Early history: Celts and Romans
The settlement of the area around today's Brand dates back to the 1st and 2nd centuries BC, even if not much is known about this early history. The name of the Rollef district bears witness to the presence of the Celts.
A stone cremation grave of the Romans, who replaced the Celts, was found in Niederforstbach. Despite these remains, however, there cannot have been a significant Roman settlement. The first larger settlements were probably founded at the instigation of Kornelimünster Abbey as landowner.
Middle Ages: Rule of Kornelimünster Abbey
The development of Brande can be clearly traced back to the Middle Ages, roughly to the period from 1336 to 1369, when the district was called "zen Brande" and was first mentioned in a document in 1369.
The unique forest landscape with its humus-rich soil and proximity to water sources and streams met the needs of the people. Early Brand developed along an old water channel that originated at today's Ringstrasse and ran as far as the Haarbach stream. The villages of Brand, Rollef, Niederforstbach and Freund formed close to the existing water sources. Together with Oberforstbach, they formed one of the five so-called Hunschaften in the area of Kornelimünster Abbey. Later, Krauthausen was also included. The subjects experienced rise and fall due to the economic management of the abbey community.
Along with the other main towns in the Münsterland region, Brand was also granted permission to hold services in its own chapel. The new building was completed in 1761 and the chapel was consecrated to St. Donatus.
French occupation: Napoleon and the Trier Road
20 years under French occupation brought Brand many changes and transformations. By decree, Napoleon ended the rule of Kornelimünster Abbey on June 9, 1802, introduced French as the official language and a new currency. Four mayoralties, known as mairies, were established in the Münsterland.
One of these was Brand with the Maire Karl Kuck. This ended the sovereignty of the Free Imperial Abbey of Kornelimünster, which had existed for around 1,000 years. With the abolition of abbey rule, Brand gained municipal independence and also became ecclesiastically free. On March 1, 1804, Bishop Berdolet of Aachen elevated the Donatus Chapel to a parish church.
The greatest testimony to this period is the Aachen-Trierer Landstraße road built by Napoleon, which to this day cuts through the Brander Heide in a dead straight line as far as Rollef and then descends into the Indetal valley.
Prussian monarchy: Industrialization
The boundaries of the four municipalities from the Münsterländchen were adopted and the transition from French to Prussian administration took place smoothly. An important building is the parish church of St. Donatus from the eighties of the 19th century. At around the same time, the construction of the Vennbahn railway line between 1875 and 1884 brought about another significant and formative change to Brander Heide. The bridge viaduct in the Indetal valley and the Brander railroad station bear witness to this development.
In 1900, the Heide changed its face again due to the industrial boom. The tracks of the Aachen tramway were laid on the right-hand side of Trierer Straße. The conditions for an industrial settlement had improved, so that the population rose sharply: in 1890, around 3,000 people lived in Brand, but by 1910, the economic upturn meant that there were already 5,000 inhabitants. The most important factories and companies at this time were the cloth factories, the waterworks, Rheinkraft and the Aachener Kleinbahn, which built a carriage shed and company housing.
20th century: World War II and municipal reorganization
Brand was also marked by the effects of the Second World War, but nevertheless experienced an unexpectedly steep rise. Reconstruction was accompanied by the creation of housing for refugees and displaced persons, but also for the long-established residents.
Thanks to the cooperation of citizens' initiatives and authorities, it was possible to achieve targeted development of the settlement area with housing subsidies. This also gave the town center its current appearance, and the new development areas of Ellerbereich, Brander Feld and Brander Wald were developed. The connection to the Belgium line of the highway in 1963 also put the municipality in a favorable transport position.
A new era began for Brand on January 1, 1972: the municipality had been independent for 170 years until the Brand municipal council agreed to its incorporation into the city of Aachen. However, the new district of Aachen-Brand retained a certain degree of independence with its own district council and district office. To this day, the people of Brand have retained their municipal identity, but at the same time see themselves as part of the city of Aachen.
Brand today: close to the city and close to nature
In the years before and after the municipal reorganization, Brand developed into a district with a high quality of life thanks to generous and future-oriented planning and the development of new residential areas. The large number of sports and leisure facilities as well as meeting places for residents also contribute to the high level of attractiveness.
The immediate proximity to the extensive recreational areas of Aachen's southern region and the Eifel, as well as the convenient transport links to the city of Aachen, have made Brand a particularly family-friendly place to live.