Alb-Donau district
The Alb-Donau district is characterized by a great variety of landscapes and economies. The good mix of trade and services led to an above-average job development. Almost 54,000 employees subject to compulsory insurance work here. Population development has also been rapid over the past three decades. Since the district was founded in 1973, the population has grown by around 33 percent to approx. 192,000 inhabitants.
From the 19th century, the lime and cement industry played an important role in industrialization in today’s Alb-Donau district. It is still an important industry.
Today, the economic structure of the district is shaped, among other things, by machine, tool and special machine construction, vehicle supply, pharmaceutical industry and logistics, wholesale and an above-average growing service area. The district is closely intertwined with the business and science city of Ulm.
Tourism has long discovered the cultural and holiday landscapes in the Alb-Danube district: steep river valleys, caves and springs, juniper heaths in the Swabian Alb, wide reed landscapes near Langenau, castle complexes and castles, monastery complexes in Blaubeuren and Obermarchtal, historic old towns in Blaubeuren, Ehingen, Munderkingen or Oberdischingen.
The small, intricately carved ivory figures such as the lion man from the Lonetal and the Venus from the Hohle Fels in Schelklingen, which were found in the caves of the region, lead back to distant past periods. With an age of more than 30,000 years, they and numerous other artifacts are among the earliest works of art in human history. You can admire them today in the Ulm Museum or in the Prehistory Museum in Blaubeuren.