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Ahrensburg () is a town in the district of Stormarn, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is located northeast of Hamburg and is part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region. Its population is around 31,000. Schloss Ahrensburg, the town's symbol, is a Renaissance castle dating from 1595.
Ahrensburg is situated next to the Autobahn A1 and on the railway route between the Hanseatic cities of Hamburg and Lübeck.
The "Arx Arnsburga", also called Arnesvelde castle, was built around the year 1200. Ruins of the castle are still visible in the Hagen forest to the south of the town. The town coat of arms shows the castle in the upper field. There are records of reeves based in the castle in 1295 and 1304. In 1326, Count John III of Schauenburg had his reeve relocated to Trittau and abandoned the castle.
The "Ahrensburg Estate" belonged to the so-called , which possessed a large amount of freedom and self-administration.
The Rantzaus' estate was heavily indebted by the middle of the 18th century and, in 1759, was acquired by the businessman Heinrich Carl von Schimmelmann. Schimmelmann remodelled the castle and village in the baroque style and the current layout of the town reflects these plans.
On the 7 June 1867 the estate village Woldenhorn became an independent country community and renamed itself Ahrensburg after a decision by the community council. It belonged to the "Amt Ahrensburg", from which the "amtsfreie" community once more seceded in 1912.
The construction of the railway between Hamburg and Lübeck in the year 1865 made Ahrensburg a popular destination for outings outside Hamburg and the number of inhabitants increased. By 1910, the population had reached 2,750. The incorporation of various surrounding communities in the year 1928 led to an increase in the town area to about 5 km2.
Building of the settlements "Daheim/Heimgarten" (partially on the territory of the current community of Ammersbek) and "Am Hagen" (originally called "Franz Seldte Settlement") commenced in 1933. The rush of settlers from around Hamburg lead to the creation of the current housing layout.
When Ahrensburg received city rights in 1949, the town had some 17,775 inhabitants – around half of which were refugees from the former eastern German regions.
Erica Keck, who was elected mayor in 1950, became the first female elected mayor in Germany.
Ahrensburg had a small Jewish community until the beginning of the 1930s. The Synagogue was burnt down in the Kristallnacht in 1938 during the period of Nazism. The Jewish cemetery (opened in 1822) can still be seen at the edge of town (Ahrensburg-West).
| >+ Distribution of vote and seats in local council | |||
| ! Party ! Overall % of vote ! Number of seats in council | |||
| CDU | 34.5% | 11 seats | |
| SPD | 27.8% | 8 seats | |
| WAB | 12.0% | 4 seats | |
| GRÜNE | 19.3% | 6 seats | |
| FDP | 6.4% | 2 seats |
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