Bensberg
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Bergisch Gladbach (
listen (·info)) is a town in the Cologne/Bonn Region of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, and capital of the Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis (district).
Contents |
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.
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). The word "Gladbach" refers to the small river (the Strunde) which was artificially canalised in early medieval times. Basically the river was laid which is gelaat in Bergisch Platt, the regional dialect. During the centuries the word gelaat evolved and was rounded by the people to glad (the German 'd' is pronounced as a 't'). The second part of the word, bach is the standard German word for stream, referring in this case to the Strunde. In short, Gladbach means a canalised stream.
In 1975 the city incorporated the neighbouring Bensberg and when it reached a population of 100,000 in 1977 it was given municipality status.
Economy
Paper manufacturing, printing, glass wool manufacturing, and high-tech industries make up a large part of Bergisch Gladbach's economy.
International relations
Bergisch Gladbach is twinned with:
| 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 | 1965 | |||
| Lithuania | Marijampolė | 1989 | |||
| Cyprus | Limassol | 1991 | |||
| Poland | Pszczyna | Silesian voivodship, pszczyński county, Pszczyna gmina | 1993 | ||
| Palestine | Beit Jala | West Bank | 2010 |
Born in Bergisch Gladbach
- Astrid Benöhr, German endurance athlete
- Wolfgang Bosbach, German politician
- Fabian Hambüchen, German gymnast
- Götz Heidelberg, German constructing engineer
- Mats Hummels, German football player for Borussia Dortmund
- Heidi Klum, German supermodel
- Georg Koch, retired German goalkeeper
- Tim Wiese, German football goalkeeper for 1899 Hoffenheim
Schools in Bergisch Gladbach
- Albertus-Magnus-Gymnasium Bensberg/Bergisch Gladbach, High School
- Gymnasium Herkenrath/Bergisch Gladbach, High School
- Nicolaus-Cusanus-Gymnasium Bergisch Gladbach, High School
- Otto-Hahn-Gymnasium Bensberg/Bergisch Gladbach, High School
References
- ^ "Amtliche Bevölkerungszahlen". Landesbetrieb Information und Technik NRW (in German). 31 December 2011.
External links
- Bergisch Gladbach Official site (German)
- Fire Department Bergisch Gladbach (German)