Heidenheim

Heidenheim stands on the Brenz beneath Hellenstein Castle. In Roman times the fort of Aquileia housed a large cavalry unit, and a civilian settlement grew at the meeting of five roads. The medieval town developed alongside the castle; Emperor Charles IV granted or confirmed its market rights in 1356. Through the counts of Helfenstein it came to Württemberg in 1448, although Bavaria and Ulm also held it for a time.

Heidenheim remained the centre of a Württemberg district separated from the duchy's main territory until 1803. Its economy drew on deposits of iron ore, mined and smelted in the district from Roman times. By 1590 a water system carried spring water to a reservoir near the castle to supply the old town. Witch trials between 1607 and 1632 accused ten women; most of the trials ended at the stake. In the early nineteenth century competition from other iron-producing regions diminished the local industry's importance.