A place for you

The heart of every town is its market square. This is also true for Herzogenaurach. The market square is located between the town's gate towers and has a direct connection to the Hauptstraße (main road). During the diverse town festivals, numerous stalls encircle the market square and you can take a little rest on one of the beer benches in the center of the square while listening to the live music on the big stage. During Advent season a door opens every evening, presenting a surprise performance on the stage. And when there is no festival taking place, the ice cream parlour “Eiscafé am Markt”, the restaurant herzoBar in the Old Town Hall building and the restaurant IGNATZ offer culinary delicacies.

Directly adjacent to the market square there is the castle building which used to be the residence of the officials from Bamberg in ancient times. It was built in the 13th century as a paved fort with castle keep and water moat. Prince-Bishop Lothar Franz von Schönborn had the castle rebuilt as a baroque building in 1720, which was enhanced by two modern wings in 1967. Until 2019, the castle was used as Town Hall.

The Town Hall of Herzogenaurach consisted of the heritage-protected historic castle building and an additional building from the 1960s. Both buildings had become in need of redevelopment and also had become too small to host the increasing number of administration staff members of a growing town. Additionally, it had become necessary to move the Citizens Advice Bureau to a bigger room on ground level. The town archive also required more room. Currently, a new Town Hall is being built at the castle site. Corresponding information can be found here.

“At noon at the Gate” in Herzogenaurach means: Let’s meet in the shadow of one of the big plane trees and have an espresso together. A new place to meet with other people has been created in Ritzgasse: the Nuremberg Gate Square. It is meant as a multifaceted place of experiences and enjoyments - for local citizens as well as for visitors - and has been created in cooperation with the architects’ office Franke und Messmer.  

The unique feature of this place is the modern glass wall created by the architects’ office, the graphic design office Eckedesign Berlin, the town administration as well as the companies of Schaeffler, adidas and PUMA in 2018. Here you can view a historic map of the town center and learn about interesting and surprising facts regarding the (economic) town history. Experience the history of sports and industry of Herzogenaurach until today with the historic photos displayed here. The photos are printed on rotary glass cubes so you can directly compare current and historic photos. Discover Herzogenaurach from a whole new point of view. Additionally, this square is the starting point for town tours with the herzo tour guides taking place all throughout the year. Come by and join a tour spontaneously!

In remembrance of the Nuremberg Gate which was located nearby, the Nuremberg Gate Square is meant as an important gate to the town. It is the intersection between the Old Town, the core area of the town and the youngest part of the town, the Herzo Base. At the same time it is the point of connection to the nearby cities of Erlangen, Fuerth and Nuremberg. It is a central place, representing the openness of the town with its characteristic architecture and literally is a place of connection between people.

A new recreation area in the heart of the town: The northern bank of the river Aurach was reshaped in 2020 and now invites everybody to sit down and rest a while on the concrete steps and wooden decks directly at the waterside. And maybe you want to visit one of the nearby ice cream parlours and get some scoops of ice cream to enjoy at the riverside. Or stop by at the book store and get some reading material for a relaxed afternoon at the water. In case you are more the sporty type of person, you will surely like the modern fitness machines along the promenade or the Aurach jogging trail.

First Mayor Dr. German Hacker says: “The northern bank of the river Aurach has always been an area close to the town center, yet its potential as recreational area remained unexploited for a long time. The newly designed Aurach promenade makes this area much more usable for the citizens and is a sensible extension of the leisure time facilities of the town.” On a tour through the town with its Old Town sights, gastronomic offers and retailers, the new Aurach promenade is a nice contrast as the green oasis of the town center.

This project has been financially supported with funds of the Federal Administration and the Free State of Bavaria in the framework of the program for the promotion of urban development “Zukunft Stadtgrün” (“Future City Parks”).

Fotos ©Stadt Herzogenaurach

On hot summer days you can hear children laughing and water rippling from the fountain at the Weihersbach area. The concept for the reshaping of this place from 2015 said that it should become a place for communication and play. And this goal has been met. Particularly smaller children love to cool off in the water spouts on a hot summer’s day while their parents relax on one of the park benches.

In the framework of a workshop, the Protestant church parish, the photo club, the Art and Culture Association, the Planning Office, the Department for Town Marketing and Culture and the Realschule developed the plans for the reshaping of the formerly gray place. Today, the fountain convinces as a source of “experienceable water” with nice illumination and sitting accommodations, also inviting to communicate. Green beds with herbaceous plants and screen fences made of corten steel encircle the place. The dark-blue sheet metal sign with white letters that you can find here was a gift from the friendship circle in St. Luce to the local friendship circle on the occasion of the 25^th anniversary of the town-twinning arrangement: “Place de l‘amitié”, that means “Place of the Friendship”, is written on it.

The official plans for the reshaping of this place were prepared by the landscape architects’ office of Orel + Heidrich Landschaftsarchitekten from Herzogenaurach and were implemented by the gardening company Biedenbacher; AGU was responsible for the water technology.

Every year during the first half of July, the Herzogenaurach Summer Festival takes place at the Weihersbach area. The beer cellar, live music and fun rides attract thousands of visitors from near and far. The very first Summer Festival at the Weihersbach area took place in 1952. Back than it was called the “Aurachgründer Volksfest”. It started on Friday with a beer tasting event - which has become a tradition prolonged until today.

Especially during summertime, the area at Ansbacher Straße is a popular place to meet people, also when there is no Summer Festival going on. At the beer cellars, the visitors are served meals and cold beverages while the small ditch running between the big trees is a paradise for adventurous kids. The “airplane playground”, as it is called by many children, also attracts lots of families from springtime until autumn. Additionally, the popular Flea Market organized by the Generations.Center takes place at the Weihersbach area two times a year.

A place for encounters has been created at Herzo Base: The Willy-Brand-Platz. It acts as a lively centre in the Herzo Base urban quarter between boarding houses, green spaces, a tree-lined main traffic axis and residential areas. The traffic-calmed recreational area was completed at the end of 2022.

From an urban planning perspective, the approximately 800 square metre square was designed as the functional and spatial centre of the area. The aim is to establish a meeting point at this location with a connection to the residential buildings and the linear, central green area. The completion of the square at the end of 2022 was seen as a further building block for the ongoing development of this important meeting space. A first step in this direction has already been taken with the opening of the boarding houses and the design of the associated outdoor area with seating and plant elements. "Willy-Brandt-Platz and the neighbouring area, which invites people to linger, is the highlight of the Herzo Base residential area. With its completion, it will continue to develop as a positive magnet for visitors and residents," explains First Mayor Dr German Hacker.

The Place is located directly on Willy-Brandt-Platz with apartments, co-working opportunities and The Store, where customers can find a range of everyday necessities - and things that make life more enjoyable. The counter sells baked goods, paninis and other snacks for the little ones.

“Herzo Artillery Base” – the entrance gate of the former US army base called Herzo Base can be seen from far. A new place of commemoration has been created at the “Base” to let its history not get forgotten. When the Americans left in the early 1990s, the gate with the sign and the reception building were dismantled, but the concept for the new Herzo Base housing area included a memorial with the original sign.

The arch with the inscription “Herzo Artillery Base”, which used to be the name of the military base after the US radiomen had given up their listening post there, is now the center of the “Archway Place”: With its five information boards, its benches and tables, it is a place of history as well as a place to rest and remember.