In the city of Mönchengladbach, in North-Rhine Westphalia, Germany

 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.