Bergneustadt () is a municipality in the eastern part of the

Oberbergischer Kreis The Oberbergischer Kreis (, ) is a ''Kreis'' (Districts of Germany, district) in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Ennepe-Ruhr, Märkischer Kreis, Olpe (district), Olpe, Altenkirchen (district), Altenkirchen, ...

(district), in

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia or North-Rhine/Westphalia, commonly shortened to NRW, is a States of Germany, state () in Old states of Germany, Western Germany. With more than 18 million inhabitants, it is the List of German states by population, most ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. It is located 50 km east of

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

. It is part of the

Berg Berg may refer to: People *Berg (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) * General Berg (disambiguation) * Berg Ng (born 1960), Hong Kong actor * Berg (footballer, born 1963), Ninimbergue dos Santos Guerra, Brazilian footba ...

region.

History

In 1301, the drost Rutger of

Altena Altena (; Westphalian language, Westphalian: ''Altenoa'') is a town in the district of Märkischer Kreis, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The town's castle is the origin for the later Dukes of Berg. Altena is situated on the Lenne river valley, i ...

started with the construction of the Niestat, as an outpost of the

County of Mark The County of Mark (, colloquially known as ) was a county and Imperial State, state of the Holy Roman Empire in the Lower Rhenish–Westphalian Circle. It lay south of Lippe (river), Lippe river on both sides of the Ruhr river along the Volme a ...

against the

archbishop of Cologne The Archbishop of Cologne governs the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cologne in western North Rhine-Westphalia. Historically, the archbishop was ''ex officio'' one of the prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire and ruled the Electorate of Cologne ...

, on the request of

Eberhard II, Count of the Mark Eberhard I (–4 July 1308) was a German nobleman. He was Count of the Mark from 1277 until his death. He was the son of Engelbert I, Count of the Mark and Kunigunde of Blieskastel (died 1265), daughter of Count Henry I of Blieskastel. In 1277, ...

. The new "Veste" soon received the same rights as

Lüdenscheid Lüdenscheid () is a city in the Märkischer Kreis district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the Sauerland region. Geography Lüdenscheid is located on the saddle of the watershed between the Lenne and Volme rivers whic ...

. Together with

Wipperfürth 310px, Map of the city 250px, Town hall Wipperfürth () is a municipality in the Oberbergischer Kreis of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, about 40 km north-east of Cologne, and the oldest town in the Bergischen Land. History The eldest d ...

, Lüdenscheid and

Lennep Remscheid () is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is, after Wuppertal and Solingen, the third-largest municipality in Bergisches Land, being located on the northern edge of the region, on the south side of the Ruhr area. Remscheid ha ...

, it belongs to a series of town foundations of the 13th century in the border region of the County of Mark and the

County of Berg Berg () was a state—originally a county, later a duchy—in the Rhineland of Germany. Its capital was Düsseldorf. It existed as a distinct political entity from the early 12th to the 19th centuries. It was a member state of the Holy Roman Empi ...

. The new town had impressive fortifications, including the town castle on a mountain spur above the river Dörspe. Parts of the town walls have survived. After early 17th century Neustadt went into decline, due to war, epidemics, fires and decreased strategic importance. After 1830 the construction of major roads and the railway lines from Siegburg and Cologne to Olpe (1896-1903) helped the town to new growth, further aided by strong industrial growth since the 1950s. The main activities were car industry, paper treatment, metal treatment and plastic treatment as well as mechanical engineering. Older than the main town are Wiedenest (1154), Altenothe (1237), Belmicke (1296); they all are a part of Bergneustadt since 1969. The decorated church (''Bunte Kirche'') in Wiedenest dates from the 12th century and is one of the most beautiful churches in

Geography

Bergneustadt is situated in the

Bergisches Land The Bergisches Land (, ) is a low mountain range in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, east of the Rhine and south of the Ruhr. The landscape is shaped by forests, meadows, rivers and creeks and contains over twenty artificial lakes ...

, an area of low hills east of the river

Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...

and west of the higher

Sauerland The Sauerland () is a rural, hilly area spreading across most of the south-eastern part of the States of Germany, German federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, in parts heavily forested and, apart from the major valleys, sparsely inhabited. ...

hills. The town lies in the valley of the small river Dörspe, a tributary of the Agger. Neighbouring municipalities are

Gummersbach Gummersbach () is a town in the States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, being the district seat of the Oberbergischer Kreis. It is located east of Cologne. History In 1109 Gummersbach was mentioned in official documents for t ...

to the west,

Drolshagen Drolshagen ( Westphalian: ''Draulsen'', or ''Draulzen'') is a town belonging to the district of Olpe in the ''Regierungsbezirk'' of Arnsberg in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, lying roughly 5 km west of Olpe. Geography Location Drols ...

to the east, and

Reichshof Reichshof is a North Rhine-Westphalian municipality in the Oberbergischer Kreis in Germany, about 40 km east of Cologne. It is a health resort, known for its good climate. The municipality consists of 106 villages and hamlets. The most impor ...

to the south. The municipality Bergneustadt consists of the main town Bergneustadt and 22 ''

Ortsteil A village is a human settlement or Residential community, community, larger than a hamlet (place), hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located ...

e'' (districts): Altenothe, Attenbach, Auf dem Dümpel, Baldenberg, Belmicke, Bösinghausen, Brelöh, Freischlade, Geschleide, Hackenberg, Höh, Hüngringhausen, Immicke, Leienbach, Neuenothe, Niederrengse, Pernze, Pustenbach, Rosenthal, Rosenthalseifen, Wiedenest and Wörde. The largest of these are Hackenberg (pop. 3,326 in 2005), Wiedenest (pop. 3,029) and Pernze (pop. 1,071).

Politics

Bergneustadt has a youth council which allows the council to participate in decision-making for the city.

The coat of arms

The arms were granted on December 24, 1876. The town developed around a castle built in 1301 by Rüttger von Altena ordered by Earl

Eberhard II of the Mark Eberhard I (–4 July 1308) was a German nobleman. He was Count of the Mark from 1277 until his death. He was the son of Engelbert I, Count of the Mark and Kunigunde of Blieskastel (died 1265), daughter of Count Henry I of Blieskastel. In 1277, ...

. The oldest seals of the city date from the middle of the 14th century and already show the present arms. The upper part of the arms shows the arms of the

Counts of the Mark The County of Mark (, colloquially known as ) was a county and state of the Holy Roman Empire in the Lower Rhenish–Westphalian Circle. It lay south of Lippe river on both sides of the Ruhr river along the Volme and Lenne rivers. The Counts d ...

, the lower part the older arms of the (oldest) Counts of Berg, from which the Counts of the Mark descended. From 1922-1969 the city used a

mural crown A mural crown () is a Crown (headgear), crown or headpiece representing city walls, fortified tower, towers, or fortresses. In classical antiquity, it was an emblem of tutelary deities who watched over a city, and among the ancient Rome, Romans ...

on the arms.

Buildings and institutions

Historical buildings

* In the district Wiedenest stands a "colored church" with colorful

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

paintings at the ceiling.

Public utilities

Libraries

* Public library Bergneustadt

Banks

* Sparkasse (''Savings bank'') Gummersbach-Bergneustadt with four offices (city centre, district Stadtwald, district Wiedenest, district Pernze) *

Commerzbank The Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft (shortly known as Commerzbank AG or Commerzbank ) is a European Financial institution, banking institution headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Hesse, Germany. It offers services to private and entrepreneurial c ...

with one office *

Deutsche Bank Deutsche Bank AG (, ) is a Germany, German multinational Investment banking, investment bank and financial services company headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, and dual-listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange. ...

with one office * Volksbank Oberberg e.V. with one office

Schools

*"Gemeinschaftsgrundschule Bergneustadt 'Auf dem Bursten' " ''(primary school)'' *"Katholische Grundschule Bergneustadt" ''(catholic primary school)'' *"Gemeinschaftsgrundschule Bergneustadt-Hackenberg" ''(primary school)'' *"Gemeinschaftsgrundschule Bergneustadt-Wiedenest" ''(primary school)'' *"Wüllenweber Gymnasium" ''(grammar school/high school Bergneustadt)'' *"Städtische

Realschule Real school (, ) is a type of secondary school in Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It has also existed in Croatia (''realna gimnazija''), the Austrian Empire, the German Empire, Denmark and Norway (''realskole''), Sweden (''realskola''), F ...

Bergneustadt" ''(city secondary school)'' *"Gemeinschafts

hauptschule A ''Hauptschule'' (, "general school") is a secondary school in Germany, starting after four years of elementary schooling (''Grundschule''), which offers Lower Secondary Education (Level 2) according to the International Standard Classification ...

" ''(general school Bergneustadt)''

Religious groups and communities

Protestant parishes and churches

* Evangelische Kirchengemeinde Bergneustadt ''( Lutheran denomination)'' with
• Altstadtkirche ''(17th century)''
• Versöhnerkirche, district Stadtwald ''(1966)''
• Gemeindecentrum Hackenberg ''(1976)'' * Evangelische Kirchengemeinde Wiedenest ''( Lutheran denomination)'' with churches in
• Wiedenest ''(Bunte Kerk, 11th century)''
• Neuenothe ''(

chapel A chapel (from , a diminutive of ''cappa'', meaning "little cape") is a Christianity, Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. First, smaller spaces inside a church that have their o ...

, 1960s)''
• Pernze ''(1960s)''

Roman Catholic parishes and churches

* Roman Catholic parish Saint Stephanus, Bergneustadt * Roman Catholic parish Saint Matthias, Hackenberg * Roman Catholic parish Saint Anna, Belmicke, with a chapel in Wiedenest/Pernze

Evangelical parishes

* Evangelisch-freikirchliche Gemeinden (Brüdergemeinden) Wiedenest * Evangelisch-freikirchliche Gemeinden (Brüdergemeinden) Hackenberg * Evangelisch-freikirchliche Gemeinde (Baptisten) Bergneustadt, Wilhelmstrasse * Common

Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...

school - Wiedenest ''(this is the bible school of the German brethren)'' * Christen ohne Namen ''(= Christians without a name)'' *

Ecclesia Ecclesia (Greek: ἐκκλησία ''ekklēsia'') may refer to: Organizations * Ecclesia (ancient Greece) or Ekklēsia, the principal assembly of ancient Greece during its Golden Age * Ecclesia (Sparta), the citizens' assembly of Sparta, often w ...

Other religious groups

Jehovah's Witnesses Jehovah's Witnesses is a Christian denomination that is an outgrowth of the Bible Student movement founded by Charles Taze Russell in the nineteenth century. The denomination is nontrinitarian, millenarian, and restorationist. Russell co-fou ...

New Apostolic Church The New Apostolic Church (NAC) is a Christian denomination, Christian church of the Catholic Apostolic Church, Irvingian tradition. Its origins are in 1863, in the split from the Catholic Apostolic Church during a schism in Hamburg, Ger ...

Associations

* FC Wiedenest-Othetal ''(football)'
www.fc-wiedenest-othetal.de
* TV Bergneustadt ''(different sports, ''e.g.'' handball, gymnastics, karate)'' * Chess association Bergneustadt/Derschlag * Stamp collector's association Bergneustadt * Baris Spor Hackenberg ''(

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

)'' * SSV Bergneustadt ''(football)'' * Bodyguard ''(kickboxing, Thai-boxing, boxing, yoga)'' * Table tennis association "Schwalbe" Bergneustadt (" Schwalbe" being the main sponsor) * Soar club Bergneustadt *

German Red Cross The German Red Cross (GRC) ( ; DRK) is the national Red Cross Society in Germany. During the Nazi era, the German Red Cross was under the control of the Nazi Party and played a role in supporting the regime's policies, including the exclusion ...

Bergneustadt * HSG Bergneustadt-Gummersbach * BSV ''(swimming)'' * THW-Bergneustadt * The Voices ''(choir with newer repertoire)''

Economy

The city's major employer is Metalsa Automotive GmbH (formerly ''Innomotive Systems Europe GmbH'' or briefly called ''ISE'') - a supplier of the automotive industry which is specialized in the development and production of innovative structural and safety systems for automobiles. With 2000 employees in Germany and 12200 globally.

Population

Transport

Road

Bergneustadt is connected to the

Bundesautobahn 4 is an autobahn in two discontinuous segments that crosses Germany in a west–east direction. The western segment has a length of , while the part in the east is long. Route The western A 4 starts north-west of Aachen, where the A ...

(Cologne - Olpe) by a feeder road. The

Bundesstraße 55 The Bundesstraße 55 (abbr. B 55) is a Bundesstraße road in Germany, connecting Jülich with Rheda-Wiedenbrück via Cologne, Gummersbach, Olpe and Meschede. See also *List of federal highways in Germany The following is a list of the Germa ...

runs through the city centre, through the district ''Wiedenest'' and along the district ''Pernze''. It connects the town with

(in the West) and

(in the East).

Public transport

At the bus stop ''Graf-Eberhard-Platz'' in the city centre are stopping the following bus lines: * No. 301 :

—- Bergneustadt —- Olpe * No. 313 : Bergneustadt (city centre) —- Attenbach * No. 314 : Bergneustadt (city centre) —- Hackenberg (district) * No. 315 : Bergneustadt (city centre) —- Stadtwald (district)

Air transport

There is an airfield with a 600 m (1968.5 ft) long grass airstrip in the district ''Auf dem Dümpel''. Planes with one motor and a maximal weight of 3,400 pounds and helicopters with a maximal weight of 11,400 pounds are allowed to alight.

Town twinnings

Châtenay-Malabry Châtenay-Malabry () is a commune in the southwestern suburbs of Paris. It is located from the center of Paris. The French writer Chateaubriand lived in the estate at Châtenay-Malabry. The Garden City in the Butte Rouge, the , is one of t ...

, F, 1967 *

Landsmeer Landsmeer () is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Population centres The municipality of Landsmeer consists of three villages: Den Ilp, Landsmeer, Purmerland. Topography ''Map of the municipality ...

, NL, since 1968 :''Châtenay-Malabry and Landsmeer are also twinned since 1986'' * „Arbeitsgemeinschaft Neustadt in Europa“ ''(see the german Wikipedia: „Neustadt in Europa“)''

Notable people

* Friedhelm Julius Beucher (born 1946), teacher, politician (SPD), member of the

Bundestag The Bundestag (, "Federal Diet (assembly), Diet") is the lower house of the Germany, German Federalism in Germany, federal parliament. It is the only constitutional body of the federation directly elected by the German people. The Bundestag wa ...

1990–2002 *

Anja Harteros Anja Harteros (born 23 July 1972) is a German soprano. Since winning the 1999 Cardiff Singer of the World competition she has been particularly associated with the Bavarian State Opera and enjoyed an international career. In her earlier career ...

(born 1972), opera singer * Horst Janzen (1930–1978), painter * Johann Gottlieb Nörremberg (1787–1862), physicist *

Heinz Schilling Heinz Schilling (born 23 May 1942) is a German historian. Life Heinz Schilling was born in Bergneustadt in Berg and grew up in Cologne. After studying history, German, philosophy and sociology at the University of Cologne and completing a st ...

(born 1942), historian at the Humboldt University of Berlin

References

* Günther Aders, ''Quellen zur Geschichte der Stadt Bergneustadt und des alten Amtes Neustadt von 1109 bis 1630'' = ''Sources for the History of the City of Bergneustadt and the old Amtes Neustadt from 1109 to 1630'', pg. 71, 1951, 7-268 * Marianne Hack and Hubertus Dan - ''Literaturverzeichnis zur Geschichte Bergneustadts im 19. und 20. Jahrhundert'' = ''Bibliography to the History of Bergneustadts in the 19th and the 20th centuries'',

, 1991 * ''Bergneustadt 1301-1951'', Festschrift, Bergneustadt 1951

Sources

External links

Official website

{{Authority control Towns in North Rhine-Westphalia Oberbergischer Kreis