Jülich (; in old spellings also known as ''Guelich'' or ''Gülich'', nl, Gulik, french: Juliers,
Ripuarian: ''Jöllesch'') is a
town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an o ...
in the district of
Düren, in the federal state of
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more than 18 million inha ...
,
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 betwee ...
. As a border region between the competing powers in the
Lower Rhine
The Lower Rhine (german: Niederrhein; kilometres 660 to 1,033 of the river Rhine) flows from Bonn, Germany, to the North Sea at Hook of Holland, Netherlands (including the Nederrijn or "Nether Rhine" within the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta); ...
and
Meuse
The Meuse ( , , , ; wa, Moûze ) or Maas ( , ; li, Maos or ) is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a ...
areas, the town and the
Duchy of Jülich played a historic role from the
Middle Ages
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 period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
up to the 17th century.
Geography
Jülich stands in the Rur valley on the banks of the river
Rur. The town is bordered by the town of
Linnich in the north, the municipality of
Titz in the northeast, the municipality of
Niederzier in the southeast, the municipality of
Inden in the south, and by the municipality of
Aldenhoven in the west. Its maximum size is 13.3 km from east to west and 10.9 km from north to south.
The highest point in Jülich is in Bourheim, 110 m above sea level (excepting
Sophienhöhe
The Sophienhöhe (301.8 m AMSL) is the largest artificial hill worldwide, created by surface mining at the open cast lignite mine Tagebau Hambach operated by RWE Power AG in Düren (district), North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
Location
Sophie ...
, an extensive artificial mountain made up of overburden from a nearby open-pit
lignite mine, the
Tagebau Hambach
The Tagebau Hambach is a large open-pit coal mine (german: Tagebau) in Niederzier and Elsdorf, North Rhine–Westphalia, Germany. It is operated by RWE and used for mining lignite.
The mine is on the site of the ancient Hambach Forest, w ...
). The lowest point, 70 m above sea level, lies in the borough of .
Climate
Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as
oceanic (Cfb).
Boroughs
The town of Jülich comprises 16 boroughs:
* Town centre
* Altenburg
*
* Bourheim
* Broich
* Daubenrath
* Güsten
* Kirchberg
* Koslar
* Lich-Steinstraß
* Mersch
* Merzenhausen
* Pattern
* Selgersdorf
* Stetternich
* Welldorf (including Serrest)
History
Jülich is first mentioned in Roman times as ''Juliacum'' along an important road through the
Rur valley. Fortified during the late Roman period, it was taken over by the
Franks
The Franks ( la, Franci or ) were a group of Germanic peoples whose name was first mentioned in 3rd-century Roman sources, and associated with tribes between the Lower Rhine and the Ems River, on the edge of the Roman Empire.H. Schutz: Tools ...
and grew to be the centre of a
county
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
which became the nucleus of a regional power. The counts and dukes of Jülich extended their influence during the
Middle Ages
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 period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
and granted Jülich city status in 1234 (Count Wilhelm IV). During battles with the Archbishop of
Cologne
Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...
, Jülich was destroyed in 1239 and again in 1278.
In 1416, the city was granted fiscal independence by Duke Rainald of Jülich-Geldern. Following a fire in 1547, the city was rebuilt as an
ideal city
An ideal city is the concept of a plan for a city that has been conceived in accordance with a particular rational or moral objective.
Concept
The "ideal" nature of such a city may encompass the moral, spiritual and juridical qualities of ci ...
in the
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ide ...
style under the direction of the architect
Alessandro Pasqualini
Alessandro Pasqualini (5 May 1493 – 1559) was an Italian Renaissance architect and engineer, born in Bologna, who helped bring Renaissance architecture to the Low Countries.
He was hired by Floris van Egmond, the count of Buren and lord ...
. The citadel of Jülich was later visited by the French military engineer
Sébastien le Prestre de Vauban and was rated exemplary.
After the ducal family line was extinguished in 1609, the
Duchy of Jülich was divided in the
War of the Jülich Succession; as part of that war, the fortress at Jülich was occupied by Emperor Rudolph's forces. The
1610 siege by Dutch, Brandenburg and Palatine forces led to the surrender and withdrawal of Imperial troops.
Jülich was occupied by the Dutch Republic until 1621-22 when the Spanish took the fortress after a
five months of siege. Control of the city later fell to
Palatinate-Neuburg, then the
Electorate of the Palatinate
The Electoral Palatinate (german: Kurpfalz) or the Palatinate (), officially the Electorate of the Palatinate (), was a state that was part of the Holy Roman Empire. The electorate had its origins under the rulership of the Counts Palatine o ...
(1685) and
Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total l ...
(1777).
From 1794 to 1814, Jülich was part of France under the name of ''Juliers''. The French added the Napoleonic bridge head to the fortifications. In 1815, Jülich became a
Prussia
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...
n fortification and district town. The town was subsequently administered within the Prussian
Province of Jülich-Cleves-Berg (1815) and then the
Rhine Province (1822). The fortification was razed in 1860.
On 16 November 1944 (
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
), 97% of Jülich was destroyed during Allied bombing, since it was considered one of the main obstacles to the occupation of the Rhineland, although the city fortifications, the bridge head and the citadel had long fallen into disuse. The ruined city was subject to heavy fighting for several months until the Allies eventually managed to cross the Ruhr on 23 February 1945. Newsreel footage exists of Supreme Commander Eisenhower at the southern entrance to the citadel.
Jülich became part of the new state of
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more than 18 million inha ...
after the war. From 1949 to 1956, the town centre was rebuilt along the plans of the Renaissance town.
In 1998, the state garden fair took place in Jülich. This made the extensive restoration of the bridge head fortifications and the establishment of a large leisure park, the bridge head park, possible.
Today, Jülich is mainly known for
Forschungszentrum Jülich (established in 1956) and the satellite campus of the
Fachhochschule Aachen
The FH Aachen – Aachen University of Applied Sciences is one of the biggest Fachhochschulen in Germany with roughly 15,000 students, 250 professors, 470 contract lecturers, and 340 assistants. It is specialized in certain topical areas (e.g. te ...
(established in 1970). The town's landmark is the
Witch Tower, a city gate and remnant of the medieval city fortifications. The most impressive remnants from the past are, however, both the Napoleonic Bridgehead and the Citadel.
Gallery
Image:Jülich, kerk 2009-08-15 12.57.JPG, Jülich, church
Image:Zitadelle Juelich-DSC 0015w.jpg, Entrance of the Citadel
Population history
Twin towns – sister cities
Jülich is
twinned with:
*
Haubourdin
Haubourdin () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is part of the Métropole Européenne de Lille.
Population
Heraldry
See also
*Communes of the Nord department
The following is a list of the 648 communes of the Nord ...
, France (1964)
*
Taicang
Taicang is a county-level city under the jurisdiction of Suzhou, Jiangsu province, China. The city located in the south of the Yangtze River estuary opposite Nantong, being bordered by Shanghai proper to the south, while the river also deli ...
, China (2017)
Transport
*
BAB 4 (Düren / Jülich Interchange)
*
BAB 44
**(Jülich Ost (East)/ Mersch Interchange)
**(Jülich West (West)/ Koslar Interchange)
*
Rurtalbahn
Rurtalbahn (German for "Rur Valley Railway") is a railway company servicing the Rur valley from Linnich to Heimbach. Its major hub is Düren station, from where two train lines run to the two destinations.
Rurtalbahn GmbH is owned by R.A.T.H ...
, literally the
Rur Valley Railway (Linnich - Jülich - Düren - Heimbach)
Culture and landmarks
Museums
* Historical Town Museum
Buildings
Particularly notable:
* the Witchtower (Hexenturm)
* the Citadel
* the Napoleonic Bridgehead
* the Church of the Assumption
* the Aachener Tor (lit. Aachen Gate)
* aerial towers of shortwave broadcasting facility
Shortwave broadcasting facility
In 1956 the
WDR broadcaster established the first short wave transmitter near the borough Mersch. In the subsequent years this site was expanded. On September 1, 1961 this site was handed over to the German Federal Post for establishing the German foreign broadcasting service, "Deutsche Welle". In the course of time 10 transmitters of 100 kilowatts were installed, whereby as transmitting antennas enormous dipole arrays between free standing steel framework towers were installed. Later these transmitters were rented to the predominant part to non-German broadcasting organisations. In the 90's on the area of the shortwave transmission facility also a transmitting plant for medium wave was installed, using a long wire antenna which is spun at a tower on the transmitter site. It was intended to be used for transmission of the programme of radio Viva on 702 kHz, but it never went into regular service for this broadcaster. From December 6, 2004 to May 2006, the medium-wave transmitter was used to broadcast the programme of the German commercial broadcaster "TruckRadio" on 702 kHz. In 2006 the shortwave-facilities were sold to the British entrepreneur
Robert Edmiston
Robert Norman Edmiston, Baron Edmiston (born 6 October 1946) is a British billionaire businessman and motor trade entrepreneur based in the West Midlands, who has established a number of religious and educational charities, including Christian ...
and his
Christian Vision
CV, formerly known as Christian Vision, is a large international Christian ministry established in 1988, based in the United Kingdom. CV was founded by Lord Edmiston, with a vision to "reach one billion people around the globe, introduce them to ...
-organization. However, on October 24, 2009 the site was shut down and antennas and transmitters have been dismantled by now.
Miscellaneous
The reliquaries of
Christina von Stommeln.
Sport
Jülich-based sports teams are TTC Jülich (
table tennis, which competes in the
Bundesliga
The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footb ...
, the domestic premiere league) and the
SC Jülich 1910, an
amateur football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
club that won the German national amateur championships in 1969, 1970 and 1971.
Healthcare
St. Elisabeth Hospital
On November 19, 1891, the St. Elisabeth Hospital Jülich was opened. It was completely destroyed in World War II, but was rebuilt in 1946 and expanded over the following years: in 1950, an eye and an ENT department were set up, and in 1959 the specialist department for gynecology and obstetrics. There has been a nursing school since 1964. In 2003 an outpatient surgery center and in 2006 a new ward block were built. It is a 156-bed hospital with 300 employees.
The sponsors were from 1891 to 1963 the city of Jülich, from 1963 to 1987 the Caritas association for the diocese of Aachen, from 1987 to 2010 the Malteser St. Elisabeth gGmbH and since 2010 it has been the Caritas Trägergesellschaft West gGmbH
Rescue service
The German Red Cross and the Malteser Hilfsdienst operate the rescue service in Jülich. The district of Düren (RDKD) has commissioned them to carry out the rescue service. The rescue stations are located in Jülich (DRK) and in the district of Mersch (MHD). The emergency vehicle is at the Jülich hospital.
Notable people
*
Alessandro Pasqualini
Alessandro Pasqualini (5 May 1493 – 1559) was an Italian Renaissance architect and engineer, born in Bologna, who helped bring Renaissance architecture to the Low Countries.
He was hired by Floris van Egmond, the count of Buren and lord ...
*
Bobby Julich, American Cycling Star has traced his family ancestry back to Jülich
* In the Netherlands, the name
Van Gulik Van Gulik (also Van Gulick and Van der Gulik) is a Dutch language, Dutch toponymic surname, meaning "from Gulik" (Duchy of Jülich). The counts and dukes of Jülich were named "van Gulik" in the local Meuse-Rhenish dialect. Other notable people with ...
is quite common, e.g. the much translated author
Robert van Gulik. But one also finds variants like: ''Van Gulick, Van de(r) Gulik'' (cf
David Van Der Gulik), ''Guliks, Gulickx, Gulikers'', and ''Jülicher''
*
Nikolaus von Maillot de la Treille Nikolaus Hubert Freiherr von Maillot de la Treille (25 September 1774 – 28 August 1834) was a Bavarian lieutenant general and War Minister under Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria, Maximilian I Joseph and Ludwig I of Bavaria.
Biography
Maillot de l ...
, the Bavarian war minister, was born in Jülich
Citizens
*
Johann Wilhelm Schirmer
Johann Wilhelm Schirmer (5 September 1807 in Jülich – 11 September 1863 in Karlsruhe) was a German landscape artist born in Jülich, within the Kingdom of Prussia, Prussian Duchy of Jülich.
Biography
Schirmer was started as a student ...
(1807–1863), landscape artist
*
Antonius Fischer (1840–1912), archbishop and cardinal
*
Dürbeck & Dohmen, composer duo, René Dohmen (born 1966) and Joachim Dürbeck (born 1967)
* (born 1967), mayor of Jülich
*
Robert Leipertz
Robert Leipertz (born 1 February 1993) is a German Association football, footballer who plays as a forward (football), forward for club SC Paderborn 07, SC Paderborn.
Club career
On 3 May 2022, Leipertz signed a two-year contract with SC Paderb ...
(born 1993), football player
*
Heinz-Günther Nesselrath
Heinz-Günther Nesselrath (9 November 1957 in Titz, Rödingen) is a German people, German philology, philologist.
Career
Born in Titz, Rödingen, Heinz Günther Nesselrath studied classical philology in the University of Cologne from 1976 to 19 ...
(born 1957), philologist
*
Goswin Nickel
Goswin Nickel (1582 - 31 July 1664) was a German Jesuit priest and the tenth Superior-General of the Society of Jesus.
Goswin was born in Koslar, North-Westphalia (Germany). He studied in Paderborn and Mainz (1611–1615), where he was promote ...
(1582–1664), 10th Superior-General of the Jesuits
*
Gregory P. Unholt
Gregory may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Gregory (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name
* Gregory (surname), a surname
Places Australia
*Gregory, Queensland, a town in the Shire of ...
(born 1937), Jülich-born, German-American computer scientist
Associated with the town
*
Grünberg, Peter (born 1939), physicist, Nobel Prize 2007
Literature
* Guido von Büren (Hrsg.): ''Jülich Stadt - Territorium - Geschichte]',
Kleve
Kleve (; traditional en, Cleves ; nl, Kleef; french: Clèves; es, Cléveris; la, Clivia; Low Rhenish: ''Kleff'') is a town in the Lower Rhine region of northwestern Germany near the Dutch border and the River Rhine. From the 11th century ...
2000,
* Ulrich Coenen: ''Von Juliacum bis Jülich. Die Baugeschichte der Stadt und ihrer Vororte von der Antike bis zu Gegenwart'', 2. Aufl.,
Aachen
Aachen ( ; ; Aachen dialect: ''Oche'' ; French and traditional English: Aix-la-Chapelle; or ''Aquisgranum''; nl, Aken ; Polish: Akwizgran) is, with around 249,000 inhabitants, the 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, and the 28th ...
1989.
* Ulrich Coenen: ''Stadt Jülich = Rheinische Kunststätten'', Heft 368, Neuss 1991.
* Conrad Doose/Siegfried Peters: ''Renaissancefestung Jülich'', 1998,
* Ulrich Eckardt/Wolfgang Hommel/Werner Katscher: ''Flug über Jülich'', 2003,
* Wolfgang Hommel: ''Stadtführer Jülich'', 1998,
* Wolfgang Hommel: ''Jülich im Aufbruch - Landesgartenschau und Stadtentwicklungsprogramm Jülich '98'', 1998,
* Dr. Erwin Fuchs/Wolfgang Hommel: ''Die Jülicher und ihre Wurzeln'', 1997,
* Eva Behrens-Hommel: ''Sagen und Überlieferungen des Jülicher Landes'', 1996,
* Eva Behrens-Hommel: '' Mundartsammlung des Jülicher Landes'', 1997,
* Hartwig Neumann: Stadt und Festung Jülich auf bildlichen Darstellungen, Bonn 1991.
* Gabriele Spelthahn: ''An der Synagoge - Jülich und der Holocaust'', 1997,
References
External links
*
The research centreCampus Jülich of FH-Aachen (University of Applied Sciences)The culture and leisure centreThe former state garden fairNice Webcam with a view of the witch towerEdicts of Jülich, Cleves, Berg, Grand Duchy Berg, 1475-1815 (Coll. Scotti) onlineSettlement of Dortmund between Brandenburg and Palatinate-Neuburg and the conflict of succession in Jülich, in full text
{{DEFAULTSORT:Julich
Düren (district)
Districts of the Rhine Province