Aalen, District capital in Baden-Württemberg, Germany
This town sits along the Kocher where the river leaves the Swabian Jura and enters the flatter foreland landscape. Small parks line the water while residential neighborhoods and commercial areas spread on both banks.
In 1360 the settlement gained imperial immediacy and became a free imperial city under direct rule of the emperor. After the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire the town passed to Württemberg in 1803.
The name comes from the Middle High German word for eels that once swam in the Kocher, though the connection to the fish remains unclear today. In the town center you often see families and retirees shopping at the market square or sitting in cafés along the pedestrian zone.
The old quarter can be explored easily on foot since most points of interest lie close together. Those visiting the surroundings can use hiking trails at the edge of town that lead into the forested hills.
Below the former train station there are air raid shelters from World War II that can be visited during guided tours today. These underground rooms once served as refuge for hundreds of people during bombing raids.
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