Baden, Ontario

{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}} {{Infobox settlement | name = Baden | native_name = | native_name_lang =  | settlement_type = Suburban Community | image_skyline = Castle Kilbride in Baden Ontario 2007.jpg | image_alt = | image_caption = Front facade and path to [[Castle Kilbride]] in Baden | image_flag = | flag_alt = | image_seal = | seal_alt = | image_shield = | shield_alt = | etymology = | nickname = | motto = | image_map = | map_alt = | map_caption = | pushpin_map = CAN ON Waterloo#Canada Southern Ontario | pushpin_label_position = | pushpin_map_alt = | pushpin_map_caption = | coordinates = {{coord|43|24|09|N|80|40|07|W|region:CA-ON_type:city_source:GeographicalNamesBoardofCanada|display=inline,title}} | coor_pinpoint = | coordinates_footnotes = <ref name="CGNDB">{{cite cgndb|id= FEGDI|title= Baden|accessdate= 2018-07-02}}</ref> | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = [[Canada]] | subdivision_type1 = Province | subdivision_name1 = [[Ontario]] | subdivision_type2 = Regional municipality | subdivision_name2 = [[Regional Municipality of Waterloo|Waterloo]] | subdivision_type3 = Municipality | subdivision_name3 = [[Wilmot, Ontario|Wilmot]] | established_title = | established_date = | founder = | seat_type = | seat = | government_footnotes = | government_type = | governing_body = | leader_party = | leader_title = | leader_name = | leader_title1 = | leader_name1 = | leader_title2 = | leader_name2 = | leader_title3 = | leader_name3 = | leader_title4 = | leader_name4 = | legislature = | upper_house = | lower_house =

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'''Baden''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|eɪ|d|ɛ|n}} {{respell|BAY-den}})<ref>{{Citation| author = The Canadian Press| author-link = The Canadian Press| title = The Canadian Press Stylebook| place = Toronto| publisher = [[The Canadian Press]]| edition = 18th| year = 2017}}</ref> is a community and unincorporated place in [[Wilmot, Ontario|Township of Wilmot]], [[Regional Municipality of Waterloo]] in [[Southwestern Ontario]], Canada.<ref name="CGNDB" /><ref name="CLAIMaps">{{cite web|url= http://www.gisapplication.lrc.gov.on.ca/CLAIMaps/Index.html?site=CLAIMaps&viewer=CLAIMaps&locale=en-US |title= CLAIMaps IV|publisher= [[Ministry of Northern Development and Mines|Ontario Ministry of Northern Development and Mines]]|date= 2016|access-date= 2018-07-02}}</ref><ref name="OntarioRoadMap">{{cite map|url= http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/traveller/map/images/pdf/southont/sheets/Map2.pdf |format= PDF|title= Map 2|series= Official road map of Ontario|publisher= [[Ministry of Transportation of Ontario]]|scale= 1 : 700,000|date= 2016-01-01|accessdate= 2018-07-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite map|url= http://www.mah.gov.on.ca/AssetFactory.aspx?did=6577|title= Restructured municipalities - Ontario map #6|year= 2006|series= Restructuring Maps of Ontario|publisher= [[Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (Ontario)|Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing]]|accessdate= 2018-07-02|archive-date= 2021-02-24|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210224141854/http://www.mah.gov.on.ca/AssetFactory.aspx?did=6577|url-status= dead}}</ref> It was named after [[Baden-Baden]], [[Germany]]; the approximate population as of 2015, as per township statistics, is 4,940.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.wilmot.ca/en/living-here/resources/Documents/2015-Township-of-Wilmot-Community-Profile.pdf |title=2015 Community Profile |publisher=Township of Wilmot|page=4|accessdate=May 28, 2019}}</ref>

The area is the site of Baden Tower, a television, radio, and communications tower located on top of one of the [[Baden Hill]]s, which is the transmitter for [[CKCO-DT]], the [[CTV Television Network|CTV]] affiliate for Kitchener, as well as [[CFCA-FM]] and [[CHYM-FM]], which have studios in Kitchener.

Much of the area consists of farmlands and pine forests are in the area. The local high school, [[Waterloo-Oxford District Secondary School]], is located just outside the town and the statue park Prime Ministers Path is located on the grounds adjacent to [[Castle Kilbride]].

==History== {{See also|History of Wilmot, Ontario}}

The first settler in this area was Jacob Beck in 1854; he opened a large flour mill on the Spring Creek. A second flour mill, two saw mills, a flax mill, and an iron foundry also opened in the next twenty years. The settlement was originally called Weissenburg.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wilmot.ca/en/living-here/History-of-Wilmot-Township.aspx |title=History of Wilmot Township |publisher=Township of Wilmot |accessdate=May 28, 2019}}</ref>

The village of Baden founded and established in 1855, was originally named after an old bachelor living in the area. Jacob Beck, born in the Grand Duchy of Baden-Baden, Germany, settled in the village and later renamed Baden in 1854. Baden was also the birthplace of Sir Adam Beck, founder of Ontario's public hydroelectric system.

By 1864, the town had a school and its population was 400.<ref>{{cite book | title = County of Waterloo Gazetteer and General Business Directory, For 1864 |publisher=Mitchell & Co. |year=1864 |url = http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/001075/f2/e010780571_p2.pdf}}</ref>

A historical plaque near Baden honours Christian Nafziger, an [[Amish Mennonite]] from Munich, Germany, who arrived in 1822 with about seventy families. With assistance from local Mennonites, he was able to obtain the "German Block" (now Wilmot Township) from the government; many other Amish from Europe settled here.<ref name="plaque">{{Cite web |title=The First Amish Settlement |url=http://www.ontarioplaques.com/Plaques/Plaque_Waterloo16.html |website=OntarioPlaques.com |publisher=Alan L. Brown|access-date=May 28, 2019}}</ref>

Baden is home to the historic [[Castle Kilbride]], built in 1877 by [[James Livingston (Canadian politician)|James Livingston]],<ref name="GR">{{Cite web |url=http://soto.on.ca/northern_grand_river_country_and_the_headwaters/baden.html |title=Southern Ontario Tourism, Grand River Country: Baden |access-date=2012-02-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120215092839/http://www.soto.on.ca/northern_grand_river_country_and_the_headwaters/baden.html |archive-date=2012-02-15 |url-status=dead }}</ref> co-founder of a successful linseed oil company, who went on to represent the area in the [[Legislative Assembly of Ontario]] and the [[House of Commons of Canada]]. The home was designed by architect David W. Gingerich, who also designed major projects such as the Mutual Life office block, the Waterloo Town Hall, and the governor's (jailer's) house at the [[Waterloo County Gaol]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dictionaryofarchitectsincanada.org/node/1921 |title=Gingerich, David W. |website=Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada; 1800-1950 |accessdate=May 28, 2019}}</ref> In 1993, Castle Kilbride was purchased and restored by Wilmot Township, which spent $6.2 million on the project. The castle was designated a [[National Historic Sites of Canada|National Historic Site of Canada]] in 1994<ref>{{CRHP|11938|Castle Kilbride}}</ref> and Wilmot Township's administrative offices and council chamber are housed in an addition to the original building.

Baden was also the home town of Sir [[Adam Beck]], who went on to pioneer hydroelectric power,<ref name="GR" /> the visible results being the generation plants located in Niagara Falls. Beck has a park named after him in his hometown, as well as an elementary school within the [[Waterloo Region District School Board]].<ref name="plaque"/>

===Prime Ministers Path=== Baden is home to Prime Ministers Path, a series of [[bronze sculpture]]s of [[List of prime ministers of Canada|Canadian prime ministers]], designed to have visitors explore the history of the country since [[Canadian Confederation]].<ref name="WilmotPMP">{{cite web |title=Prime Ministers Path |url=https://www.wilmot.ca/en/living-here/prime-ministers-path.aspx |website=www.wilmot.ca |accessdate=23 June 2020 |language=en |date=8 November 2019 |archive-date=25 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200625193848/https://www.wilmot.ca/en/living-here/prime-ministers-path.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref> The privately funded project was conceived of as a [[Canada 150]] project and has been met with repeated controversy.<ref name="Bueckert">{{cite news |last1=Bueckert |first1=Kate |title=Sir John A Macdonald home at last: PM statue project organizers unveil first sculpture in Baden |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/baden-prime-minister-statue-project-home-1.3660083 |accessdate=23 June 2020 |work=CBC |date=30 June 2016}}</ref> It was unanimously approved by Wilmot Township councillors in 2016 after attempts to install it in [[Kitchener, Ontario|Kitchener]]'s [[Victoria Park, Kitchener|Victoria Park]] and on the campus of [[Wilfrid Laurier University]] failed after public push back about the appropriateness of the project.<ref name="Johansen">{{cite news |last1=Johansen |first1=Leah |title=Controversial statue project is heading to Baden |url=https://www.570news.com/2016/04/05/controversial-statue-project-is-heading-to-baden/ |accessdate=23 June 2020 |work=www.570news.com |date=5 April 2016}}</ref><ref name="Sharkey">{{cite news |last1=Sharkey |first1=Jackie |title=Prime minister statue project finally finds home in Waterloo Region|work=CBC |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/prime-minister-statue-project-finally-finds-home-in-waterloo-region-1.3521006 |accessdate=23 June 2020 |date=5 April 2016}}</ref><ref name="Bellemare">{{cite news |last1=Bellemare |first1=Andrea|title=nixes prime minister statues project|work=CBC |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/wilfrid-laurier-university-pulls-prime-minister-statues-1.3445652 |accessdate=23 June 2020 |date=12 February 2016}}</ref> As of June 2020, statues of [[Robert Borden]], [[Kim Campbell]], [[William Lyon Mackenzie King]], [[John A. Macdonald]], and [[Lester B. Pearson]] have been installed.<ref name="WilmotPMP" /> Several of the designs include [[Easter egg (media)|Easter eggs]] as nods to notable events or aspects of a prime minister's life.<ref name="WilmotPMP" /><ref name="ModiFour">{{cite news |last1=Modi |first1=Namish |title=Baden's Prime Ministers Path will soon feature 'The Unfortunate Four' |url=https://www.newhamburgindependent.ca/news-story/9865047-baden-s-prime-ministers-path-will-soon-feature-the-unfortunate-four-/ |accessdate=23 June 2020 |work=NewHamburgIndependent.ca |date=25 February 2020 |language=en}}</ref>

The statue of Sir John A. Macdonald, the first to be installed, was put in place June 2016.<ref name="Bueckert"/> Titled 'A Canadian Conversation', the piece was sculpted by Wilmot artist [[Ruth Abernethy]].<ref name="WilmotPMP"/><ref name="Jackson">{{cite news |last1=Jackson |first1=James |title=Statue of Sir John A. Macdonald in Baden covered in red paint |url=https://www.therecord.com/news/waterloo-region/2020/06/21/statue-of-sir-john-a-macdonald-in-baden-covered-in-red-paint.html |accessdate=23 June 2020 |work=therecord.com |date=21 June 2020 |language=en}}</ref> It had previously been installed on the Laurier campus, but was removed and relocated after concerns were raised about Macdonald's role in creating the [[Canadian Indian residential school system]].<ref name="Versolatto">{{cite news |last1=Versolatto |first1=Tegan |title=Renewed calls to remove Sir John A. Macdonald statue in Baden, Ont. after recent vandalism |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/kitchener/article/renewed-calls-to-remove-sir-john-a-macdonald-statue-in-baden-ont-after-recent-vandalism/ |access-date=23 June 2020 |work=Kitchener |date=21 June 2020 |language=en}}</ref> Controversy regarding the statue project was raised again in June 2020, following the dousing of Macdonald's statue in red paint, an act that coincided with the celebration of [[National Indigenous Peoples Day]].<ref name="Modi">{{cite news |last1=Modi |first1=Namish |title=WHAT'S GOING ON HERE: Red paint poured over Sir John A. Macdonald statue in Baden |url=https://www.cambridgetimes.ca/news-story/10038594-what-s-going-on-here-red-paint-poured-over-sir-john-a-macdonald-statue-in-baden/ |accessdate=23 June 2020 |work=CambridgeTimes.ca |date=21 June 2020 |language=en-CA}}</ref><ref name="Jackson"/> A statue of Macdonald had been [[vandalized]] with red paint the week prior in [[Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island]].<ref name="Fraser">{{cite news |last1=Fraser |first1=Sara |title=Sir John A. Macdonald statue defaced overnight |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-statue-sir-john-a-macdonald-1.5619052 |accessdate=23 June 2020 |work=CBC |date=19 June 2020}}</ref><ref name="Wright">{{cite news |last1=Wright |first1=Teresa |title=Charlottetown statue of Sir John A. MacDonald covered in red paint |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/7086063/charlottetown-statue-of-sir-john-a-macdonald-covered-in-red-paint/ |accessdate=23 June 2020 |work=Global News |date=19 June 2020 |language=en}}</ref> The incidents followed a number of similar occurrences across North America tied to calls for the [[List of monuments and memorials removed during the George Floyd protests|removal of monuments and memorials]] following the [[murder of George Floyd]] in [[Minneapolis]], [[Minnesota]].

Wilmot mayor, Les Armstrong, defended the Prime Ministers Path expressing frustration with people who failed to do their research about Macdonald, noting the prime minister had a number of [[Indigenous peoples in Canada|Indigenous]] friends.<ref name="Modi" /><ref name="Jackson" /> Statue creator Ruth Abernathy acknowledged the incident raised important questions about who is deemed worthy of a statue, but cautioned against "sanitizing public spaces".<ref name="CBCConfront">{{cite news |title=Sir John A. Macdonald sculptor says statue allows us to confront Canada's past |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/john-a-macdonald-ruth-abernethy-statue-baden-1.5622389 |accessdate=23 June 2020 |work=CBC |date=23 June 2020}}</ref> [[Cree]]-[[Métis]] educator [[Lori Campbell]] challenged the ability of public statues to raise awareness about history due to lack of contextual information. Campbell positioned museums as better and safer spaces for these types of installations, calling their presence in open spaces "painful".<ref name="CBCConfront"/>

==Amenities==

The Region of Waterloo Library operates a branch at 115 Snyder's Road East, beside the community mailboxes.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.rwl.library.on.ca/en/aboutTheLibrary/badenbranch.asp |title=Region of Waterloo Library, Baden Branch |access-date=2012-02-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120116142546/http://www.rwl.library.on.ca/en/aboutTheLibrary/badenbranch.asp |archive-date=2012-01-16 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Local religious congregations== *Steinmann Mennonite Church *Wilmot Mennonite Church *St. James Evangelical Lutheran Church

==Transportation==

The [[Grand Trunk Railway]] originally built its rail line to Southwestern Ontario in the mid-19th century, with a station in Baden, which existed until at least the 1950s.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.canada-rail.com/ontario/b1/baden.html |title=Ontario Railway Stations: Baden |website=Canada-Rail.com |access-date=6 October 2019}}</ref> This line still exists as the [[CN Rail|CN]] Guelph Subdivision, which runs from the Park Street bridge in Kitchener (continuing east as the [[Metrolinx]] Guelph Subdivision) to London Junction in London, Ontario, where it connects to the CN Dundas Subdivision immediately after crossing over the [[CP Galt Subdivision]]. Baden is the location of a [[rail siding]] on the Guelph Subdivision, as well as an industrial [[rail spur|spur]] constructed by Pestell Group.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.wilmot.ca/en/doing-business/resources/Documents/Township-of-Wilmot-industrial-lands-package.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2019-10-06 |archive-date=2019-10-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191006234304/https://www.wilmot.ca/en/doing-business/resources/Documents/Township-of-Wilmot-industrial-lands-package.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> Baden is not currently served by passenger rail, though [[Wilmot, Ontario|Wilmot Township]] has set aside land for a possible future [[GO Transit]] layover facility and station in Baden. The nearest passenger station is [[Kitchener station]], which is served by both [[Via Rail]] ''[[Québec City–Windsor Corridor (Via Rail)|Corridor]]'' and [[GO Transit]] [[Kitchener line]] trains.

==See also== {{Portal|Ontario}} * [[List of unincorporated communities in Ontario]]

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * [http://www.wilmot.ca/ Township of Wilmot]

[[Category:Communities in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo]] [[Category:Wilmot, Ontario]]