Goch (; archaic spelling: Gog, Dutch: Gogh) is a town in the district of Kleve, 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 state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more than 18 million inha ...

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

. It is situated close to the border with the Siebengewald in

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 ...

, approx. south of

Kleve Kleve (; traditional en, Cleves ; nl, Kleef; french: Clèves; es, Cléveris; la, Clivia; Low Rhenish: ''Kleff'') is a town in the Lower Rhine region of northwestern Germany near the Dutch border and the River Rhine. From the 11th century ...

, and southeast of Nijmegen.

History

Goch is at least 750 years old: the earliest mention of Goch is in a document dated 1259. It was a part of the Duchy of Cleves. During

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 opposing ...

, the city was completely destroyed by Allied bombers during

Operation Veritable Operation Veritable (also known as the Battle of the Reichswald) was the northern part of an Allied pincer movement that took place between 8 February and 11 March 1945 during the final stages of the Second World War. The operation was conduc ...

Twin towns – sister cities

Goch is twinned with: * Andover, England, United Kingdom * Meierijstad, Netherlands (formerly Veghel) * Nowy Tomyśl, Poland *

Redon Redon (; ) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. Geography Redon borders the Morbihan and Loire-Atlantique departments. It is situated at the junction of t ...

, France

Notable people

* Otto III (980–1002), Holy Roman Emperor *

Johannes von Goch Johannes von Goch (properly Johann Pupper) ( – 1475) was a German Augustinian monk, thought by some to be a precursor of the Reformation, because of his views on scripture, justification and monasticism. Biography He was born at Goch in the Rh ...

(c. 1400–1475), Medieval theologian *

Maarten Schenck van Nydeggen Maarten (Martin) Schenck van Nydeggen, (1540?, – 11 August 1589) was a noted military commander in the Netherlands. He first served with William of Orange in the fight for Dutch independence from Spain then switched to serve with distincti ...

(1540–1589), military commander in the Netherlands *

Francisco de Moncada Francisco de Moncada (in Catalan: Francesc de Montcada i Montcada), 3rd Marquis of Aytona, (1586–1635) was a Spanish diplomat, soldier and writer of the early 17th century. He was also interim Governor of the Spanish Netherlands. Early life Mon ...

(1586–1635), Spanish author, military leader, and governor of the Spanish Netherlands, died here *

Aenne Biermann Aenne Biermann (March 8, 1898 – January 14, 1933), born Anna Sibilla Sternfeld, was a German photographer of Ashkenazi origin. She was one of the major proponents of New Objectivity, a significant art movement that developed in Germany in th ...

(1898–1933), photographer *

Hubert Houben Hubert Houben (24 February 1898 – 9 November 1956) was a German sprinter who competed at the 1928 Summer Olympics. He won a silver medal in the 4 × 100 m relay, together with Georg Lammers, Richard Corts and Helmut Körnig, and failed to re ...

(1898–1956), athlete *

Josefa Idem Josefa Idem married Guerrini (born 23 September 1964) is an Italian sprint canoer turned politician. Competing in eight Summer Olympics, she has five medals. Winning 35 international medals during her career, Idem was the first Italian woman to ...

(born 1964), Italian sprint canoer and politician * Arnold Janssen (1837–1909), founder of the Society of the Divine Word, a Roman Catholic missionary congregation * Rita Kersting (born 1969), art historian *

Luisa Wensing Luisa Wensing (born 8 February 1993) is a German footballer who plays as a right back for SC Freiburg. Wensing has also represented Germany in international competition, playing at junior level in the 2010 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup and 2012 F ...

(born 1993), footballer

Vincent van Gogh Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who posthumously became one of the most famous and influential figures in Western art history. In a decade, he created about 2,100 artworks, inc ...

, according to his name, which translates to "Vincent of Goch", has ancestors likely native to this location.

Gallery

Goch 1625.JPG, ' in 1625, by Jan Luyken The British Army in North-west Europe 1944-45 B14779.jpg, Goch during

, February 21, 1945 Goch, watertoren Dm82 foto2 2013-04-30 12.29.jpg, Watertower Goch, straatzicht Am Steintor Dm6 foto7 2016-05-05 16.38.jpg, Am Steintor Street Vicarage goch hommersum.jpg, Vicarage Goch Hommersum G17-d-Goch-evKirche.JPG, Protestant church

References

External links

Towns in North Rhine-Westphalia Kleve (district) {{Kleve-geo-stub