North Rhine-Westphalia is a
thrilling state. Nowhere else in Germany are industrial and rural
regions so close to each other. There is hardly any other region on
earth with a similar concentration of museums, theaters, opera houses,
and concert halls.
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(in North-Rhine Westphalia, Germany)
The city of Mönchengladbach is a familiar name among football fans, as
it is home to the famed Borussia-Park stadium. The city is also known
for its extensive greenery, rich cultural heritage, and buzzing art and
theater scene.
+ In western Germany, Mönchengladbach lies near the
border with the Netherlands, west of Düsseldorf. It developed around a
Benedictine monastery (founded in 972, suppressed in 1802), from which
the name Mönchengladbach (“Monks’ Gladbach”) is derived, and it was
chartered in 1336. Today Mönchengladbach is a textile center; its
municipal museum houses a notable collection of Coptic textiles. The
city is also a road, rail, and air hub, and its machinery, aeronautical,
and cable industries are important to the local economy. Historic
buildings include the 13th-century Romanesque cathedral, with an early
Gothic choir and a 10th-century crypt, as well as the Baroque Town Hall
(formerly the Benedictine abbey), the Romanesque parish church (in the
Rheindahlen district), and a 12th-century convent church in the Neuwerk
quarter. Educational institutions include the Franciscan Duns Scotus
Academy, colleges of textile engineering and agriculture, and a school
of economics. Mönchengladbach is known for its choral societies. The
city has numerous parks, a botanical garden, and several sports arenas.
+
The history of Mönchengladbach began with the construction of the
Gladbach Minster and the founding of an abbey in the year 974 by Gero,
Archbishop of Cologne, and his companion, the monk Sandrad of Trier. To
improve the settlement, the monks created a market north of the church
in the 12th century. Craftsmen settled near the market. Gladbach
received its town charter in 1364–1366. The "town" erected a town wall
made of stone, which had to be maintained by the citizens. Remains of
the wall can be found at the Geroweiher, as can remains of the "Thick
Tower," an old fortified tower at the Waldhausener hill. Until the end
of the 18th century, the city belonged to the department
of Grevenbroich within the duchy of Jülich.
+ In 1815, Gladbach
became part of the Kingdom of Prussia and seat of the Landkreis
Gladbach, which was dissolved in 1929. In 1815 Gladbach became seat of
the Bürgermeisterei (Office of mayor), which was split in 1859 into two
parts: the City of Gladbach and Office of Mayor Obergeburth. The latter
was renamed to München-Gladbach-Land in 1907.
+ In response to the 10
May 1940 German invasion of Belgium, Mönchengladbach was bombed by RAF
Bomber Command on the evening of 11 May. Eventually, the Prussian Rhine
Province was dissolved after WWII, and the city became part of the new
state of North Rhine-Westphalia, which was formed in 1946.
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