Baden, Ontario
| Baden | |
| Settlement | |
 Front facade and path to Castle Kilbride in Baden
|
|
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Province | Ontario |
| Regional Municipality | Waterloo |
| Municipality | Wilmot |
| Elevation | 352 m (1,155 ft) |
| Coordinates | 43°24′09″N 80°40′07″W / 43.40250°N 80.66861°WCoordinates: 43°24′09″N 80°40′07″W / 43.40250°N 80.66861°W |
| Timezone | Eastern Time Zone (UTC-5) |
| - summer (DST) | Eastern Time Zone (UTC-4) |
| Forward sortation area | N3A |
| Area code | 519, 226 |
  Location of Baden in Ontario.
|
|
Baden is a community in Township of Wilmot, Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It has a population of around 4500 and was named after Baden-Baden in Germany. (Approximate Population as of 2011 as per township statistics is 4,553)
The area is the site of the Baden Tower, a huge television, radio and communications tower located on top of one of the Baden Hills. This tower is the transmitter for CKCO-DT, the CTV affiliate for Kitchener.
Much of the area consists of farmlands and there are pine forests in the area. The local high school, Waterloo-Oxford District Secondary School, is located just outside the town.
The first settler in this area was Jacob Beck in 1854; he opened a large flour mill on the Spring Creek. A second flour mill, two saw mills, a flax mill and an iron foundry also opened in the next 20 years. The settlement was originally called Weissenburg.
The village of Baden founded and established in 1855, was originally named after an old bachelor living in the area. Jacob Beck, born in the Grand Duchy of Baden-Baden, German, settled in the village and later renamed Baden in 1854. Baden was also the birthplace of Sir Adam Beck, founder of Ontario's public hydro-electric system.
By 1864, there was a school and the population was 400.
A historical plaque near Baden honours Christian Nafziger, an Amish Mennonite from Munich, Germany who arrived in 1822 with about 70 families. With assistance from local Mennonites, he was able to obtain the "German Block" (now Wilmot Township) from the Government; many other Amish from Europe settled here.
Baden is home to the historic Castle Kilbride, built in 1877 by James Livingston, co-founder of a successful linseed oil company who went on to represent the area in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario and the Canadian House of Commons. It is an Italianate villa that had beautiful art work. In 1993, Castle Kilbride was purchased and restored by Wilmot Township. The township spent $6.2 million on the project for which it incurred a debt that is to be repaid by 2013. The castle was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1994 and Wilmot Township's administrative offices and council chamber are housed in an addition to the original building.
...
Wikipedia