Neuss (; spelled ''Neuß'' until 1968; li, Nüss ; la, Novaesium) is a city 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 on the west bank of the

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

opposite

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 ...

. Neuss is the largest city within the

Rhein-Kreis Neuss Neuss is a Kreis (district) in the west of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Nearby are the urban districts Mönchengladbach, Krefeld, Duisburg, Düsseldorf, Cologne, the districts Rhein-Erft-Kreis, Düren, Heinsberg and the district Viersen. ...

district. It is primarily known for its historic Roman sites, as well as the annual Neusser Bürger-Schützenfest. Neuss and

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 ...

share the title of "Germany's oldest city"; and in 1984 Neuss celebrated the 2000th anniversary of its founding in 16 BCE.

History

Ancient Rome

Neuss was founded by the Romans in 16 BC as a military fortification ('' castrum'') with the current city to the north of the castrum, at the confluence of the rivers

and

Erft The Erft () is a river in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It flows through the foothills of the Eifel, and joins the Lower Rhine (left tributary). Its origin is near Nettersheim, and its mouth in Neuss-Grimlinghausen south of the Josef Cardinal ...

, with the name of Novaesium.

Legio XVI Gallica Legio XVI Gallica ("Gallic Sixteenth Legion") was a legion of the Imperial Roman army. The legion was recruited by Julius Caesar's adopted son, Octavian in 41/40 BC. It was disbanded after surrendering during the Batavian rebellion (AD 70); Emper ...

("Gallic 16th Legion") of the Roman army was stationed here in 43-70 AD. It was disbanded after surrendering during the Batavian rebellion (AD 70). Later a civil settlement was founded in the area of today's centre of the town during the 1st century AD. Novaesium, together with

(''Augusta Treverorum''), is one of the three oldest Roman settlements in Germany.

Middle Ages

Neuss grew 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 a ...

because of its prime location on several routes, by the crossing of the great Rhine valley, and with its

harbour A harbor (American English), harbour (British English; see spelling differences), or haven is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be docked. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is a ...

and

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...

. During the 10th century, the remains of the

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...

and

tribune Tribune () was the title of various elected officials in ancient Rome. The two most important were the tribunes of the plebs and the military tribunes. For most of Roman history, a college of ten tribunes of the plebs acted as a check on the ...

Saint Quirinus, not to be confused with the Roman god

Quirinus In Roman mythology and religion, Quirinus ( , ) is an early god of the Roman state. In Augustan Rome, ''Quirinus'' was also an epithet of Janus, as ''Janus Quirinus''. Name Attestations The name of god Quirinus is recorded across Roman sourc ...

, had been relocated to Neuss. This resulted in

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

to the shrine of St. Quirinus even from countries beyond the borders of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...

. Neuss was first documented as a town in 1138. One of the main events in the town's history is the siege of the town in 1474–75 by Charles the Bold, Duke of

Burgundy Burgundy (; french: link=no, Bourgogne ) is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. The c ...

, that lasted for nearly a year. The citizens of Neuss withstood the siege and were therefore rewarded by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III. The town was granted the right to mint its own coins and to carry the imperial

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...

, the imperial eagle and the crown, in the town's own coat of arms. Neuss became a member of the

Hanseatic League The Hanseatic League (; gml, Hanse, , ; german: label=Modern German, Deutsche Hanse) was a medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Central and Northern Europe. Growing from a few North German to ...

, although it was never accepted by the other members of the League.

Early modernity

In 1586, more than two-thirds of the city was destroyed by fire, and several wars during the reign of King

Louis XIV of France , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Versa ...

resulted in worsening finances for Neuss. Its importance as a place for trading declined rapidly, and from the mid-17th century onwards, Neuss became a place only important for its agriculture. Until the late 18th century, Neuss belonged to the

Electorate of Cologne The Electorate of Cologne (german: Kurfürstentum Köln), sometimes referred to as Electoral Cologne (german: Kurköln, links=no), was an ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire that existed from the 10th to the early 19th century. ...

. From 1794 to 1814, Neuss was part of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

during the reign of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

. In 1815 after the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

, Neuss 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 was reorganized as a district with the municipalities of Neuss, Dormagen,

Nettesheim Rommerskirchen is the southernmost municipality in the Rhein-Kreis Neuss, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Notable places Rommerskirchen possesses rich historical inheritances, including numerous remains of the Roman Villae Rusticae, and those ...

, Nievenheim,

Rommerskirchen Rommerskirchen is the southernmost municipality in the Rhein-Kreis Neuss, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Notable places Rommerskirchen possesses rich historical inheritances, including numerous remains of the Roman Villae Rusticae, and those ...

and

Zons Zons (), formerly known as Feste Zons ''( Fortress Zons''), today officially called ''Stadt Zons'' (''Zons Town'') is an old town in Germany on the west bank of the Lower Rhine between Cologne and Düsseldorf. It has been a part (Stadtteil) of th ...

. The town had a population of 6,333 at that time. It was part of the Prussian Province of Jülich-Cleves-Berg (1815–22) and its successor, the

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 ...

(1822–1946).

19th century – present

Neuss regained its economic power in the 19th century, with expansion of the harbour in 1835, and increasing industrial activity. The city's boundaries were expanded in 1881. Neuss became part of the new state of

in 1946. In 1968 the spelling of the name was changed from ''Neuß'' to ''Neuss''. In 1975 the town of Neuss and the district 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 ...

were joined to form the district of

with a population of 440,000 and its seat of government in Neuss. Neuss is also home to Toshiba's European headquarters.

Jewish history

A Jewish community has been documented in the city since the

High Middle Ages The High Middle Ages, or High Medieval Period, was the periodization, period of European history that lasted from AD 1000 to 1300. The High Middle Ages were preceded by the Early Middle Ages and were followed by the Late Middle Ages, which ended ...

. The earliest documentation of Jews in the city is from

1096 Year 1096 ( MXCVI) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place First Crusade * Spring – Peter the Hermit begins his preaching of the First Crusade, traveling ...

, when Jews from

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 ...

fleeing from Crusaders were sheltered in the city by 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 ...

. Nevertheless, about 200 of them (men, women, and children) were slaughtered by Crusaders. This all was in the context of what is known as the

Rhineland massacres The Rhineland massacres, also known as the German Crusade of 1096 or ''Gzerot Tatnó'' ( he, גזרות תתנ"ו, "Edicts of 4856"), were a series of mass murders of Jews perpetrated by mobs of French and German Christians of the People's Cru ...

. There is however no indication that Neuss already had an organized Jewish community in 1096; It is however certain that there was one in the Staufer period from the late 12th century onwards, in the context of a general influx of merchants into the city at the time. According to

Ephraim of Bonn Ephraim of Bonn (1132–1200 or 1221?), also known as Ephraim ben Jacob, was a rabbi and writer, known for documenting the massacre of the Jews in the city of York in 1190. Biography Ephraim belonged to a prominent family of scholars, which includ ...

, on 11 January

1197 Year 1197 ( MCXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Spring – Emperor Henry VI travels to Italy to persuade Pope Celestine III to c ...

, multiple members of the Jewish community were put to death as revenge for the killing of a Christian girl by a mentally ill Jew. The killer and multiple of his close relatives were gruesomely executed. Interestingly, they seem to have been allowed a Jewish funeral: their bodies were brought – presumably by boat – to

Xanten Xanten (, Low Rhenish: ''Santen'') is a town in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the district of Wesel. Xanten is known for the Archaeological Park, one of the largest archaeological open air museums in the wor ...

, where they were buried alongside victims of the Rhineland massacres of 1096. The community in the High Middle Ages at first resided in the area where merchants lived, between the and the market. The passage to the haven's loading place was known as the ''Judensteg''. By the year 1300 however the ''Judensteg'' was now inhabited by Christians, the Jews having moved to the area around the ''Glockhammer'', where their

synagogue A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...

and school were also located. The area was not exactly a

ghetto A ghetto, often called ''the'' ghetto, is a part of a city in which members of a minority group live, especially as a result of political, social, legal, environmental or economic pressure. Ghettos are often known for being more impoverished t ...

, as it was not sealed, and Christians also lived there. From the 14th century onwards the Jews faced increasing economic competition, firstly due the loss of their advantageous former location near the docks, and later because of the loss of their monopoly in money lending, with the arrival of bankers from

Lombardy Lombardy ( it, Lombardia, Lombard language, Lombard: ''Lombardia'' or ''Lumbardia' '') is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in the northern-central part of the country and has a population of about 10 ...

and Cahors. The city was hit by the

Black Death The Black Death (also known as the Pestilence, the Great Mortality or the Plague) was a bubonic plague pandemic occurring in Western Eurasia and North Africa from 1346 to 1353. It is the most fatal pandemic recorded in human history, causi ...

1348 Year 1348 ( MCCCXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar, the 1348th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 348th year of the 2nd millennium, the 48t ...

- 49, and the community suffered from gruesome persecutions during that time, as was the case elsewhere in Europe. In the wake of the plague, the community was numerically decimated and economically weakened. A wave of religious extremism and intolerance swept the area at the time, and the Jews were increasingly pressured and became objects of political infighting: In the year

1424 Year 1424 ( MCDXXIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * June 2 – Battle of L'Aquila: Jacopo Caldora and Micheletto Attendolo, for the Ki ...

, Jews were for a time expelled from the city; this was meant as a middle finger to the ''

Landesherr A territorial lord (german: Landesherr) was a ruler in the period beginning with the Early Middle Ages who, stemming from his status as being immediate (''unmittelbar''), held a form of authority over a territory known as '' Landeshoheit''. This ...

'', who had placed the Jews under his protection. The Jews later came back, but were ultimately expelled again in

1464 Year 1464 (Roman numerals, MCDLXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. It is one of eight years (CE) to contain each Roman numeral once (1000(M)+(-100(C)+500(D))+50(L)+10(X)+(-1(I)+5(V ...

. The Archbishop of Cologne Ruprecht von der Pfalz visited the city on the 5th of May and met with mayors, aldermen, and the council in an attempt to halt the expulsion, but to no avail. Jews were from now on banned from residing in the city, and from staying overnight within city walls. In

1694 Events January–March * January 16 – Francesco Morosini, the Doge of Venice since 1688, dies after ruling the Republic for more than five years and a few months after an unsuccessful attempt to capture the island of Negropont from the ...

, Jews were given permission to hold a cattle market in front of the ''Obertor''. Facing overdue lump sum payments, in

1704 In the Swedish calendar it was a leap year starting on Friday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar. Events January–June * January 7 – Partial solar eclipse, Solar Saros 146, is visible in ...

the city instored a special tax on Jews entering the city known as the '' Judenleibzoll''. Neuss--synagoge--lithographie-um-1870

1794 Events January–March * January 1 – The Stibo Group is founded by Niels Lund as a printing company in Aarhus (Denmark). * January 13 – The U.S. Congress enacts a law providing for, effective May 1, 1795, a United States ...

during the

War of the First Coalition The War of the First Coalition (french: Guerre de la Première Coalition) was a set of wars that several European powers fought between 1792 and 1797 initially against the Kingdom of France (1791-92), constitutional Kingdom of France and then t ...

, Neuss fell under French control, and all discriminatory anti-Jewish laws were subsequently abrogated. It was only in

1808 Events January–March * January 1 ** The importation of slaves into the United States is banned, as the 1807 Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves takes effect; African slaves continue to be imported into Cuba, and until the island ab ...

however, in a context of nascent

industrialization Industrialisation ( alternatively spelled industrialization) is the period of social and economic change that transforms a human group from an agrarian society into an industrial society. This involves an extensive re-organisation of an econo ...

and population growth, that for the first time in centuries a Jewish family moved to the city: That of the butcher Josef Großmann, who had come from

Hülchrath Hülchrath is a district of the municipality of Grevenbroich in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe ...

. The community slowly rose in number: in

1830 It is known in European history as a rather tumultuous year with the Revolutions of 1830 in France, Belgium, Poland, Switzerland and Italy. Events January–March * January 11 – LaGrange College (later the University of North Alabama) b ...

, there were around 100 Jews out of a population of approximately 8000. The community kept on growing in size throughout the century. Jews who moved to Neuss came from surrounding rural areas in the

Rhineland The Rhineland (german: Rheinland; french: Rhénanie; nl, Rijnland; ksh, Rhingland; Latinised name: ''Rhenania'') is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly its middle section. Term Historically, the Rhinelands ...

, and as a result were more conservative and shaped by rural life than their counterparts in other German cities. Popular innovations in the time of the '' Haskalah'' such as religious services in German did not take root here: they continued in

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

. As a general rule of thumb, Neuss Jews were more religious than in other German cities. Relations between Jews and Christians were generally good at the time: they lived one next to another, and one could find Christians performing forbidden tasks such as lighting/extinguishing fires in Jewish homes on

Shabbat Shabbat (, , or ; he, שַׁבָּת, Šabbāṯ, , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the week—i.e., Saturday. On this day, religious Jews remember the biblical storie ...

. A fracture in this peace took place in

1834 Events January–March * January – The Wilmington and Raleigh Railroad is chartered in Wilmington, North Carolina. * January 1 – Zollverein (Germany): Customs charges are abolished at borders within its member states. * January 3 � ...

however: In the '' Niederrhein'' area

blood libel Blood libel or ritual murder libel (also blood accusation) is an antisemitic canardTurvey, Brent E. ''Criminal Profiling: An Introduction to Behavioral Evidence Analysis'', Academic Press, 2008, p. 3. "Blood libel: An accusation of ritual mur ...

rumors spread around, leading to a wave of anti-Jewish violence: Synagogues were set on fire in

Gindorf Gindorf is a municipality in the Bitburg-Prüm, district of Bitburg-Prüm, in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany. References

Bitburg-Prüm {{BitburgPrüm-geo-stub ...

and ; in ,

Wevelinghoven 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 ...

and elsewhere fierce fighting took place between vigilantes and

hussar A hussar ( , ; hu, huszár, pl, husarz, sh, husar / ) was a member of a class of light cavalry, originating in Central Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries. The title and distinctive dress of these horsemen were subsequently widely ...

s. Neuss was not left unaffected either, with crowds strolling down the streets chanting anti-Jewish songs, with the epicenter being the poor areas of Neuss around the ''Viehmarkt''. This situation lasted for days, until a contingent of soldiers was moved into the city to quell the unrest. On 29 March

1867 Events January–March * January 1 – The Covington–Cincinnati Suspension Bridge opens between Cincinnati, Ohio, and Covington, Kentucky, in the United States, becoming the longest single-span bridge in the world. It was renamed a ...

, the was unveiled, designed by the Prussian architect Friedrich Weise and built in the popular Orientalist style. The city held celebrations for 3 days upon its inauguration. Despite serving only about 1% of the population, the Synagogue was a proud hallmark of the Neuss skyline. The synagogue community's size peaked at 316 members in

1890 Events January–March * January 1 ** The Kingdom of Italy establishes Eritrea as its colony, in the Horn of Africa. ** In Michigan, the wooden steamer ''Mackinaw'' burns in a fire on the Black River. * January 2 ** The steamship ...

. After the acquittal of the Jewish butcher Adolf Buschoff in the

1892 Events January–March * January 1 – Ellis Island begins accommodating immigrants to the United States. * February 1 - The historic Enterprise Bar and Grill was established in Rico, Colorado. * February 27 – Rudolf Diesel applies for ...

, antisemitic violence took place in nearby Neuss: Jewish-owned property was set on fire, and Jewish families were sent threatening messages. About a quarter of the community left the city. In

1933 Events January * January 11 – Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand. * January 17 – The United States Congress votes in favour of Philippines independence, against the wis ...

, there were no more than 227 citizens of Jewish faith in Neuss. From that year onwards they suffered increasing persecution by

the Nazis The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported t ...

. Few went into exile on time. Then began the so-called "'' Final Solution to the Jewish Question''" and the deportations. On 22 July 1942, the last inhabitant of the ' at Küpperstaße 2 was put on a train from

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- ...

Theresienstadt Theresienstadt Ghetto was established by the Schutzstaffel, SS during World War II in the fortress town of Terezín, in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia (German occupation of Czechoslovakia, German-occupied Czechoslovakia). Theresienstad ...

. On 23 November 1942, Neuss was cynically declared '' Judenrein''. (= clean of Jews) However, there was still a handful of Jews who survived through hiding, or who were not targeted due to being married to "Aryans". The exact number of Jewish victims of the Nazi regime is not known with certainty. However, one can find the names of 204 murdered Jews who had some sort of link to Neuss on a monument by

Ulrich Rückriem Ulrich Rückriem (born 30 September 1938) is a German sculptor notable for his monumental stone sculptures. He lives and works in Cologne and London. His abstract works of art are often assigned to the style of minimalism and process art. Lif ...

. A significant amount of '' Stolpersteine'' can be found around the city. Since the 1990s the community has enjoyed a revival thanks to an influx of Jews from the ex-USSR. In 2021, it was estimated that around 550 Jews lived in Neuss.

Politics

Mayor

The current mayor of Neuss is Reiner Breuer 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). The most recent mayoral election was held on 13 September 2020, and the results were as follows: ! colspan=2, Candidate ! Party ! Votes ! % , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Reiner Breuer , align=left,

, 30,337 , 52.9 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Jan-Philipp Büchler , align=left, Christian Democratic Union , 18,800 , 32.8 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Michael Klinkicht , 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 ...

, 4,049 , 7.1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Roland Sperling , align=left, The Left , 1,346 , 2.4 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Michael Fielenbach , align=left,

Free Democratic Party Free Democratic Party is the name of several political parties around the world. It usually designates a party ideologically based on liberalism. Current parties with that name include: *Free Democratic Party (Germany), a liberal political party in ...

, 1,181 , 2.1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Thomas Lang , align=left, UWG/Free Voters Neuss , 1,158 , 2.0 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Hans Dietz , align=left, Centre Party , 463 , 0.8 , - ! colspan=3, Valid votes ! 57,334 ! 98.9 , - ! colspan=3, Invalid votes ! 617 ! 1.1 , - ! colspan=3, Total ! 57,951 ! 100.0 , - ! colspan=3, Electorate/voter turnout ! 120,328 ! 48.2 , - , colspan=7, Source
City of Neuss

Mayors and Lord Mayors since 1849

* 1849–1851: Heinrich Thywissen, Mayor (

Bürgermeister Burgomaster (alternatively spelled burgermeister, literally "master of the town, master of the borough, master of the fortress, master of the citizens") is the English form of various terms in or derived from Germanic languages for the chief m ...

) * 1851–1858: Michael Frings, Mayor * 1858–1882: Johann Joseph Ridder, Mayor * 1882–1889: Carl Wenders, Mayor * 1890–1902: Engelbert Tilmann, Mayor * 1902–1921: Franz Gielen, Lord Mayor * 1921–1930: Heinrich Hüpper, Lord Mayor * 1930–1934: Wilhelm Henrichs, Centre Party, Lord Mayor (Oberbürgermeister) * 1934–1938: Wilhelm Eberhard Gelberg,

NSDAP The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that crea ...

, Lord Mayor * 1938–1945: Wilhelm Tödtmann, NSDAP, Lord Mayor * 1945–1946: Josef Nagel, Lord Mayor * 1946: Josef Schmitz, Lord Mayor * 1946–1961: Alfons Frings, CDU, Lord Mayor * 1961–1967: Peter Wilhelm Kallen, Lord Mayor * 1967–1982: Herbert Karrenberg, CDU, Lord Mayor * 1982–1987: Hermann Wilhelm Thywissen, CDU, Lord Mayor * 1987–1998: Bertold Mathias Reinartz, CDU, Mayor * 1998–2015: Herbert Napp, CDU, Mayor * 2015–present: Reiner Breuer,

SPD The Social Democratic Party of Germany (german: Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, ; SPD, ) is a centre-left social democratic political party in Germany. It is one of the major parties of contemporary Germany. Saskia Esken has been the ...

, Mayor

City council

The Neuss 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) , 20,810 , 36.4 , 3.4 , 21 , 6 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

(SPD) , 18,517 , 32.4 , 5.1 , 19 , ±0 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

(Grüne) , 7,996 , 14.0 , 3.2 , 8 , 1 , - , bgcolor=, , 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 ...

(AfD) , 2,420 , 4.2 , 0.0 , 2 , 1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

(FDP) , 1,882 , 3.3 , 4.9 , 2 , 4 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, The Left (Die Linke) , 1,601 , 2.8 , 1.2 , 2 , 1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, UWG/Free Voters Neuss (UWG/FW) , 1,106 , 1.9 , 0.0 , 1 , ±0 , - , , align=left, Action Party for Animal Protection (hier!) , 929 , 1.6 , New , 1 , New , - , , align=left, Active for Neuss (Aktiv) , 863 , 1.5 , New , 1 , New , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Die PARTEI , 823 , 1.4 , New , 1 , New , - , colspan=7 bgcolor=lightgrey, , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Centre Party (Zentrum) , 223 , 0.4 , 0.2 , 0 , ±0 , - , , align=left, Independent Volkmar Wolfram Ortlepp , 18 , 0.0 , New , 0 , New , - ! colspan=2, Valid votes ! 57,188 ! 98.8 ! ! ! , - ! colspan=2, Invalid votes ! 672 ! 1.2 ! ! ! , - ! colspan=2, Total ! 57,860 ! 100.0 ! ! 58 ! 10 , - ! colspan=2, Electorate/voter turnout ! 120,328 ! 48.1 ! 2.6 ! ! , - , colspan=7, Source
City of Neuss

Number of inhabitants

*1798: 4,423 *1831: 7,888 *1861: 10,300 *1885: 20,074 *1900: 28,472 *1925: 44,958 *1945: 51,624 *1965: 111,104 *1987: 142,178 *2015: 159,672

Sports

One sports club is Neusser Schlittschuh-Klub. Their sections are

figure skating Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, when contested at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic disciplines are me ...

, ice stock sport and, as the only club in Germany,

bandy Bandy is a winter sport and ball sport played by two teams wearing ice skates on a large ice surface (either indoors or outdoors) while using sticks to direct a ball into the opposing team's goal. The international governing body for bandy is ...

. With the lack of a large ice surface, the variety rink bandy is practiced. There are also two football clubs in the city of Neuss: VfR Neuss Football Club and DJK Novesia Neuss.

Points of interest

* '' Botanischer Garten der Stadt Neuss'', the city's

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 ...

* Basilica of St. Quirinus: a 13th-century late romanesque church, dedicated to the city's patron saint and housing a shrine with his relics. Its dome-shaped eastern tower is one of the city's landmarks. In 2009 it was granted the title of

minor basilica In the Catholic Church, a basilica is a designation given by the Pope to a church building. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectural sense (a rectangular ...

. * ''Obertor'' (''Upper Gate''): southern city gate, built circa 1200; today part of the ''Clemens Sels Museum Neuss''. It is the only remaining of originally six gates that were part of the medieval town fortification. * ''Blutturm'' (''Bloody Tower''): built in the 13th century, the only remaining round tower of the historic town fortification. * ''Zum "Schwatte Päd"'' (''The Black Horse''): the oldest

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

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); al ...

region, established 1604 * Saint Sebastianus Church * Saint Maria Church: * ''Christuskirche'' (''Christ church''): historicistic church, the city's oldest Protestant church * Globe Theater, a replica of the London Globe Theatre, with an annual Shakespeare festival * Hamtor/the Hamgate * '' Neusser Bürger-Schützenfest'': one of Germany's largest marksmen's festivals, taking place annually on the last weekend in August; roundabout 7000 marksmen take part in the traditional parades.

Notable people

Hildegund (virgin) : Hildegund (died 1188) was a German woman who lived under the name Joseph disguised as a male in a monastery. She is often described as a saint (feast day April 20), though her cult has never been formally approved. Her father, a knight of Neuss ...

(1170–1188), saint * Johann Pennarius (1517–1563), auxiliary bishop in Cologne *

Hermann Thyraeus Hermann Thyräus (b. at Neuss on the Rhine, 1532; d. at Mainz, 26 October 1591) was a German Jesuit theologian and preacher. Life He studied first at Cologne, and then, after 1522, at the Collegium Germanicum at Rome. On 26 May 1556, he was recei ...

(1532–1591), theologian and member of the

Society of Jesus , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

* Peter Thyraeus, (1546–1601), Jesuit, professor of theology in Würzburg * Theodor Schwann (1810–1882), physiologist *

Franz Maria Feldhaus Franz Maria Feldhaus (26 April 1874, in Neuss – 22 May 1957, in Wilhelmshaven) was a German engineer, historian of science, and scientific writer. He was known in the late 1950s as "Germany's most well-known and most prolific writer on the histor ...

(1874–1957), technical historian and scientific writer *

Joseph Frings Josef Richard Frings (6 February 1887 – 17 December 1978), was a German Cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Cologne from 1942 to 1969. Considered a significant figure in Catholic resistance to Nazism, he was elevated to ...

(1887–1978), Archbishop of the Archbishopric of Cologne * Kurt Josten (1912–1994), German-British jurist, state official and resistance fighter * Erik Martin (1936–2017), author, songwriter and editor * Mario Ohoven (born 1946), financial intermediary and investment adviser *

Elke Aberle Elke Aberle (born 1 July 1950) is a German actress. Selected filmography * ''Love'' (1956) * ''Widower with Five Daughters'' (1957) * '' Bimbo the Great'' (1958) * ''Father, Mother and Nine Children'' (1958) * '' Ooh... diese Ferien'' (1958) * ...

(born 1950), actress * Mònica Oltra (born 1969), Spanish politician, spokesperson and minister for Equality and Inclusive Policies of the Valencian government * Friedhelm Funkel (born 1953), football player and coach *

Heike Hohlbein Heike Hohlbein (born November 15, 1954 in Neuss, North Rhine-Westphalia) is a German writer of science fiction, fantasy and youth literature who lives near Neuss in North Rhine-Westphalia. She is the wife of German author Wolfgang Hohlbein. Toge ...

(born 1954), writer * Jürgen P. Rabe (born 1955), physicist *

Norbert Hummelt Norbert Hummelt (born 30 December 1962 in Neuss) is a German poet, essayist and translator."No ...

(born 1962), writer * Kai Böcking (born 1964), moderator * Franziska Pigulla (1964–2019), actress, news presenter and voice actress * Thomas Rupprath (born 1977), swimmer *

Lars Börgeling Lars Börgeling (born 16 April 1979, in Neuss) is a German pole vaulter. His personal best is 5.85 metres, achieved in July 2002 in Leverkusen. This ranks him ninth among German pole vaulters, behind Tim Lobinger, Andrei Tivontchik, Michael Stoll ...

(born 1979), pole vaulter * Judith Flemig (born 1979), volleyball player * Jawed Karim (born 1979), American entrepreneur, co-founder of

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

; lived here –1992 *

Dirk Caspers Dirk Caspers (born 31 May 1980 in Duisburg) is a German former footballer. Career Caspers played for several clubs in North Rhine-Westphalia, including many reserve teams, and made 10 appearances in the 2. Bundesliga The 2. Bundesliga ( ) i ...

(born 1980), former football player *

Marcel Ohmann Marcel Ohmann (born April 4, 1991) is a German professional ice hockey player. He is currently an unrestricted free agent who most recently played for the Grizzlys Wolfsburg of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). Ohmaan previously played 8 seasons ...

(born 1991), ice hockey player *

Danny da Costa Danny Vieira da Costa (born 13 July 1993) is a German professional footballer who plays as a right back for Bundesliga club Mainz 05. Club career Early career With his club having already advanced to the knockout stage of the Europa League, th ...

(born 1993), footballer

Twin towns – sister cities

Neuss is twinned with: * Châlons-en-Champagne, France (1972) *

Pskov Pskov ( rus, Псков, a=pskov-ru.ogg, p=pskof; see also names in other languages) is a city in northwestern Russia and the administrative center of Pskov Oblast, located about east of the Estonian border, on the Velikaya River. Population ...

, Russia (1990) *

Rijeka Rijeka ( , , ; also known as Fiume hu, Fiume, it, Fiume ; local Chakavian: ''Reka''; german: Sankt Veit am Flaum; sl, Reka) is the principal seaport and the third-largest city in Croatia (after Zagreb and Split). It is located in Primor ...

, Croatia (1990) *

Saint Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

, United States (1999) * Nevşehir, Turkey (2007)

Gallery

File:Quirinus-Münster.jpg, Saint Quirinus Minster File:Neuss Obertor Landseite.JPG, ''Obertor'' File:Neuss StSebastianus v N.jpg, St. Sebastianus Church File:Christuskirche Neuss Turm.JPG, ''Christuskirche'' File:Blutturm 2 Neuss.jpg, ''Blutturm''

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Cities in North Rhine-Westphalia 16 BC establishments Roman towns and cities in Germany Rhein-Kreis Neuss Members of the Hanseatic League Roman legionary fortresses in Germany Roman fortifications in Germania Inferior