Mönchengladbach (, li, Jlabbach ) is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

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 west of the

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

, halfway between

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in th ...

and the

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

border.

Geography

Municipal subdivisions

Since 2009, the territory of Mönchengladbach has comprised four (previously ten) boroughs which are subdivided into 44 districts. The boroughs and their associated districts * ''Nord:'' Am Wasserturm, Dahl, Eicken, Gladbach, Hardt-Mitte, Hardter Wald, Ohler,

Venn Venn is a surname and a given name. It may refer to: Given name * Venn Eyre (died 1777), Archdeacon of Carlisle, Cumbria, England * Venn Pilcher (1879–1961), Anglican bishop, writer, and translator of hymns * Venn Young (1929–1993), New Zea ...

, Waldhausen,

Westend Westend may refer to: * Westend (Trevilians, Virginia), an historic house in Virginia listed on the NRHP * Westend (Berlin), a locality of Berlin in Germany * Westend (Frankfurt am Main), a borough of Frankfurt am Main in Germany * Westend, Espoo, ...

Windberg Windberg is a Municipalities of Germany, municipality in the district of Straubing-Bogen in Bavaria, Germany. References

Straubing-Bogen {{StraubingBogen-geo-stub ...

* ''Ost:'' Bettrath‑Hoven, Bungt, Flughafen, Giesenkirchen‑Mitte, Giesenkirchen‑Nord, Hardterbroich‑Pesch, Lürrip, Neuwerk‑Mitte, Schelsen, Uedding * ''Süd:'' Bonnenbroich‑Geneicken, Geistenbeck, Grenzland‑Stadion, Heyden, Hockstein, Mülfort, Odenkirchen‑Mitte, Odenkirchen‑West, Pongs,

Rheydt Rheydt () is a borough of the Germany, German city Mönchengladbach, located in the west of North Rhine-Westphalia. Until 1918 and then again from 1933 (due to a split from Mönchengladbach arranged by Joseph Goebbels, who was born there) through ...

, Sasserath, Schloss Rheydt, Schmölderpark, Schrievers * ''West:'' Hauptquartier,

Hehn Hehn is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Hans-Jürgen Hehn (born 1944), German fencer *Keri Hehn (born 1981), American swimmer * Paul N. Hehn, American historian *Sascha Hehn (born 1954), German actor Places *Hehn, a quarter of ...

Holt Holt or holte may refer to: Natural world *Holt (den), an otter den * Holt, an area of woodland Places Australia * Holt, Australian Capital Territory * Division of Holt, an electoral district in the Australian House of Representatives in Vic ...

, Rheindahlen‑Land, Rheindahlen‑Mitte, Wanlo, Wickrath-Mitte, Wickrath‑West, Wickrathberg

History

Name and origins

The original name of the city was Gladbach, by which it is still often known today. To distinguish it from another town of the same name (the present

Bergisch Gladbach Bergisch Gladbach () is a city in the Cologne/Bonn Region of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, and capital of the Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis (district). Geography Bergisch Gladbach is located east of the river Rhine, approx. 10 kilometers east of ...

), it took the name München-Gladbach in 1888. Between 1933 and 1950, it was written München Gladbach (short: M. Gladbach), without a hyphen. This spelling was seen as potentially misleading, as it could imply that Gladbach was a borough of

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

(''München'' in

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

), so consequently the name was changed to Mönchen-Gladbach in 1950 (and subsequently Mönchengladbach in 1960) to avoid confusion. The town was founded around

Gladbach Abbey Gladbach Abbey was a Benedictine abbey founded in 974 by Archbishop Gero of Cologne and the monk Sandrad from Trier. It was named after the Gladbach, a narrow brook that now runs underground. The abbey and its adjoining villages grew into the tow ...

in 974. It was named after the Gladbach, a narrow brook which mostly runs underground today. The abbey and adjoining villages became a town in the 14th century. The town of

is located nearby and is incorporated into Mönchengladbach today.

Early history

The first settlements in the area of Mönchengladbach are approximately 300,000–400,000 years old and show remains of

Homo erectus ''Homo erectus'' (; meaning "upright man") is an extinct species of archaic human from the Pleistocene, with its earliest occurrence about 2 million years ago. Several human species, such as '' H. heidelbergensis'' and '' H. antecessor' ...

and

Neanderthal Neanderthals (, also ''Homo neanderthalensis'' and erroneously ''Homo sapiens neanderthalensis''), also written as Neandertals, are an extinct species or subspecies of archaic humans who lived in Eurasia until about 40,000 years ago. While th ...

. There are numerous

cairn A cairn is a man-made pile (or stack) of stones raised for a purpose, usually as a marker or as a burial mound. The word ''cairn'' comes from the gd, càrn (plural ). Cairns have been and are used for a broad variety of purposes. In prehis ...

s from the

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...

and

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

s. The history of Mönchengladbach began with the construction of the Gladbach Minster and the founding of an abbey in the year 974 by Gero, Archbishop of Cologne, and his companion, the monk Sandrad of

Trier Trier ( , ; lb, Tréier ), formerly known in English as Trèves ( ;) and Triers (see also names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle in Germany. It lies in a valley between low vine-covered hills of red sandstone in the ...

. To improve the settlement, the monks created a market north of the church in the 12th century. Craftsmen settled near the market. Gladbach received its

town charter A city charter or town charter (generically, municipal charter) is a legal document (''charter'') establishing a municipality such as a city or town. The concept developed in Europe during the Middle Ages. Traditionally the granting of a charter ...

in 1364–1366. The "town" erected a town wall made of stone, which had to be maintained by the citizens. Remains of the wall can be found at the Geroweiher, as can remains of the "Thick Tower", an old fortified tower at the Waldhausener hill. Until the end of the 18th century, the city belonged to the department of

Grevenbroich Grevenbroich () is a town in the Rhein-Kreis Neuss, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated on the river Erft, approximately 15 km southwest of Neuss and 15 km southeast of Mönchengladbach. Cologne and Düsseldorf are in a 30 ...

within the

duchy of Jülich The Duchy of Jülich (german: Herzogtum Jülich; nl, Hertogdom Gulik; french: Duché de Juliers) comprised a state within the Holy Roman Empire from the 11th to the 18th centuries. The duchy lay west of the Rhine river and was bordered by th ...

. On 4 October 1794, the armed forces of the

French revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

marched into the town, one day before the fortress Jülich had been handed over. When the Holy Roman Emperor Francis II ceded the left bank of the river

to France with the

Treaty of Lunéville The Treaty of Lunéville (or Peace of Lunéville) was signed in the Treaty House of Lunéville on 9 February 1801. The signatory parties were the French Republic and Emperor Francis II, who signed on his own behalf as ruler of the hereditary doma ...

in 1801, Gladbach fell under French laws suppressing religion. This was the end for the abbey, and the monastery was closed. On 31 October 1802, the last 31 monks left the monastery. The contents of the tremendous abbey library, well known outside Germany, were scattered or destroyed. From 1798 until 1814, the ''

Mairie In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

'' Gladbach was part of '' Canton'' Odenkirchen, of the ''

Arrondissement An arrondissement (, , ) is any of various administrative divisions of France, Belgium, Haiti, certain other Francophone countries, as well as the Netherlands. Europe France The 101 French departments are divided into 342 ''arrondissements' ...

'' Krefeld, of the

Roer The Rur or Roer (german: Rur ; Dutch and li, Roer, , ; french: Rour) is a major river that flows through portions of Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. It is a right (eastern) tributary to the Meuse ( nl, links=no, Maas). About 90 perce ...

Département In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level ("territorial collectivity, territorial collectivities"), between the regions of France, admin ...

''.

Recent history

In 1815, Gladbach became part of the

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (german: Königreich Preußen, ) was a German kingdom that constituted the state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Re ...

and seat of the Landkreis Gladbach, which was dissolved in 1929. In 1815 Gladbach became seat of the Bürgermeisterei (Office of mayor), which was split in 1859 into two parts: the City of Gladbach and Office of Mayor Obergeburth. The latter was renamed to München-Gladbach-Land in 1907. From 1933 through 1975, the neighborhood of

was an independent city; the split from München-Gladbach was arranged by

Joseph Goebbels Paul Joseph Goebbels (; 29 October 1897 – 1 May 1945) was a German Nazi politician who was the ''Gauleiter'' (district leader) of Berlin, chief propagandist for the Nazi Party, and then Reich Minister of Propaganda from 1933 to 19 ...

, who was born locally. After reuniting with Mönchengladbach, the central station (

Rheydt Hauptbahnhof Rheydt Hauptbahnhof is a railway station in Mönchengladbach, Germany. Mönchengladbach is the only city in Germany that has two stations called Hauptbahnhof, due to the merger of the city of Rheydt into Mönchengladbach in the late 1970s. Rheydt ...

) kept its original name, making Mönchengladbach the only city in Germany to have two rail stations each called Hauptbahnhof. In response to the 10 May 1940 German invasion of Belgium, Mönchengladbach was bombed by

RAF Bomber Command RAF Bomber Command controlled the Royal Air Force's bomber forces from 1936 to 1968. Along with the United States Army Air Forces, it played the central role in the strategic bombing of Germany in World War II. From 1942 onward, the British bo ...

on the evening of 11 May. The bomber crews were attempting to interdict German troop movements on roads, intersections and rail lines in the area, especially the city's railyards. About half of the approximately 36 twin-engine

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

(RAF) bombers reportedly hit their targets, and three were shot down. Four people were killed on the ground, including a British woman living in Germany. Eventually, the Prussian

Rhine Province The Rhine Province (german: Rheinprovinz), also known as Rhenish Prussia () or synonymous with the Rhineland (), was the westernmost province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia, within the German Reich, from 1822 to 1946. It ...

was dissolved after

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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, and the city became part of the new state of

which was formed in 1946.

Economy

Mönchengladbach's industrial ascent was mainly influenced by the development of the textile industry from the mid-19th to the mid-20th century. In addition, a textile-oriented machine industry also developed. After the Second World War, a major structural change began, reducing the importance of the textile industry and attracting new economic sectors. At present, only 7 percent of employees work in the once dominant textile and clothing industry (for example: ''Van Laack'' and ''gardeur''). As part of the successful diversification of the business location, local government and representatives founded the Mönchengladbach Business Development Corporation (WFMG) in 1997. WFMG and the University of Applied Sciences Niederrhein have developed a five-pillar model for the future orientation of the business location. Thereafter textile and fashion, mechanical engineering and electrical engineering, logistics, the creative industry and the health sector are the leading sectors for the economic future of the city of Mönchengladbach. As part of an active cluster policy, the WFMG has partly initiated its own networks for these industries. The most important employer in Mönchengladbach is the

Santander Consumer Bank Banco Santander, S.A., doing business as Santander Group (, , Spanish: ), is a Spanish multinational financial services company based in Madrid and Santander in Spain. Additionally, Santander maintains a presence in all global financial centres ...

, which has its headquarters at Aachener Straße in Mönchengladbach's city center. The economic structure includes:

tool A tool is an object that can extend an individual's ability to modify features of the surrounding environment or help them accomplish a particular task. Although many animals use simple tools, only human beings, whose use of stone tools dates ba ...

and

spinning Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

machines (Dörries Scharmann, Monforts, Trützschler, Schlafhorst), automatic conveyor systems, signal and system technology (Scheidt & Bachmann), transformers (SMS Meer), cables (

Nexans Nexans S.A. is a global company in the cable and optical fiber industry headquartered in Paris, France. The group is active in four main business areas: buildings and territories (construction, local infrastructure, smart cities / grids, e-mobil ...

Germany formerly Kabelwerk Rheydt), printed matter and foodstuffs.

Chocolatier A chocolatier is a person or company who makes confectionery from chocolate. Chocolatiers are distinct from chocolate makers, who create chocolate from cacao beans and other ingredients. Education and training Traditionally, chocolatiers, e ...

Heinemann is known beyond the city limits for his cakes, pralines and baked goods, which he offers in cafés on site as well as in

and

. Furthermore,

beer Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from ce ...

breweries are represented in Mönchengladbach. The Oettinger brewery produces at the site of the former Hannen brewery. The Hensen brewery has been producing a lower Rhine-type Altbier since 2015 at the former

spring Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season), a season of the year * Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy * Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water * Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a ...

of the river Gladbach in the Waldhausen district. Especially in the 1970s and 1980s nightlife was attractive to young party people from Düsseldorf. In the meantime,

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...

in particular is playing a certain role. Mönchengladbach has about 40 hotels (for example: Hotel Burgund) and inns as well as a

youth hostel A hostel is a form of low-cost, short-term shared sociable lodging where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed in a dormitory, with shared use of a lounge and sometimes a kitchen. Rooms can be mixed or single-sex and have private or shared ba ...

in the district Hardter Wald. In total there are about 2000 beds. The number of overnight stays is over 200,000 annually.

Mönchengladbach Airport Mönchengladbach Airport (german: Verkehrslandeplatz Mönchengladbach, formerly ''Düsseldorf Mönchengladbach Airport'', ) is a small regional airport located northeast of Mönchengladbach and west of Düsseldorf. It is co-owned by the company ...

is dominated by general aviation. There are currently no scheduled services to and from Mönchengladbach. Additionally, there are few business-charter passenger flights. In June 2015 ''Hugo Junkers Hangar'' was opened as an aviation and event facility. Airplane enthusiasts can book sightseeing flights with

Junkers Ju 52 The Junkers Ju 52/3m (nicknamed ''Tante Ju'' ("Aunt Ju") and ''Iron Annie'') is a transport aircraft that was designed and manufactured by German aviation company Junkers. Development of the Ju 52 commenced during 1930, headed by German Aeros ...

from the 1940s. The next major international airport

Düsseldorf Airport Düsseldorf Airport (german: link=no, Flughafen Düsseldorf, ; until March 2013 ''Düsseldorf International Airport''; ) is the international airport of Düsseldorf, the capital of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is about north ...

is only 20 kilometres (12 mi) away to the east.

Politics

Mayor

The current Mayor of Mönchengladbach is Felix Heinrichs of the

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties For ...

(SPD) since 2020. The most recent mayoral election was held on 13 September 2020, with a runoff held on 27 September, and the results were as follows: ! rowspan=2 colspan=2, Candidate ! rowspan=2, Party ! colspan=2, First round ! colspan=2, Second round , - ! Votes ! % ! Votes ! % , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Felix Heinrichs , align=left,

, 32,808 , 37.5 , 50,421 , 74.2 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Frank Boss , align=left, Christian Democratic Union , 25,929 , 29.6 , 17,513 , 25.8 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Boris Wolkowski , align=left,

Alliance 90/The Greens Alliance 90/The Greens (german: Bündnis 90/Die Grünen, ), often simply referred to as the Greens ( ), is a Green politics, green List of political parties in Germany, political party in Germany. It was formed in 1993 as the merger of The Greens ...

, 15,304 , 17.5 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Corina Bülow , align=left,

Alternative for Germany Alternative for Germany (german: link=no, Alternative für Deutschland, AfD; ) is a right-wing populist * * * * * * * political party in Germany. AfD is known for its opposition to the European Union, as well as immigration to Germany. I ...

, 4,706 , 5.4 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Stefan Dahlmanns , align=left, Free Democratic Party , 3,149 , 3.6 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Sebastian Merkens , align=left, The Left , 3,010 , 3.4 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Chana Clarissa Lischewski , align=left,

Die PARTEI (''Party for Labour, Rule of Law, Animal Protection, Promotion of Elites and Grassroots Democratic Initiative''), or Die PARTEI (''The PARTY''), is a German political party. It was founded in 2004 by the editors of the German satirical magazin ...

, 1,914 , 2.2 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Franz Josef Schiller , align=left,

Ecological Democratic Party The Ecological Democratic Party (german: Ökologisch-Demokratische Partei, ÖDP) is a conservative and ecologist minor party in Germany. The ÖDP was founded in 1982. The strongest level of voting support for the ÖDP is in Bavaria, where in ...

, 540 , 0.6 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Sandra van den Broek , align=left, National Democratic Party , 186 , 0.2 , - ! colspan=3, Valid votes ! 87,546 ! 97.3 ! 67,934 ! 99.3 , - ! colspan=3, Invalid votes ! 2,473 ! 2.7 ! 496 ! 0.7 , - ! colspan=3, Total ! 90,019 ! 100.0 ! 68,430 ! 100.0 , - ! colspan=3, Electorate/voter turnout ! 207,117 ! 43.5 ! 207,018 ! 33.1 , - , colspan=7, Source
State Returning Officer

City council

The Mönchengladbach city council governs the city alongside the Mayor. The most recent city council election was held on 13 September 2020, and the results were as follows: ! colspan=2, Party ! Votes ! % ! +/- ! Seats ! +/- , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Christian Democratic Union (CDU) , 30,198 , 34.0 , 7.5 , 26 , 3 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

(SPD) , 22,365 , 25.2 , 4.3 , 20 , ±0 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

(Grüne) , 18,879 , 21.2 , 10.6 , 16 , 9 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

(AfD) , 5,282 , 5.9 , 4.5 , 5 , 4 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Free Democratic Party (FDP) , 4,911 , 5.5 , 1.0 , 4 , 1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, The Left (Die Linke) , 3,605 , 4.1 , 0.4 , 3 , ±0 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

(PARTEI) , 2,419 , 2.7 , 1.5 , 2 , 1 , - , colspan=7 bgcolor=lightgrey, , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

(ÖDP) , 507 , 0.6 , New , 0 , New , - , , align=left, Alliance for Innovation and Justice (BIG) , 439 , 0.5 , New , 0 , New , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, National Democratic Party (NPD) , 229 , 0.3 , 0.6 , 0 , 1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Independents , 30 , 0.0 , – , 0 , – , - ! colspan=2, Valid votes ! 88,864 ! 98.7 ! ! ! , - ! colspan=2, Invalid votes ! 1,160 ! 1.3 ! ! ! , - ! colspan=2, Total ! 90,024 ! 100.0 ! ! 76 ! 8 , - ! colspan=2, Electorate/voter turnout ! 207,117 ! 43.5 ! 0.8 ! ! , - , colspan=7, Source
State Returning Officer

Points of interest

* Municipal

Abteiberg Museum The Museum Abteiberg is a municipal museum for contemporary art in the German city Mönchengladbach. Since the 1970s, the museum has been known for its experimental and avant-garde exhibitions, starting with director Johannes Cladders (1967-1985 ...

for contemporary art * Municipal Museum

Schloss Rheydt Schloss Rheydt is a Renaissance palace in Rheydt, Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Over the years the building has been the family seat of various noble families, including the Bylandt-Rheydt dynasty that ruled over Rheydt for ...

for fine art * Museum im Wasserturm Rheindahlen for relics of the Stone Age * Museum Altes Zeughaus e. V. for Carnival * Museum

Schloss Wickrath Schloss Wickrath is a moated castle complex in Wickrath.Stefan Frankewitz: ''Der Niederrhein und seine Burgen, Schlösser, Herrenhäuser entlang der Niers''. Boss, Geldern 2011, , pp. 89–108. The castle is located on the river Niers. The origina ...

for ornithology *

Bunter Garten The Bunter Garten (30 hectares) is a municipal park with botanical garden (5 hectares) and arboretum located along Lettow-Vorbeck Straße, Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is open daily without charge. The park contains three ...

, municipal park with

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

and

arboretum An arboretum (plural: arboreta) in a general sense is a botanical collection composed exclusively of trees of a variety of species. Originally mostly created as a section in a larger garden or park for specimens of mostly non-local species, man ...

* Wasserturm Mönchengladbach

Twin towns – sister cities

Mönchengladbach is twinned with: *

Bradford Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...

, England, UK (1971) *

North Tyneside North Tyneside is a metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear, England. It forms part of the greater Tyneside conurbation. North Tyneside Council is headquartered at Cobalt Park, Wallsend. North Tyneside is bordered b ...

, England, UK (1958) *

Roubaix Roubaix ( or ; nl, Robaais; vls, Roboais) is a city in northern France, located in the Lille metropolitan area on the Belgian border. It is a historically mono-industrial commune in the Nord department, which grew rapidly in the 19th century ...

, France (1969) *

Roermond Roermond (; li, Remunj or ) is a city, municipality, and diocese in the Limburg province of the Netherlands. Roermond is a historically important town on the lower Roer on the east bank of the river Meuse. It received town rights in 1231. Roer ...

, Netherlands (1971) *

Thurrock Thurrock () is a unitary authority area with borough status and unparished area in the ceremonial county of Essex, England. It is part of the London commuter belt and an area of regeneration within the Thames Gateway redevelopment zone. The l ...

, England, UK (1969) *

Verviers Verviers (; wa, Vervî) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium. The municipality consists of the following districts: Ensival, Heusy, Lambermont, Petit-Rechain, Stembert, and Verviers. It is also the ...

, Belgium (1970)

Transport

The city has two main railway stations:

Mönchengladbach Hauptbahnhof Mönchengladbach Hauptbahnhof (German for ''Mönchengladbach main station'') is a railway station in the city of Mönchengladbach in western Germany. Overview The station is the largest railway station in the city and, along with Rheydt Hbf, one ...

and

, the result of the merger of the two cities, in which the deprecated name for Rheydt Hbf was never removed. Line 8 of the

Rhine-Ruhr S-Bahn The Rhine-Ruhr S-Bahn (german: S-Bahn Rhein-Ruhr) is a polycentric and electrically driven S-train network covering the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Region in the German federated state of North Rhine-Westphalia. This includes most of the Ruhr (and ci ...

connects the city to

and

Hagen Hagen () is the Largest cities in Germany, 41st-largest List of cities and towns in Germany, city in Germany. The municipality is located in the States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located on the south eastern edge of the R ...

; an extension further westwards is being discussed. A number of

regional trains Regional rail, also known as local trains and stopping trains, are public transport, passenger rail transport, rail services that operate between towns and cities. These trains operate with more stops over shorter distances than inter-city rail ...

serve Mönchengladbach, including regional line RE13 to the city of

Venlo Venlo () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the southeastern Netherlands, close to the border with Germany. It is situated in the province of Limburg (Netherland ...

which is located in

the Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. By the end of 2009 it was the largest city in Germany without regular

long-distance Long distance or Long-distance may refer to: *Long-distance calling * Long-distance operator * Long-distance relationship * Long-distance train *Long-distance anchor pylon, see dead-end tower Footpaths * Long-distance trail *European long-d ...

services. With the new schedule for 2010, Mönchengladbach got an

InterCity InterCity (commonly abbreviated ''IC'' on timetables and tickets) is the classification applied to certain long-distance passenger train services in Europe. Such trains (in contrast to regional, local, or commuter trains) generally call at m ...

Intercity-Express The Intercity Express (commonly known as ICE ()) is a system of high-speed trains predominantly running in Germany. It also serves some destinations in Austria, Denmark (ceased in 2017 but planned to resume in 2022), France, Belgium, Switzerla ...

connection twice a week. The city also has a commercial airport called Düsseldorf Mönchengladbach. Local bus and rail transport is carried out by the NEW-AG under the VRR transport association regulations.

Sports

Football

Mönchengladbach has a long

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 ...

tradition. Its home club,

Borussia Mönchengladbach Borussia Verein für Leibesübungen 1900 e. V. Mönchengladbach, commonly known as Borussia Mönchengladbach (), Mönchengladbach () or Gladbach (; abbreviated as Borussia MG, BMG), is a professional Association football, football club based in ...

, is one of the country's most well-known, best-supported, and successful teams. The club plays on the

Borussia-Park Borussia-Park (; stylised as BORUSSIA-PARK) is a football stadium in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany which serves as the home stadium of Bundesliga club Borussia Mönchengladbach. It replaced the smaller Bökelbergstadion, whi ...

stadium with a capacity of 54,057. The club has the fourth largest

fan club A fans club is an organized group of fans, generally of a celebrity. Most fans clubs are run by fans who devote considerable time and resources to support them. There are also "official" fan clubs that are run by someone associated with the per ...

in Germany, "The Foals" (''Die Fohlen''), with more than 50,000 active members.

Field hockey

The city hosted three International Field Hockey world championships: the

2006 Men's World Hockey Cup The 2006 Men's Hockey World Cup was the 11th edition of the Hockey World Cup men's field hockey tournament. It was held 6–17 September 2006 in Mönchengladbach, Germany. Germany won the tournament for second consecutive time after defeating Aus ...

, the

2008 Women's Hockey Champions Trophy The 2008 Women's Hockey Champions Trophy was the 16th edition of the Hockey Champions Trophy for women. It was held between 17 and 25 May 2008 in Mönchengladbach, Germany. Argentina won the tournament after 7 years for the second time after def ...

, and the

2010 Men's Hockey Champions Trophy The 2010 Men's Hockey Champions Trophy was the 32nd edition of the Hockey Champions Trophy men's field hockey tournament. It was held from July 31–August 8, 2010 in Mönchengladbach, Germany. Teams Below is the teams released by the Internatio ...

Harness racing

Since 1892, Mönchengladbach has owned a

harness racing Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait (a trot or a pace). They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, or spider, or chariot occupied by a driver. In Europe, and less frequently in Australi ...

track called ''Trabrennbahn Mönchengladbach'' (Trotting track Mönchengladbach).

Military

Until December 2013, the

Rheindahlen Military Complex JHQ (Joint Headquarters) Rheindahlen was a military base in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany active from 1954 to 2013. It functioned as the main headquarters for British forces in Germany and for the NATO Northern Army Group. Lat ...

was located just outside Mönchengladbach, where it was home to the headquarters of the

British Armed Forces The British Armed Forces, also known as His Majesty's Armed Forces, are the military forces responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, its Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. They also promote the UK's wider interests, s ...

in Germany.

Notable people

Franz Meyers ex Ludwig Erhard 1965 FdG 1

Jacob Masen Jacob Masen (28 March 1606 - 27 September 1681) was a German Jesuit priest, historian, dramatist and theologian. He is known as a prolific writer in Latin.James J. Mertz, John P. Murphy, ''Jesuit Latin Poets of the 17th and 18th Centuries: an anth ...

(1606–1681), Jesuit priest, historian, dramatist and theologian *

Hugo Junkers Hugo Junkers (3 February 1859 – 3 February 1935) was a German aircraft engineer and aircraft designer who pioneered the design of all-metal airplanes and flying wings. His company, Junkers Flugzeug- und Motorenwerke AG (Junkers Aircraft and Mo ...

(1859–1935), engineer and entrepreneur *

(1897–1945), Minister of Propaganda in

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

* Lisel Haas (1898–1989), photographer *

Hans Jonas Hans Jonas (; ; 10 May 1903 – 5 February 1993) was a German-born American Jewish philosopher, from 1955 to 1976 the Alvin Johnson Professor of Philosophy at the New School for Social Research in New York City. Biography Jonas was born ...

(1903–1993), philosopher and scholar, wrote extensively on ethics *

Franz Meyers Franz Josef Heinrich Georg Meyers (31 July 1908 – 27 January 2002) was a German politician ( CDU) and the 4th Minister President of North Rhine-Westphalia between 21 July 1958 and 8 December 1966. He was born and died in Mönchengladbach ...

(1908–2002), politician (CDU), former minister-president North Rhine-Westphalia *

Elisabeth Gottschalk Maria Karoline Elisabeth Gottschalk (28 October 1912 – 14 September 1989) was a German-born Dutch historical geographer and professor. She was noted for ''Stormvloeden en rivieroverstromingen in Nederland'' (Storm surges and river floods in the ...

(1912–1989), German-born Dutch historical geographer and professor *

Jack Zunz Sir Gerhard Jacob Zunz (25 December 1923 – 11 December 2018) was a British civil engineer and former chairman of Ove Arup & Partners. He was the principal structural designer of the Sydney Opera House. Career Zunz was born to a Jewish family ...

(1923–2018), civil and structural engineer, former chairman of

Ove Arup & Partners Arup (officially Arup Group Limited) is a British multinational professional services firm headquartered in London which provides design, engineering, architecture, planning, and advisory services across every aspect of the built environment ...

, principal structural designer of the

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of 20th-century architec ...

Dietrich Nummert Dietrich Karl Nummert (12 May 1928 – 28 June 2010) was a German journalist and author. Life Born in Mönchengladbach as the son of Luise and Friedrich Nummert, Dietrich Nummert grew up in East Prussia, East Prussian Chernyakhovsk, Insterbu ...

(1928–2021), journalist *

Petra Schürmann Petra Schürmann-Freund (; 15 September 1933 – 14 January 2010) was a German actress, model, TV announcer and beauty queen who won Miss World 1956. Biography Schürmann won the 1956 Miss World contest, representing West Germany. ...

(1933–2010), Miss Germany 1956, Miss World 1956 * Shakuntala Banerjee (born 1973) television presenter *

Hildegard Uhrmacher Hildegard Uhrmacher (born 15 December 1939), married name Hildegard Kronstein-Uhrmacher, is a German operatic soprano who appeared at European opera houses in coloratura soprano roles such as Mozart's Konstanze, but also in contemporary works in ...

(born 1939), operatic soprano *

Peter Klusen Peter Klusen (born 1951) is a German writer, translator and cartoonist. Life and work Peter Klusen was born in Mönchengladbach. He is a German writer and cartoonist. After studying at Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz and RWTH Aachen Univ ...

(born 1951), writer, translator and cartoonist *

Reinhold Ewald Reinhold Ewald (born 18 December 1956) is a German physicist and ESA astronaut. Biography Born in Mönchengladbach, West Germany, he received a Diploma in experimental physics from the University of Cologne in 1983 and a Ph.D. in 1986, with a min ...

(born 1956), physicist and ESA astronaut *

Walter Moers Walter Moers (; born 24 May 1957 in Mönchengladbach) is a German comic creator and author. Life and work Moers held odd jobs after leaving school before starting a commercial apprenticeship. He taught himself how to draw, and has been publis ...

(born 1957), author *

Joscho Stephan Joscho Stephan (born 23 June 1979 in Mönchengladbach, West Germany) is a German jazz guitarist who is known for his lightning fast plectrum picking and interpretation of classical, jazz and pop standards in the style of Gypsy jazz. He began play ...

(born 1979),

gypsy jazz Gypsy jazz (also known as gypsy swing, jazz manouche or hot club-style jazz) is a style of small-group jazz originating from the Romani guitarist Jean "Django" Reinhardt (1910–53), in conjunction with the French swing violinist Stéphane Gr ...

guitarist *

Joko Winterscheidt Joachim "Joko" Winterscheidt (born 13 January 1979) is a German television host, producer and actor. He became known as part of the duo ''Joko & Klaas'' alongside Klaas Heufer-Umlauf in TV programs like ''Circus HalliGalli''. Winterscheidt grew ...

(born 1979), television presenter

Sport

Joseph Pilates Joseph Hubertus Pilates (9 December 1883 – 9 October 1967) was a German physical trainer, credited with inventing and promoting the Pilates method of physical fitness. Biography Early life Joseph Hubertus Pilates was born on 9 December 1 ...

(1883–1967), physical trainer, proponent of the

Pilates Pilates (; ) is a type of mind-body exercise developed in the early 20th century by German physical trainer Joseph Pilates, after whom it was named. Pilates called his method "Contrology". It is practiced worldwide, especially in countries suc ...

method *

Hans Heyer Hans Heyer (born 16 March 1943) is a German racing driver who mainly raced touring cars, being popular with the fans for his rather funny style. He is better known for actions and antics during his only start in Formula One at the 1977 German Gr ...

(born 1943), racing driver *

Horst-Dieter Höttges Horst-Dieter Höttges (born 10 September 1943) is a German former footballer who played as a defender. Having started his career with hometown club Borussia Mönchengladbach, he spent most of his career with Werder Bremen. At international lev ...

(born 1943), footballer *

Günter Netzer Günter Theodor Netzer (born 14 September 1944) is a German former professional football player, executive and pundit. He achieved great success in Germany with Borussia Mönchengladbach in the early 1970s and, after moving to Spain in 1973, wit ...

(born 1944), footballer *

Jupp Heynckes Josef "Jupp" Heynckes (; born 9 May 1945) is a German retired professional footballer and manager. The majority of his player career was as a striker for Borussia Mönchengladbach in its golden era of the 1960s and '70s, when they won many nati ...

(born 1945), footballer and manager *

Erwin Kremers Erwin Kremers (born 24 March 1949) is a German former professional footballer who played as a striker. His twin brother, Helmut Kremers, also played as a German international with the two brothers playing with each other regularly. Erwin and H ...

(born 1949), footballer * Ulrike von der Groeben (born 1957), television sport journalist *

Michael Frontzeck Michael Frontzeck (born 26 March 1964) is a German professional football coach and former player who is assistant coach of VfL Wolfsburg. As a player he was a left back who notably played in the Bundesliga across three spells for Borussia Mönch ...

(born 1964), footballer *

Heinz-Harald Frentzen Heinz-Harald Frentzen (born 18 May 1967) is a German former racing driver. He competed in multiple disciplines including Sportscars, Formula One and DTM. He had his most success in Formula One, entering over 150 Grands Prix and winning three. ...

(born 1967),

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

driver *

Jorg Albertz Jorg may refer to: * Jorg Gray Jorg Gray is a California-based brand of wristwatches. History Jorg Gray was established as a watch line in 1998 by Logomark, Inc. in Tustin, California. Originally, its watches were manufactured as promotional ...

(born 1971), footballer *

Nick Heidfeld Nick Lars Heidfeld (born 10 May 1977) is a German professional racing driver. Despite scoring regular podium finishes in with Williams Grand Prix Engineering, Williams, and in and with BMW in Formula One, BMW Sauber, Heidfeld never won a rac ...

(born 1977), Formula One driver *

Marcell Jansen Marcell Jansen (; born 4 November 1985) is a German former professional footballer and current president of Hamburger SV. He also plays for Hamburger SV III in the Oberliga Hamburg. He was well known for his accurate crossing and pace, despite ...

(born 1985), footballer *

Isabell Herlovsen Isabell Lehn Herlovsen (born 23 June 1988) is a Norwegian former football player. She last played for Våleranga and Kolbotn after moving home from China and the club Jiangsu Suning. She plays as a midfielder and a striker. Herlovsen is the ...

(born 1988), Norwegian footballer *

Marc-André ter Stegen Marc-André ter Stegen ( ; born 30 April 1992) is a German professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for La Liga club Barcelona and the Germany national team. Regarded as a highly promising player in his youth, he has since established ...

(born 1992), footballer

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mönchengladbach Cities in North Rhine-Westphalia