Aichach-Friedberg
Aichach-Friedberg is a district in
Bavaria,
Germany. It is bounded by (from the northwest and clockwise) the districts of
Augsburg,
Donau-Ries,
Neuburg-Schrobenhausen,
Pfaffenhofen,
Dachau,
Fürstenfeldbruck and
Landsberg, as well as by the city of
Augsburg.
Aichach-Friedberg was settled by Bavarian tribes from the seventh century on. The region is sometimes called the cradle of Bavaria, since the castle of
Wittelsbach was located close to the present city of
Aichach. It was the ancestral castle of the Wittelsbach family, who were rulers of Bavaria for thousand years. The castle was razed to the ground in
1208, and today there is nothing else left than a memorial stone at the place.
The town of
Friedberg was founded in the 13th century in order to collect a toll from people using the bridge across the
Lech River. Aichach became a town about hundred years later. In
1862 the two districts of Aichach and Friedberg were founded. They were merged in
1972 and became part of the administrative region of
Swabia. Anyhow, historically Aichach-Friedberg does not belong to Swabia, but to Old Bavaria. The name of the new district was originally
Augsburg-Ost ("Augsburg East"), but it was changed to Aichach-Friedberg in
1973.
The district is located to the east of the city of
Augsburg and comprises a rural area with few major towns. The
Lech River forms the western border of the district. Another river, the
Paar (an affluent of the
Danube), enters the district in the southwest, runs through
Aichach and leaves to the northeast.
The territory is also known as
Wittelsbacher Land, due to the castle of Wittelsbach near Aichach.
{|- valign=top|
 |
Coat of arms |
|The coat of arms displays:
* top: the blue and white checked pattern of
Bavaria* bottom left: the oak leaf from the old coat of arms of Aichach
* bottom right: the
Ulrich's Cross, used by the bishops of
Augsburg
