Facts Aschersleben

Selected Key Data

Population

The German reunification involved more than just political change for the towns and cities in the former GDR. After the collapse of large firms only around 7 per cent of the industrial workplaces survived, and high unemployment and migration were the consequence: where Aschersleben had 40.806 inhabitants in 1989, this figure had dropped to just 29.642 by 2009 – a decline that statistically has only been halted by the incorporation of the surrounding communities.

Municipal Boundaries

Because of increased suburbanisation from the early 1990s, the cities have lost a considerable proportion of their inhabitants and tax revenues to the surrounding communities. In order to dilute the impact of these losses, a gradual process of incorporation has increased the municipal areas in size, sometimes significantly so.

The coloured shape on the map symbolises the expansion of the city in 1990, the outer line shows the boarder of the municipal area of 2010.

Housing Situation

The number of unoccupied properties in Saxony-Anhalt has grown continuously since the 1990s, affecting all types of buildings relatively equally. By 2000, the number of unoccupied flats in East Germany had risen to one million. The systematic demolition of housing began in 2001 with the Urban Redevelopment East programme. The demolition applies mainly to industrialised prefabricated building complexes, for these are municipally or cooperatively owned.

In 1990 the building substance in the old town of Aschersleben was under threat – a consequence of a long time political strategy of neglect. A survey of the town in 1991 categorised almost 50 per cent of the buildings within the fortification as “severely damaged” and “ruinous”. Since 1990, the town centre has been gradually renovated with funds from the urban redevelopment and monument conservationists’ programmes.

Despite this significant demolition process, the amount of surplus housing will remain high for the time being.

Housing Situation in Aschersleben (2/2010):

Housing Stock: 14.700
Surplus Housing: 2.500 / 17 Percent
Housing Demolitian since 2001/02: 1.200

Industry

In the post-reunification period, Aschersleben was largely characterised by the collapse of large firms working in tool and construction machine-making, conveyor mechanism construction, spice-processing and the packaging materials industry. Only around 7 per cent of the industrial workplaces survived, and high unemployment and migration were the consequence.

The diagram illustrates the radical economic structural reform: Large industrial combines were forced to close, and even where smaller companies came along and still produce today, the often significantly increased output figures require only a fraction of the workforce once needed.

Relocating and Commuting

In the 1990s, suburbanisation affected all the IBA cities. At the same time, people, especially those from the former industrial centres, began to move to West Germany. The populations of the large cities of Halle (Saale) and Magdeburg have increased minimally in recent times, mainly due to migration from Saxony-Anhalt. In the meantime, the improved transportation network allows for longer journeys to and from work and the number of commuters is climbing.

The interactive tool "Relocating and commuting" visualises this range of topics for all IBA cities.

Leibniz-Institut für Länderkunde (IfL), Leipzig 2010 Data: Günter Herfert, design/programming: Sebastian Specht

Sources for statistical specifications: Ministry of Regional Development and Transport Saxony-Anhalt Raumbeobachtungssystem Sachsen-Anhalt (RABE) Statistisches Landesamt Sachsen-Anhalt Aschersleben Urban Development Concept, 2007 GDR statistics, 1989; www.iba-monitor.de; 11/2009