Abensberg

Abensberg
Coat of arms
Abensberg
Location of Abensberg within Kelheim district
Coordinates: 48°48′N 11°51′E / 48.800°N 11.850°E / 48.800; 11.850Coordinates: 48°48′N 11°51′E / 48.800°N 11.850°E / 48.800; 11.850
Country	Germany
State	Bavaria
Admin. region	Niederbayern
District	Kelheim
Government
• Mayor	Uwe Brandl (CSU)
Area
• Total	60.28 km2 (23.27 sq mi)
Population (2015-12-31)
• Total	13,540
• Density	220/km2 (580/sq mi)
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes	93326
Dialling codes	09443
Vehicle registration	KEH
Website	www.abensberg.de

Abensberg (German pronunciation: [ˈaːbənsˌbɛʁk]) is a town in the Lower Bavarian district of Kelheim, in Bavaria, Germany, lying around 30 km southwest of Regensburg, 40 km east of Ingolstadt, 50 northwest of Landshut and 100 km north of Munich. It is situated on the Abens river, a tributary of the Danube.

The town lies on the Abens river, a tributary of the Danube, around eight kilometres from the river's source. The area around Abensberg is characterized by the narrow valley of the Danube, where the Weltenburg Abbey stands, the valley of the Altmühl in the north, a left tributary of the Danube, and the famous Hallertau hops-planting region in the south. The town is divided into the municipalities of Abensberg, Arnhofen, Holzharlanden, Hörlbach, Offenstetten, Pullach and Sandharland.

Since the administrative reforms in Bavaria in the 1970s, the town also encompasses the following Ortsteile:

There had been settlement on this part of the Abens river since long before the High Middle Ages, dating back to Neolithic times. Of particular interest and national importance are the Neolithic flint mines at Arnhofen, where, around 7,000 years ago, Stone Age people made flint, which was fashioned into drills, blades and arrowheads, and was regarded as the steel of the Stone Age. Traces of over 20,000 individuals were found on this site. The modern history of Abensberg, which is often incorrectly compared with that of the 3rd century Roman castra (military outpost) of Abusina, begins with Gebhard, who was the first to mention Abensberg as a town, in the middle of the 12th century. The earliest written reference to the town, under the name of Habensperch, came from this time, in around 1138. Gebhard was from the Babonen clan.