Bergisch Gladbach
Encyclopedia
is a city in the Cologne/Bonn Region
of North Rhine-Westphalia
, Germany
and capital of the Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis
(district).
.
and neighbouring towns are: Odenthal
, Kürten
, Overath
, Rösrath
, Cologne
and Leverkusen
.
The word “Bergisch” in the name does not originate from its location in the earldom of Berg and was not added to distinguish it from Mönchengladbach
as believed by many people, but from the earls who gave their name to the region.
At the start of the 12th century the earls of "Berg" settled in the area and it became the grand duchy of "Berg". This is where the first part of the name (Bergisch) comes from.
The second part of the name is a lot harder to explain in English, as it originates from Low German
(Bergisches Platt). "Gladbach" evolved from the stream "Strunde", which received an artificial river bed in early medieval times. Basically the river was "laid" which means "gelaat" in "Bergisch Platt", the slang/dialect of the region. During the centuries the word "gelaat" evolved and was rounded by the people to "glad". The second part of the word, "bach" stands for stream, meant is the "Strunde". Basically "Gladbach" means stream with an artificially laid river bed.
In 1975 the city incorporated the neighbouring Bensberg and when it reached a population of 100,000 in 1977 it received the rank of a city.
with:
Cologne/Bonn Region
The Cologne/Bonn Region , also known as Cologne/Bonn Metropolitan Region is a metropolitan area in North Rhine-Westfalia, Germany, covering the cities of Cologne, Bonn and Leverkusen, as well as the districts of Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis, Oberbergischer Kreis, Rhein-Erft-Kreis and Rhein-Sieg-Kreis...
of North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and capital of the Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis
Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis
The Rheinisch-Bergische Kreis is a Kreis in the Cologne Bonn Region of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring are the districts Oberbergischer Kreis and Rhein-Sieg, and the district-free citiesCologne, Leverkusen, Solingen and Remscheid....
(district).
Geography
Bergisch Gladbach is located east of the river Rhine, approx. 10 kilometers east of CologneCologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
.
Neighbouring municipalities
Beginning in the north clockwise the neighbouring municipalitiesMunicipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
and neighbouring towns are: Odenthal
Odenthal
Odenthal is a municipality in the Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.-Geography:Odenthal is situated approx. 5 km north of Bergisch Gladbach and 15 km north-east of Cologne.-Neighbouring places:...
, Kürten
Kürten
Kürten is a village and a municipality in the Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.-Neighbouring places:Nearby cities include Bergisch Gladbach, Overath, Wermelskirchen, and Wipperfürth...
, Overath
Overath
Overath is a town in the Rheinisch-Bergischer district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.-Geography:Overath is located about 25 km east of Cologne, in the Bergisches Land...
, Rösrath
Rösrath
Rösrath is a city in the Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The earliest known documents mentioning the settlement Rösrath can be found in documents dated to 1356. There have been findings of Paleolithic and Mesolithic tools in the city area Forsbach...
, Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
and Leverkusen
Leverkusen
Leverkusen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany on the eastern bank of the Rhine. To the South, Leverkusen borders the city of Cologne and to the North is the state capital Düsseldorf....
.
History
Early settlements existed in the 13th century, but the town was officially founded in 1856.Mönchengladbach
Mönchengladbach , formerly known as Münchengladbach, is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located west of the Rhine half way between Düsseldorf and the Dutch border....
as believed by many people, but from the earls who gave their name to the region.
At the start of the 12th century the earls of "Berg" settled in the area and it became the grand duchy of "Berg". This is where the first part of the name (Bergisch) comes from.
The second part of the name is a lot harder to explain in English, as it originates from Low German
Low German
Low German or Low Saxon is an Ingvaeonic West Germanic language spoken mainly in northern Germany and the eastern part of the Netherlands...
(Bergisches Platt). "Gladbach" evolved from the stream "Strunde", which received an artificial river bed in early medieval times. Basically the river was "laid" which means "gelaat" in "Bergisch Platt", the slang/dialect of the region. During the centuries the word "gelaat" evolved and was rounded by the people to "glad". The second part of the word, "bach" stands for stream, meant is the "Strunde". Basically "Gladbach" means stream with an artificially laid river bed.
In 1975 the city incorporated the neighbouring Bensberg and when it reached a population of 100,000 in 1977 it received the rank of a city.
Economy
Its principal industries include paper manufacturing, printing, glasswool manufacturing and high tech.International relations
Bergisch Gladbach is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with:
| Country | Place | County / District / Region / State | Date | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... |
Bourgoin-Jallieu Bourgoin-Jallieu Bourgoin-Jallieu is a commune in the Isère department of south-eastern France.It lies 35 kilometres to the east-southeast of the city of Lyon. Its inhabitants are called Berjalliens.-Geography:... ! style="backgr>und: #FFFFFF; color: #000000" ! | |
Rhône-Alpes Rhône-Alpes Rhône-Alpes is one of the 27 regions of France, located on the eastern border of the country, towards the south. The region was named after the Rhône River and the Alps mountain range. Its capital, Lyon, is the second-largest metropolitan area in France after Paris... |
1956 | ||
| United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
Luton Luton Luton is a large town and unitary authority of Bedfordshire, England, 30 miles north of London. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 250,000.... ! style="background: #FFFF>F; color: #000000" ! |  |
Bedfordshire Bedfordshire Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east.... |
1956 | ||
| Netherlands Netherlands The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders... |
Velsen Velsen Velsen is a municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. It is located on both sides of the North Sea Canal.On the north side of the North Sea Canal, in IJmuiden, there is a major steel plant, Corus Strip Products IJmuiden, formerly known as Koninklijke Hoogovens... ! style="background: #FFF>FF; color: #000000" ! |  |
North Holland North Holland North Holland |West Frisian]]: Noard-Holland) is a province situated on the North Sea in the northwest part of the Netherlands. The provincial capital is Haarlem and its largest city is Amsterdam.-Geography:... |
1956 | ||
| France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... |
Joinville-le-Pont Joinville-le-Pont Joinville-le-Pont is a commune in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.-History:The commune was created in 1791 under the name La Branche-du-Pont-de-Saint-Maur by detaching its territory from the commune of Saint-Maur-des-Fossés... ! style="backg>ound: #FFFFFF; color: #000000" ! | |
1960 | |||
| United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
Runnymede Runnymede Runnymede is a water-meadow alongside the River Thames in the English county of Berkshire, and just over west of central London. It is notable for its association with the sealing of Magna Carta, and as a consequence is the site of a collection of memorials... ! style="background: #>FFFFF; color: #000000" ! | |
1965 | |||
| Lithuania Lithuania Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark... |
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1989 | |||
| Cyprus Cyprus Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the... |
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1991 | |||
| Poland Poland Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north... |
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Silesian voivodship, pszczyński county Powiat A powiat is the second-level unit of local government and administration in Poland, equivalent to a county, district or prefecture in other countries. The term powiat is most often translated into English as "county", although other terms are also sometimes used... , Pszczyna gmina Gmina The gmina is the principal unit of administrative division of Poland at its lowest uniform level. It is often translated as "commune" or "municipality." As of 2010 there were 2,479 gminas throughout the country... |
1993 | ||
| Palestine Palestinian territories The Palestinian territories comprise the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Since the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988, the region is today recognized by three-quarters of the world's countries as the State of Palestine or simply Palestine, although this status is not recognized by the... |
Beit Jala Beit Jala Beit Jala is an Arab Christian town in the Bethlehem Governorate of the West Bank. Beit Jala is located 10 km south of Jerusalem, on the western side of the Hebron road, opposite Bethlehem, at altitude... ! style="background: #>FFFFF; color: #000000" ! | |
West Bank West Bank The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan... |
2010 |
Born in Bergisch Gladbach
- Astrid BenöhrAstrid BenöhrAstrid Benöhr is a German endurance athlete in Ultra-Triathlon. She holds the women's world records in the triple, quintuple and quadruple ironman...
, German endurance athlete - Wolfgang Bosbach, German politicianPoliticianA politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
- Fabian HambüchenFabian HambüchenFabian Hambüchen is a German gymnast. He lives in Wetzlar.Hambüchen was the youngest German athlete at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens and finished 7th in the Horizontal bar and 8th in the team competition. So far in his career, he has won five medals at World Championships and six at European...
, German gymnastGymnastGymnasts are people who participate in the sports of either artistic gymnastics, trampolining, or rhythmic gymnastics.See gymnasium for the origin of the word gymnast from gymnastikos.-Female artistic:Australia... - Götz HeidelbergGötz HeidelbergGötz Heidelberg is a German constructing engineer and entrepreneur. He is known for the development of Maglev magnetic transportation systems....
, German constructing engineerEngineerAn engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,... - Mats HummelsMats HummelsMats Julian Hummels is a German footballer who plays for Borussia Dortmund, as a central defender.-Club career:...
, German football player for Borussia DortmundBorussia DortmundBallspielverein Borussia Dortmund, commonly BVB, are a German sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. Dortmund are one of the most successful clubs in German football history. Borussia Dortmund play in the Bundesliga, the top league of German football... - Heidi KlumHeidi KlumHeidi Samuel , better known by her birth name Heidi Klum, is a German model, actress, television host, businesswoman, fashion designer, television producer, and occasional singer. In 2008 she became an American citizen while maintaining her native German citizenship...
, German supermodelSupermodelThe term supermodel refers to a highly-paid fashion model who usually has a worldwide reputation and often a background in haute couture and commercial modeling. The term became prominent in the popular culture of the 1980s. Supermodels usually work for top fashion designers and labels... - Georg KochGeorg KochGeorg Koch is a former German footballer, who played as a goalkeeper.-Football career:Born in Bergisch Gladbach, Koch started his career playing at amateur club SpVgg Erkenschwick before becoming a professional in January 1992, when he moved to the Bundesliga with Fortuna Düsseldorf...
, retired German goalkeeper - Tim WieseTim WieseTim Wiese is a German goalkeeper who currently plays for Werder Bremen and the German national team. He joined Werder Bremen in 2005 from Kaiserslautern in the Bundesliga.-Fortuna Köln:...
, German football goalkeeper for Werder BremenSV Werder BremenSV Werder Bremen is a German sports club best known for its association football team playing in Bremen, in the northwest German federal state of the same name. The club was founded on 4 February 1899 as Fußballverein Werder by a group of sixteen vocational high school students who had won a prize...
Schools in Bergisch Gladbach
- Albertus-Magnus-Gymnasium Bensberg/Bergisch GladbachAlbertus-Magnus-Gymnasium Bensberg/Bergisch GladbachThe Albertus-Magnus-Gymnasium is a school in Bensberg, part of the city of Bergisch Gladbach in Germany. It provides secondary education in the German system from grade 5 to 12/13. It was originally founded in 1858 as the Bensberger-Progymnasium. Since 1958 it exists in current form providing nine...
, High School - Gymnasium Herkenrath/Bergisch Gladbach, High School
- Nicolaus-Cusanus-Gymnasium Bergisch GladbachNicolaus-Cusanus-Gymnasium Bergisch GladbachThe Nicolaus-Cusanus-Gymnasium is a public high school in the German city Bergisch Gladbach. The school is named after the German church law academic, philosopher, bishop and cardinal Nicholas of Cusa....
, High School - Otto-Hahn-Gymnasium Bensberg/Bergisch Gladbach, High School