia area of Bavaria, approx. 23 km or 14 miles northwest of Nuremberg. The town is located on the Aurach river, a tributary of the Regnitz river.

History

At least 1000 years in existence, Herzogenaurach was first mentioned in a document in the year 1002 AD under the name of Uraha when Emperor Heinrich II granted the town to the archbishopric of Bamberg.

Economy

Herzogenaurach is the birthplace of two sporting goods giants: Adidas and Puma, founded by the two brothers Adolf Dassler and Rudolf Dassler, after an acrimonious family split in 1948. Both companies' headquarters are still located in the town on opposite sides of the Aurach River, and brand loyalty is sharply divided as well. [1]

Also the headquarters of Schaeffler Group are located in Herzogenaurach.

Sports

The Argentina national football team resided in Herzogenaurach for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Néstor De la Torre, Mexico's Director of National Teams, said the Mexican national football team would gather for 12 days in the city, its last stop before heading to South Africa for the 2010 World Cup.

Herzo Base

Airport Herzogenaurach

Herzogenaurach was the location of a military airfield beginning in the 1930s. The airfield was originally designed as an airfield by a French architect and constructed by the Deutsche Luftwaffe (Air Force), named Deutsche Fliegerschule (German pilot school). Initially, the post was limited in its use as a Hitler youth training school due to limitations imposed by the Versailles Treaty after World War I.

However, fighter pilots soon began training in civilian clothing. In March 1936, the Luftwaffe took official control. The airfield was mainly used as a fueling point for aircraft providing air cover for troops during the invasion of Austria and Czechoslovakia. On 9 November of each year, planes took off from the airfield to fly over the party rallies staged at Zeppelinwiese (Soldier's Field) in Nuremberg.

During the Western Allied invasion of Germany in April 1945, the United States Third Army seized the airfield. It was designated as ALG R-29. It was first occupied by a transportation unit followed by the USAAF 354th Fighter Group in May. In May 1946, the 2nd Radio Corps took over the installation and renamed it "Herzo Base". In 1947 the base was occupied by the U.S. Army Security Agency up until 1971, when it was replaced by the 210th Field Artillery Group which occupied Herzo Base until 1992. Then Herzo Base was included in the base closure plan. On 4 August 1992, the installation was officially returned to the German Government. It has since served as a civilian recreational airfield, , with ICAO code EDQH.

International relations

Main article: List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany

Herzogenaurach is twinned with:

• Wolfsberg, Austria, since 1968
• Kaya, Burkina Faso, since 1972
• Nova Gradiška, Croatia, since 1980
• Sainte-Luce-sur-Loire, France, since 1988

External links

• Official site
• BBC News article on the town
• Former military base Herzo-Base