By John Lewington, RSGS Volunteer (Fair Maid's House and Collections)

Aschaffenburg

ASCHAFFENBURG is Perth’s oldest Twin-Town, a relationship having been formed in 1956 is response to an approach by Aschaffenburg.

Aschaffenburg lies in south-east Germany, in the north-west corner of the German state of Bavaria. Bavaria is a wee bit bigger than the whole of Scotland, and has a population almost three times as large as Scotland. Bavaria (or Bayern if you are a football supporter !) is Germany’s largest state by area, though not by population, and covers about one fifth of Germany. It has Austria as a neighbour to the south and the Czech Republic(or Czechia) as a neighbour to the east.

Bavaria is one of Germany’s wealthiest states, home to vehicle makers Audi and BMW, aerospace and defence companies, electronics firms, and brewing (being the home of the Oktoberfest, a celebration of beer). Its capital, Munich, is also the home of Flix Bus, whose green buses are now a regular sight in Perth and which specialises in long-distance travel. The state is also known for its food production and wine is produced too!

Aschaffenburg, and surrounding areas.

Aschaffenburg has a population of about 70,000, so is a bit bigger than Perth.

Like Perth, Aschaffenburg lies mostly on one side of a river, the River Main, which is a tributary of the River Rhine. The Main is the Rhine’s longest tributary. The North Sea and the Black Sea are linked via the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal, so that it would be possible to travel by boat from Perth to its Twin-Town some 950 miles (1,500 km) away ! Like Perth, Aschaffenburg is a river port, and like the Tay, the Main has been developed for the generation of hydro-electric power.

Like Perth the Aschaffenburg area has a long history of settlement, from the Stone Age until today, including a long history of the presence of religious institutions.

During the Second World War Aschaffenburg was heavily damaged by Allied bombing, including the Schloss Johannisburg, which was completely restored after the war. At the end of the war the city was severely damaged by close combat fighting, although that too has been restored since. The US military had a presence in Aschaffenburg until 2007.

Because it was close to the much larger and industrial Frankfurt am Main, Aschaffenburg recovered after the war to be today one of Germany’s most desirable places to live, and work. It has a substantial Linde Materials Handling facility providing all sorts of fork-lift trucks and another of their facilities providing parts for pumps, and transmissions. An American firm provides mobility safety equipment for the automotive and non-automotive industries..

The city is a major shopping hub, just like Perth, and because of its facilities it hosts various cultural festivals, as well as having various museums and galleries. Several sports have facilities in the city – football, baseball, American football, tennis and soft ball on dry land, and swimming both indoors and out. The river hosts a marina.

The city is well-connected by roads such as Autobahn 3 from the German-Dutch border at Wessel to the German-Austrian border near Passau, a total length of 483 miles (777 km), which passes Aschaffenburg, and Autobahn 45 from Dortmund to Aschaffenburg, 160 miles (257 km).

Aschaffenburg lies 220 miles (354 km) north of Munich in southern Bavaria, 319 miles (508 km) from Hamburg in northern Germany, and 350 miles (563 km) from Berlin, so is in a fairly central position.

Like Perth, Aschaffenburg has a small airport nearby.