Gengenbach

Gengenbach
Coat of arms
Gengenbach
Location of Gengenbach within Ortenaukreis district
Coordinates:
Country	Germany
State	Baden-Württemberg
Admin. region	Freiburg
District	Ortenaukreis
Government
• Mayor	Thorsten Erny
Area
• Total	61.91 km2 (23.90 sq mi)
Population (2013-12-31)
• Total	10,666
• Density	170/km2 (450/sq mi)
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes	77723
Dialling codes	07803
Vehicle registration	OG
Website	www.stadt-gengenbach.de

Gengenbach is a town in the district of Ortenau, Baden-Württemberg, Germany and a popular tourist destination on the western edge of the Black Forest with about 11,000 inhabitants. Gengenbach is well known for its traditional Alemanic "fasnacht", ("Fasend"), a kind of historically influenced celebration of carnival, where tradition is followed, from wearing costumes with carved wooden masks to clapping with a "Ratsche" (a traditional-classic wooden "sound-producing" toy). Gengenbach also boasts a picturesque, traditional, medieval town centre ("Altstadt"). The traditional town Gengenbach is the proud owner of the world's biggest advent calendar. The 24 windows of the 18th century town hall represent the 24 "windows" of an Advent calendar. The town also hosts a department of The Graduate School of Offenburg University of Applied Sciences, part of the University of Applied Sciences Offenburg. The nearest cities in the region are Freiburg, Karlsruhe, Baden-Baden and Strasbourg/France. Gengenbach is twinned with the town of Obernai, Alsace, France.

History

Gengenbach was founded in the 13th century and became an Imperial Free City in 1360.

• Gengenbach 4.jpg

  Gengenbach

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• Niggelturm.jpg
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External links

• (German) Gengenbach: information and pictures