Geldern ( nl, Gelderen, archaic English: ''Guelder(s)'') is a city in the federal German 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 ...

. It is part of the district of Kleve, which is part of the

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 ...

administrative region Administrative division, administrative unit,Article 3(1). country subdivision, administrative region, subnational entity, constituent state, as well as many similar terms, are generic names for geographical areas into which a particular, ind ...

Geography

Location

Geldern lies in the plains of the lower, northern

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 ...

, west of the

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

. Its average elevation is 27 m

AMSL Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as '' orthometric heights''. The ...

. The river Niers, a tributary of the

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 ...

(''Maas''), flows through Geldern. The stream Gelderner Fleuth flows into the Niers in Geldern. It is close to both Düsseldorf Airport and Airport Weeze, also called Airport Niederrhein (referring to 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); ...

region).

Subdivisions

Geldern is subdivided into the following

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle Ag ...

s: * Geldern City * Hartefeld * Kapellen (formerly Capellen) * Lüllingen * Pont * Veert * Vernum * Walbeck

Neighbouring towns and municipalities

Geldern shares borders with

Kevelaer Kevelaer (Low Rhenish: ''Käwela'') is a town in the district of Kleve, in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. It is the largest Catholic pilgrimage location within north-western Europe. More than 1 million pilgrims, mostly from Germany a ...

and Sonsbeck to the north,

Issum Issum is a municipality in the district of Kleve, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located approximately east of Geldern. Economy Issum is home to the Diebels brewery, the largest altbier brewery in the world. Notable natives ...

to the east,

Kerken Kerken with the towns of Aldekerk, Eyll, Nieukerk and Stenden, is a municipality in the district of Kleve in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located near the border with the Netherlands, approx. 15 km north-east of Venlo ...

and Straelen to the south, and the Dutch municipalities

Venlo Venlo () is a city and municipality in the southeastern Netherlands, close to the border with Germany. It is situated in the province of Limburg, about 50 km east of the city of Eindhoven, 65 km north east of the provincial capital Maastricht, a ...

and

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, secon ...

to the west.

Coat of arms

The first coat of arms of the city of Geldern was a

shield A shield is a piece of personal armour held in the hand, which may or may not be strapped to the wrist or forearm. Shields are used to intercept specific attacks, whether from close-ranged weaponry or projectiles such as arrows, by means of ...

with three medlars, referring to an event in the

dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted a ...

legend. The lion of

Guelders The Duchy of Guelders ( nl, Gelre, french: Gueldre, german: Geldern) is a historical duchy, previously county, of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the Low Countries. Geography The duchy was named after the town of Geldern (''Gelder'') in p ...

, recognizable in the present coat of arms, has been used since 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 ...

History

Dragon legend

According to folk legend, local noblemen Wichard and Lupold of Pont fought a fire-breathing

around 878. They found it under a medlar tree, and one of them stabbed it with his

spear A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with fire hardened spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fastene ...

. The dying dragon rattled two or three times: ''Gelre! Gelre!'' In commemoration of this heroic feat, the Lords of Pont founded the city of Geldern at the confluence of the Niers and the Fleuth.

Middle Ages

The city of Geldern was first documented around 900. Several versions of the name have been used: ''Gelre, Gielra, Gellero, Gelera'' and similar. The probable ancestor of the Counts of Guelders was Gerhard Flamens, who received Wassenberg as a

fief A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form ...

from Emperor Henry II in 1020. His great-grandson Gerhard IV of Wassenberg was the first to call himself Count of Guelders (as Gerhard I), from 1096. The title "count" came from other properties, probably in

Teisterbant Teisterbant was a pagus (province) of Lotharingia/Middle Francia. It was located in the present-day Netherlands, bordered by the rivers Lek and Waal. Modern-day West-Betuwe (the southern part of the province of Gelderland) shares most of the sa ...

. From 1125 only the title ''of Guelders'' was used. Wassenberg itself was given to the Duke of Limburg (and later to

Jülich Jülich (; in old spellings also known as ''Guelich'' or ''Gülich'', nl, Gulik, french: Juliers, Ripuarian: ''Jöllesch'') is a town in the district of Düren, in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. As a border region betw ...

) as a wedding gift in 1107. The counts of Guelders moved their residence to the castle in Geldern, that was built probably around this date at the crossing of the Niers. The castle and the accompanying medieval settlement were the origin of the present city, and also gave its name to the

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 ...

and later

duchy A duchy, also called a dukedom, is a medieval country, territory, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess, a ruler hierarchically second to the king or queen in Western European tradition. There once existed an important difference between ...

. The settlement was

fortified A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere' ...

in the 13th century with earth and stone walls and moats. The walls were named after the four cardinal directions and had three gates. Geldern received

city rights Town privileges or borough rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium. The city law customary in Central Europe probably dates back to Italian models, which in turn were oriented towards the traditio ...

in 1229. It was the residence of the counts and dukes of Guelders until 1343, and capital of the Upper Quarter of Guelders until 1347. The

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whic ...

of the

Carmelites , image = , caption = Coat of arms of the Carmelites , abbreviation = OCarm , formation = Late 12th century , founder = Early hermits of Mount Carmel , founding_location = Mount C ...

was built in the early 14th century. The Late Gothic parish church of

Mary Magdalene Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to his crucifixion and resurre ...

was built between 1400 and 1418.

Spanish and Dutch rule

Often in its history, Geldern lay in the battlefield of territorial disputes. It was subordinate to Spanish rule from 1543 until 1578, when it was occupied by the Dutch. Geldern returned to Spanish control in 1587, which lasted until 1703. During this period (more exactly between 1662 and 1664) Schloss Haag (first documented in 1337, located 1 km north of Geldern) was expanded. (Since

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 ...

only the outer castle has remained.)

18th century

From 1701 until 1714 the

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...

took place. The city was under

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 siege beginning February 1703, but only surrendered on 21 December. At the end of the war, at the 1713

Treaty of Utrecht The Peace of Utrecht was a series of peace treaties signed by the belligerents in the War of the Spanish Succession, in the Dutch city of Utrecht between April 1713 and February 1715. The war involved three contenders for the vacant throne ...

, the previously Spanish Upper Quarter of Guelders was divided between four powers:

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

, the United Provinces,

and 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 ...

. With the larger part of the former Upper Quarter, Geldern fell to Prussia and became the seat of administration of

Prussian Guelders Prussian Guelders or Prussian G(u)elderland ( nl, Pruisisch Gelre; german: Preußisch Geldern) was the part of the Duchy of Guelders ruled by the Kingdom of Prussia from 1713. Its capital was Geldern. The Upper Quarter of the Duchy of Guelders was ...

. King

Frederick II of Prussia Frederick II (german: Friedrich II.; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was King in Prussia from 1740 until 1772, and King of Prussia from 1772 until his death in 1786. His most significant accomplishments include his military successes in the S ...

visited Geldern in August 1740. He ordered the demolition of the city fortifications in 1764.

Modern era

Between 1794 and 1814 Geldern was occupied by the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

. They disbanded the old structures and created a new, more strict administration. The canton of Geldern was part of the arrondissement of

Cleves 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 ...

, which was a part of the département of the Roer. In 1802 the monastery of the Carmelites was secularized. In the course of the Prussian reorganization of administration, the district of Geldern was formed on 23 April 1816. It was one of over 40 rural districts of the Province of Jülich-Cleves-Berg, the northern half of the later

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. ...

. In 1863 the

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a p ...

line

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 ...

–

Krefeld Krefeld ( , ; li, Krieëvel ), also spelled Crefeld until 1925 (though the spelling was still being used in British papers throughout the Second World War), is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located northwest of Düsseldorf, ...

– Geldern –

was opened, and a narrow-gauge local line in 1902 (closed in 1932). In

Geldern was

bomb A bomb is an explosive weapon that uses the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy. Detonations inflict damage principally through ground- and atmosphere-transmitted mechan ...

ed several times, at the end of 1944 and on 14 February 1945, which led to devastation in the city centre. Only a few houses were saved, about 82% was destroyed. The parish church was also severely damaged, and the main building of Schloss Haag was completely destroyed. The parish church of Mary Magdalene was rebuilt in 1952, and redecorated in 2003/2004.

Religion

The

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction usi ...

of Geldern is mostly Roman

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. There are several Catholic churches, including the historically important parish church of Mary Magdalene on the market square. There are two

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

churches: the Holy Spirit church near the market, and one in the borough of Walbeck.

Territorial reorganization

The present composition of the city of Geldern was created at the territorial reorganization of

, on 1 July 1969. The municipalities of Kapellen, Vernum, Pont, Veert and Walbeck were incorporated into Geldern. On 1 January 1975 the former districts of Cleves and Geldern and parts of the districts of

Moers Moers (; older form: ''Mörs''; archaic Dutch: ''Murse'', ''Murs'' or ''Meurs'') is a German city on the western bank of the Rhine, close to Duisburg. Moers belongs to the district of Wesel. History Known earliest from 1186, the county of Mo ...

and Rees were merged to form the new district of Cleves.

Population

Culture and tourism

Buildings

There is an approx. 60 km long cycle path along the Fossa Eugeniana, a never completed

canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface f ...

from the

near Rheinberg to the

near

. Hiking is possible around the former Schloss Haag, part of which still remains, and is home to Golfclub Schloss Haag e.V. There is a mill tower and the refectory of the 16th century former monastery of Augustinian nuns. There are some

wind mill A windmill is a structure that converts wind power into rotational energy using vanes called sails or blades, specifically to mill grain (gristmills), but the term is also extended to windpumps, wind turbines, and other applications, in some par ...

s in the vicinity, including one within 1 km of Geldern-Kapellen.

Events

Every summer Geldern hosts a

street painting Street painting, also known as screeving, pavement art, street art, and sidewalk art, is the performance art of rendering artistic designs on pavement such as streets, sidewalks, and town squares with impermanent and semi-permanent materials ...

contest, which attracts international artists. Geldern has the largest

Whitsun Whitsun (also Whitsunday or Whit Sunday) is the name used in Britain, and other countries among Anglicans and Methodists, for the Christian High Holy Day of Pentecost. It is the seventh Sunday after Easter, which commemorates the descent of the ...

(Pentecost)

funfair A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Types Variations of fairs incl ...

of the lower Rhine, a street party in summer, and a

Christmas Market A Christmas market, also known as ''Christkindlmarkt'' (literally: ''Christ Child Market'', but the term "Christkind" usually refers to an angel-like "spirit of Christmas" rather than literally the Christ Child), ''Christkindlesmarkt'', ''Chris ...

. Several other events are organized in summer.

Transport

Aviation

Geldern is served by two nearby airports Weeze Airport (19 km) and Düsseldorf Airport (55 km). The international airport in Amsterdam is 180 km or about 2 hours by auto. Pedestrianbridgegelderntrainstation04

Trains and buses

The

Deutsche Bahn The (; abbreviated as DB or DB AG) is the national railway company of Germany. Headquartered in the Bahntower in Berlin, it is a joint-stock company ( AG). The Federal Republic of Germany is its single shareholder. describes itself as the ...

railway station of Geldern lies on the line from

via

. There are two trains per hour. Buses are used for public transport in the city and the surrounding area.

Roads

Geldern is connected to the German Autobahns:

motorways A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms ...

A40 ( E 34) and A57 ( E 31) by the federal roads B9 and B58.

Twin towns – sister cities

Geldern is twinned with: * Bree, Belgium * Fürstenberg, Germany

Notable people

* Benedictus Buns (1642–1716), priest and composer *

Max Pfeffer __NOTOC__ Max Pfeffer (7 June 1883 – 21 December 1955) was a general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II who commanded the IV Army Corps. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Pfeffer surrendered to t ...

(1883–1955), officer, General of the artillery in the World War II * Joseph Veltjens (1894–1943), Jagdflieger in the

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

and bearer of the Order

Pour le Mérite The ' (; , ) is an order of merit (german: Verdienstorden) established in 1740 by King Frederick II of Prussia. The was awarded as both a military and civil honour and ranked, along with the Order of the Black Eagle, the Order of the Red Eag ...

* Thomas Struth (born 1954), photographer *

Suzie Kerstgens Suzie Kerstgens (born 1971) is a German singer and lyricist. She is the lead vocalist and co-founder of German pop band Klee. Early life and education Suzie Kerstgens was born in Germany, 1971, in the north-western town of GeldernXenia Seeberg (born 1972), actress * Björn Böhning (born 1978), politician (SPD) *

Johannes Oerding Johannes Oerding (born 26 December 1981) is a German singer-songwriter. Early life Oerding was born in Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia and raised in Geldern-Kapellen near the border of the Netherlands. His father is a country doctor, whil ...

(born 1981), singer and songwriter * Anne van Bonn (born 1985), footballer

References

*''Geldrischer Heimatkalender'', Historischer Verein für Geldern und Umgegend (Herausgeber), erscheint jährlich *Irmgard Hantsche, ''Geldern Atlas - Karten und Texte zur Geschichte eines Territoriums'', Geldern 2003, *Johannes Stinner und Karl-Heinz Tekath, ''Gelre—Geldern—Gelderland - Geschichte und Kultur des Herzogtums Geldern'', Geldern 2001, Verlag des Historischen Vereins für Geldern und Umgegend, *Heinz Bosch, ''Illustrierte Geschichte der Stadt Geldern 1848-1969'', Band I: ''Von den revolutionären Ereignissen 1848 bis zum Ausbruch des ersten Weltkriegs 1914'', Geldern 1994 *Gregor Hövelmann, ''Geschichte des Kreises Geldern. Eine Skizze. Erster Teil: 1816-1866'', Geldern 1974

External links

*
History Club of Geldern - (German)
* Geldern-Kapellen English Wiki page * Wiki Page of the village of Geldern-Walbeck (German) {{Authority control Towns in North Rhine-Westphalia Kleve (district) Members of the Hanseatic League