Editing Aalen (section)

== Economy and infrastructure ==
In 2008 there were 30,008 employees liable to [[social insurance]] living in Aalen. 13,946 (46.5&nbsp;percent) were employed in the [[Secondary sector of the economy|manufacturing sector]], 4,715 (15.7&nbsp;percent) in commerce, catering, hotels and transport, and 11,306 (37.7&nbsp;percent) in other services.<ref>{{harvnb|City of Aalen|2013t}}</ref> Annually 16,000 employees commute to work, with about 9,000 living in the town and commuting out.<ref>{{harvnb|City of Aalen|2013u}}</ref>

Altogether in Aalen there are about 4,700 business enterprises, 1,100 of them being registered in the [[German Trade Register|trade register]]. The others comprise 2,865 [[Kleingewerbe|small enterprises]] and 701 craft enterprises.<ref name="Unternehmen und Betriebe">{{harvnb|City of Aalen|2013v}}</ref>

In Aalen, [[metalworking]] is the predominant industry, along with machine-building. Other industries include [[optics]], paper, information technology, [[chemicals]], textiles,<ref name=EB/> medical instruments, pharmaceuticals, and food.<ref name=Cohen/>

Notable enterprises include ''SHW Automotive'' (originating from the former ''Schwäbische Hüttenwerke'' steel mills and a mill of 1671 in Wasseralfingen), the ''Alfing Kessler'' engineering works, the precision tools manufacturer ''MAPAL Dr.&nbsp;Kress'', the snow chain manufacturer ''RUD&nbsp;Ketten&nbsp;Rieger&nbsp;&&nbsp;Dietz'' and its subsidiary ''Erlau'', the ''Gesenkschmiede Schneider'' forging die smithery, the ''SDZ Druck und Medien'' media company, the ''Papierfabrik Palm'' paper mill, the alarm system manufacturer ''Telenot'', the laser show provider ''LOBO electronic'' and the [[Finishing (textiles)|textile finisher]] ''Lindenfarb'', which all have their seat in Aalen. A branch in Aalen is maintained by optical systems manufacturer [[Carl Zeiss AG|Carl Zeiss]] headquartered in nearby Oberkochen.<ref name="Unternehmen und Betriebe" />

===Transport===
[[File:Bahnhof Aalen.jpg|thumb|Aalen station]]

==== Rail ====
[[Aalen station]] is a regional railway hub on the [[Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt–Nördlingen railway]] from [[Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof|Stuttgart]] and {{stn|Nördlingen}}, the [[Aalen–Ulm railway]] from [[Ulm Hauptbahnhof|Ulm]] and the [[Goldshöfe–Crailsheim railway]] to [[Crailsheim]]. Until 1972, the [[Härtsfeld Railway]] connected Aalen with [[Dillingen an der Donau]] via [[Neresheim]]. Other railway stations within the town limits are ''Hofen (b Aalen)'', ''Unterkochen'', ''Wasseralfingen'' and [[Goldshöfe station]]. The ''Aalen-Erlau'' stop situated in the south is no longer operational.

Aalen station is served at two-hour intervals by trains of [[Intercity (Deutsche Bahn)|Intercity]] line 61 [[Karlsruhe Hauptbahnhof|Karlsruhe]]–Stuttgart–Aalen–[[Nürnberg Hauptbahnhof|Nuremberg]]. For regional rail travel, Aalen is served by various lines of the [[Interregio-Express]], [[Regional-Express]] and [[Regionalbahn]] categories. Since the beginning of 2019, the British company [[Go-Ahead Verkehrsgesellschaft Deutschland|Go-Ahead]] took over the regional railway business of [[DB Regio]] in the region surrounding Aalen. The town also operates the Aalen [[industrial railway]] ''(Industriebahn Aalen)'', which carries about 250 carloads per year.<ref>{{harvnb|City of Aalen|2002}}</ref>

==== Bus ====
Aalen also is a regional hub in the bus network of OstalbMobil, the transport network of the district Aalen is in. The bus lines are operated and serviced by regional companies like OVA and RBS RegioBus Stuttgart.

==== Street ====
The junctions of ''Aalen/[[Westhausen (Ostalb)|Westhausen]]'' and ''Aalen/Oberkochen'' connect Aalen with the [[Autobahn]] [[Bundesautobahn 7|A7]] ([[Würzburg]]–[[Füssen]]). Federal roads (''[[Bundesstraße]]n'') connecting with Aalen are [[Bundesstraße 19|B&nbsp;19]] ([[Würzburg]]–[[Ulm]]), [[Bundesstraße 29|B&nbsp;29]] ([[Waiblingen]]–[[Nördlingen]]) and [[Bundesstraße 290|B&nbsp;290]] ([[Tauberbischofsheim]]–Westhausen). The [[Schwäbische Dichterstraße]] ("Swabian Poets' Route") tourist route established in 1977/78 leads through Aalen.

Several bus lines operate within the borough. The ''Omnibus-Verkehr Aalen'' company is one of the few in Germany that use [[double-decker bus]]es, it has done so since 1966.<ref>{{harvnb|OVA Bus Transport Aalen|2012}}</ref> A district-wide fare system, ''OstalbMobil'', has been in effect since 2007.

==== Air transport ====
Stuttgart Airport, offering international connections, is about {{convert|90|km|mi}} away, the travel time by train is about 100&nbsp;Minutes. At [[Aalen-Heidenheim Airport]], located {{convert|15|km|mi}} south-east of Aalen, small aircraft are permitted. [[Gliding]] airfields nearby are in [[Heubach]] and [[Bartholomä]].

==== Bicycle ====
Bicycle routes stretching through Aalen are the ''Deutscher Limes-Radweg'' ("[[Limes Germanicus|German Limes]] Bicycle Route") and the ''Kocher-Jagst'' Bicycle Route.

=== Public facilities ===
Aalen houses an [[Amtsgericht]] (local district court), chambers of the Stuttgart [[labor court|Labour Court]], a [[Civil law notary|notary's office]], a tax office and an [[employment agency]]. It is the seat of the Ostalbkreis district office, of the Aalen Deanery of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church and of the ''Ostalb'' deanery of the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart]].

The Stuttgart [[administrative court]], the Stuttgart Labour Court and the Ulm Social Welfare Court are in charge for Aalen.

Aalen had a civic hospital, which resided in the ''Bürgerspital'' building until 1873, then in a building at ''Alte Heidenheimer Straße''. In 1942, the hospital was taken over by the district. The district hospital at the present site of ''Kälblesrain'', known today as ''Ostalb-Klinikum'', was opened in 1955.<ref name="bauer145"/>

=== Media ===
The first local newspaper, ''Der Bote von Aalen'' ("The Herald of Aalen"), has been published on Wednesdays and Saturdays since 1837.<ref name="bauer145"/>

Currently, local newspapers published in Aalen are the ''[[Schwäbische Post]]'', which obtains its supra-regional pages from the Ulm-based [[Südwestpresse]], and the ''Aalener Nachrichten'' (erstwhile ''Aalener Volkszeitung''), a local edition of [[Schwäbische Zeitung]] in [[Leutkirch im Allgäu]].

Two of Germany's biggest [[Lesezirkel]]s (magazine rental services) are headquartered in Aalen: ''Brabandt LZ Plus Media'' and ''Lesezirkel Portal''.

Regional event magazines are ''Xaver'', ''åla'', ''ålakultur''.

The commercial broadcasters ''Radio Ton'' and ''Radio 7'' have studios in Aalen.

=== Education ===
A [[Latin school]] was first recorded in Aalen in 1447; it was remodeled in 1616 and also later in various buildings that were all situated near the town church, and continued up through the 19th century. In the course of the reformation, a "German school" was established in tandem, being a predecessor of the latter [[Volksschule]] school type. In 1860, the ''Ritterschule'' was built as a ''Volksschule'' for girls; the building today houses the ''Pestalozzischule''. In 1866, a new building was erected for the Latin school and for the [[Realschule]] established in 1840. This building, later known as the ''Alte Gewerbeschule'', was torn down in 1975 to free up land for the new town hall. In 1912, the ''Parkschule'' building was opened. It was designed by [[Paul Bonatz]] and today houses the ''Schubart-[[Gymnasium (school)|Gymnasium]]''.

The biggest educational institution in the town is the ''[[Hochschule Aalen]]'', which was founded in 1962 and focuses on engineering and economics. It is attended by 5000 students on five campuses and employs 129 professors and 130 other lecturers.

The town provides three [[Gymnasium (school)|Gymnasium]]s, four [[Realschule]]n, two ''Förderschulen'' ([[special school]]s), six combined [[Grundschule]]n and [[Hauptschule]]n and eight standalone Grundschulen. The Ostalbkreis district provides three vocational schools and three additional special schools. Finally, six non-state schools of various types exist.

The German [[Esperanto]] Library (German: ''Deutsche Esperanto-Bibliothek'', Esperanto: ''Germana Esperanto-Biblioteko'') has been located in the building of the town library since 1989.

=== TV and radio transmission tower ===
The [[Südwestrundfunk]] broadcasting company operates the Aalen [[Transmitter|transmission tower]] on the ''Braunenberg'' hill. The tower was erected in 1956, it is {{convert|140|m|ft}} tall and made of [[reinforced concrete]].

=== Things named after Aalen ===
The following vehicles are named "Aalen":
* The [[Lufthansa]] [[Boeing 737-500]] ''D-ABJF''
* The [[Deutsche Bahn]] [[ICE 3]] ''Tz309'' (since 2 June 2008)<ref>{{harvnb|City of Aalen|2008a}}</ref>

<gallery>
File:Lufthansa B737-530 (D-ABJF) landing at London Heathrow Airport.jpg|Boeing 737-500 "Aalen"
File:ICE Aalen.jpg|ICE "Aalen" at Aalen station
</gallery>