Bergneustadt (; ksh, Bärrschneushtadt) is a municipality in the eastern part of the

Oberbergischer Kreis The Oberbergischer Kreis ( ksh, Boverbärjische Kreiß) is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Ennepe-Ruhr, Märkischer Kreis, Olpe, Altenkirchen, Rhein-Sieg, Rheinisch-Bergischer ...

(district), in

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a States of Germany, state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more tha ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. It is located 50 km east of

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...

. It is part of the

Berg Berg may refer to: People *Berg (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) *Berg Ng (born 1960), Hong Kong actor * Berg (footballer) (born 1989), Brazilian footballer Former states *Berg (state), county and duchy of the Holy ...

region.

History

In 1301 the drost Rutger of

Altena Altena (; 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, in the northern stre ...

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

County of Mark The County of Mark (german: Grafschaft Mark, links=no, french: Comté de La Marck, links=no colloquially known as ) was a county and state of the Holy Roman Empire in the Lower Rhenish–Westphalian Circle. It lay on both sides of the Ruhr River ...

against the

archbishop of Cologne The Archbishop of Cologne is an archbishop governing the Archdiocese of Cologne of the Catholic Church in western North Rhine-Westphalia and is also a historical state in the Rhine holding the birthplace of Beethoven and northern Rhineland-Palati ...

, 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, C ...

. 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 which b ...

. 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. The name of the county lives on in the modern ...

. The new town had impressive fortifications, including the town castle on a mountain spur above the river

Dörspe Dörspe is a river of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It flows into the Agger near Bergneustadt. See also *List of rivers of North Rhine-Westphalia A list of rivers of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany: A * Aa, left tributary of the Möhne * ...

. 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 are 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 (, ''Berg Country'') is a low mountain range region within the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, east of Rhine river, south of the Ruhr. The landscape is shaped by woods, meadows, rivers and creeks and contains over ...

, an area of low hills east of the river

Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , so ...

and west of the higher

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

hills. The town lies in the valley of the small river

, a tributary of the Agger. Neighbouring municipalities are

Gummersbach Gummersbach (; ksh, Jummersbach) 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 offic ...

to the west,

Drolshagen Drolshagen 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 Drolshagen lies in the heavily wooded ''Naturpark E ...

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. History While sources on the early history of the area are scarce, ...

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

Ortsteil A village is a clustered human settlement or Residential community, community, larger than a hamlet (place), hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population t ...

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 (german: Grafschaft Mark, links=no, french: Comté de La Marck, links=no colloquially known as ) was a county and state of the Holy Roman Empire in the Lower Rhenish–Westphalian Circle. It lay on both sides of the Ruhr River ...

, 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 ( la, corona muralis) is a crown or headpiece representing city walls, towers, or fortresses. In classical antiquity, it was an emblem of tutelary deities who watched over a city, and among the Romans a military decoration. Later th ...

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 late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

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 Commerzbank AG () is a major German bank operating as a universal bank, headquartered in Frankfurt am Main. In the 2019 financial year, the bank was the second largest in Germany by the total value of its balance sheet. Founded in 1870 in Hambur ...

with one office *

Deutsche Bank Deutsche Bank AG (), sometimes referred to simply as Deutsche, is a German multinational investment bank and financial services company headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, and dual-listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and the New York Sto ...

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 ''Realschule'' () 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''), ...

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 is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common ty ...

, 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 (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

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

Other religious groups

Jehovah's Witnesses Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The group reports a worldwide membership of approximately 8.7 million adherents involved in ...

New Apostolic Church The New Apostolic Church (NAC) is a Christian denomination, Christian church that split from the Catholic Apostolic Church during an 1863 schism in Hamburg, Germany. The church has existed since 1863 in Germany and since 1897 in the Ne ...

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, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

)'' * 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 (german: Deutsches Rotes Kreuz ; DRK) is the national Red Cross Society in Germany. With 4 million members, it is the third largest Red Cross society in the world. The German Red Cross offers a wide range of services within ...

Bergneustadt * HSG Bergneustadt-Gummersbach * BSV ''(swimming)'' *

THW The (THW, English: ''Federal Agency for Technical Relief'') is the federal civil protection organisation of Germany. It is controlled by the German federal government. 99% of its 79,543 members (2019) are volunteers. Tasks The tasks of the ...

-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 that crosses Germany in a west–east direction. The western segment has a length of , the part in the east is long. Works to continue the A 4 are in progress, but currently no plans exist to fill the gap completely. T ...

(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 German ...

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 10.8 km (6.7 mi) from the center of Paris. The French writer Chateaubriand lived in the estate ''Vallée-aux-Loups'' at Châtenay-Malabry. The Ga ...

, 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 the three villages: Den Ilp, Landsmeer, Purmerland. Topography ''Dutch topographic ...

, 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") is the German federal parliament. It is the only federal representative body that is directly elected by the German people. It is comparable to the United States House of Representatives or the House of Commons ...

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 sta ...

(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