Bergisch Gladbach

Bergisch Gladbach (German pronunciation: [ˌbɛɐ̯gɪʃ ˈglatbax] (listen)), is a city in the Cologne/Bonn Region of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, and capital of the Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis (district).

Bergisch Gladbach
Forecourt of Schloss Bensberg
Flag
Coat of arms
Location of Bergisch Gladbach within Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis district
Rheinisch-Bergischer KreisRhein-Sieg-KreisNorth Rhine-WestphaliaCologneLeverkusenMettmann (district)SolingenRemscheidOberbergischer KreisOverathRösrathBergisch GladbachKürtenOdenthalWermelskirchenBurscheidLeichlingen
Bergisch Gladbach
Bergisch Gladbach
Coordinates: 51°06′N 07°07′E
CountryGermany
StateNorth Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. regionKöln
DistrictRheinisch-Bergischer Kreis
Subdivisions6
Government
 • MayorLutz Urbach (CDU)
Area
 • Total83.12 km2 (32.09 sq mi)
Highest elevation
267 m (876 ft)
Lowest elevation
51 m (167 ft)
Population
 (2018-12-31)[1]
 • Total111,966
 • Density1,300/km2 (3,500/sq mi)
Time zoneCET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes
51401-51469
Dialling codes02202, 02204, 02207
Vehicle registrationGL
Websitewww.bergischgladbach.de

Geography

Bergisch Gladbach is located east of the river Rhine, approx. 10 kilometers east of Cologne.

Neighbouring municipalities

Beginning in the north clockwise the neighbouring municipalities and neighbouring towns are: Odenthal, Kürten, Overath, Rösrath, Cologne and Leverkusen.

History

Early settlements existed in the 13th century, but the town was officially founded in 1856.

Old castle and town hall of Bensberg

The word Bergisch in the name does not originate from its location in the county of Berg and was not added to distinguish it from Mönchengladbach as believed by many people, but from the counts who gave their name to the region. At the start of the 12th century the counts of Berg settled in the area and it later became the duchy (under Napoleon, the grand duchy) of Berg. This is where the first part of the name (Bergisch) comes from, the town being located in the former county of Berg. It is the administrative headquarters ('Kreisstadt') of the Rheinish-Bergisch district (or 'Kreis').

The second part of the name, Gladbach (cognate with English Ladbrooke) originates from Low German (Bergisches Platt) and means canalised stream, referring to the small river (the Strunde) that was artificially canalised (laid) in early medieval times. In Bergisch Platt, the regional dialect, laid is said gelaat, a word which eventually evolved to glad (in this case the 'd' is pronounced as a 't'). The second part of the word, bach is the standard German word for a small stream, referring in this case to the Strunde.

In 1975 the town incorporated neighbouring Bensberg and when it reached a population of 100,000 in 1977 it was given city status.

Largest groups of foreign residents[2]
NationalityPopulation (2014)
 Turkey2,123
 Italy882
 Poland878
 Greece679
 Romania300
 Kosovo288
 Croatia260
 Austria257
 Russia241
 Bosnia & Herzegovina208

Economy

Paper manufacturing, printing, glass wool manufacturing, chocolate, and high-tech industries make up a large part of Bergisch Gladbach's economy.

International relations
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany

Bergisch Gladbach is twinned with:[3]

Country Place County / District / Region / State Date
France Bourgoin-Jallieu Rhône-Alpes 1956
United Kingdom Luton Bedfordshire 1956
Netherlands Velsen North Holland 1956
France Joinville-le-Pont 1960
United Kingdom Runnymede Surrey 1965
Lithuania Marijampolė Suvalkija 1989
Cyprus Limassol 1991
Poland Pszczyna Silesian Voivodship 1993
Palestine Beit Jala West Bank 2010
Israel Ganei Tikva 2012
United States South Bend Indiana 2019

Born in Bergisch Gladbach

Secondary schools in Bergisch Gladbach
  • Albertus-Magnus-Gymnasium Bensberg/Bergisch Gladbach
  • Gymnasium Herkenrath/Bergisch Gladbach
  • Nicolaus-Cusanus-Gymnasium Bergisch Gladbach
  • Otto-Hahn-Gymnasium Bensberg/Bergisch Gladbach
  • Dietrich-Bonhoeffer-Gymnasium Bergisch Gladbach
  • Integrierte-Gesamtschule-Paffrath Bergisch Gladbach

See also

References
  1. "Bevölkerung der Gemeinden Nordrhein-Westfalens am 31. Dezember 2018" (in German). Landesbetrieb Information und Technik NRW. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
  2. "Staatsangehörigkeit in Bergisch Gladbach". Stadt Bergisch Gladbach. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  3. "Städtepartnerschaften- und Freundschaften". bergischgladbach.de (in German). Bergisch Gladbach. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
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