Herzogenaurach (German: [hɛʁt͡soːɡn̩ˈʔaʊʁax] ^ⓘ; Mainfränkisch: Herziaura) is a town in the district of Erlangen-Höchstadt, in Bavaria, Germany. It is home to two major international sporting goods companies, Adidas and Puma,^[3][4] and Schaeffler Group, a car parts manufacturer.

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Herzogenaurach
Town
Aerial view of Herzogenaurach in 2020
Coat of arms
Location of Herzogenaurach within Erlangen-Höchstadt district
Herzogenaurach Show map of Germany Herzogenaurach Show map of Bavaria
Coordinates: 49°34′12″N 10°52′55″E
Country	Germany
State	Bavaria
Admin. region	Mittelfranken
District	Erlangen-Höchstadt
Subdivisions	12 districts
Government
• Mayor (2020–26)	German Hacker[1] (SPD)
Area
• Total	47.60 km2 (18.38 sq mi)
Elevation	301 m (988 ft)
Population  (2022-12-31)[2]
• Total	24,404
• Density	510/km2 (1,300/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	91074
Dialling codes	09132
Vehicle registration	ERH
Website	www.herzogenaurach.de

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Herzogenaurach is situated in the Middle Franconia area of Bavaria, 23 km (14 mi) northwest of Nuremberg. The town is located on the Aurach river, a tributary of the Regnitz river.

Herzogenaurach was first mentioned in a document from 1002 under the name of Uraha when Holy Roman Emperor Henry II granted the town to the Prince-Bishopric of Bamberg.

In 1948, when Adolf Dassler and Rudolf Dassler left their shoe company to make their own, the town was called "the town of bent necks"—people looked down to see which shoes strangers wore.

Herzogenaurach has gained global fame as the birthplace of two giant sporting goods companies: Adidas and Puma, each founded respectively by brothers Adolf Dassler and Rudolf Dassler, after an acrimonious familial split in 1948. Operating since the 1960s,^[5] both companies' headquarters are still located in the town, originally on opposite sides of the Aurach River, and brand loyalty was sharply divided as well. For many years, Adidas and Puma workers would not associate with each other, and even when Adolf and Rudi died, they were buried in opposite ends of the town's cemetery.^[6] These differences have cleared up over the years.

The headquarters of Schaeffler Group, a manufacturer of car parts, is also located in Herzogenaurach.

In keeping with the traditional social divide between supporters of Adolf Dassler and of Rudolf Dassler, the town's two football clubs were divided by the Adidas/Puma split: ASV Herzogenaurach was supported by Adidas, while FC Herzogenaurach endorsed Puma's footwear.^[7] Both clubs still play at amateur level.

The Argentina national football team were based in Herzogenaurach for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Néstor De la Torre, Mexico's Director of National Teams, said the Mexico national football team (Spanish: Selección de fútbol de México) would gather for 12 days in the city, its last stop before heading to South Africa for the 2010 World Cup.

Herzogenaurach was the location of a military airfield beginning in the 1930s. The airfield was originally designed as an airfield by a French architect and constructed by the Deutsche Luftwaffe (Air Force), named Deutsche Fliegerschule (German pilot school). Initially, the post was limited in its use as a Hitler youth training school due to limitations imposed by the Versailles Treaty after World War I.

However, fighter pilots soon began training in civilian clothing. In March 1936, the Luftwaffe took official control. The airfield was mainly used as a fuelling point for aircraft providing air cover for troops during the invasion of Austria and Czechoslovakia. In early September of each year, planes took off from the airfield to fly over the annual Nazi party rally (Reichsparteitag) staged at Zeppelinwiese (Zeppelin Field) in Nuremberg.

During the Western Allied invasion of Germany in April 1945, the United States Third Army seized the airfield. It was designated as ALG R-29. It was first occupied by a transportation unit followed by the USAAF 354th Fighter Group in May. In May 1946, the 2nd Radio Corps took over the installation and renamed it "Herzo Base". In 1947 the base was occupied by the U.S. Army Security Agency up until 1971, when it was replaced by the 210th Field Artillery Group (re-designated as the 210th Field Artillery Brigade on 16 September 1980) which occupied Herzo Base until 1992. Herzo Base was included in the base closure plan. On 4 August 1992, the installation was officially returned to the German Government.^{[8][9][10][11]} It has since served as a civilian recreational airfield,^[12] with ICAO code EDQH.

Herzogenaurach is twinned with:

• Wolfsberg, Austria, since 1968
• Kaya, Burkina Faso, since 1972
• Nova Gradiška, Croatia, since 1980
• Sainte-Luce-sur-Loire, France, since 1988
• Peacehaven, United Kingdom, since 2007