Mönchengladbach (, ) is a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia or North-Rhine/Westphalia, commonly shortened to NRW, is a States of Germany, state () in Old states of Germany, Western Germany. With more than 18 million inhabitants, it is the List of German states by population, most ...

, western

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, west of the

Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...

, halfway between

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in the state after Cologne and the List of cities in Germany with more than 100,000 inhabitants, seventh-largest city ...

and the Dutch 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 were: * * * *

History

Name and origins

The original name of the city was , by which it is still often known today. To distinguish it from another town of the same name (the present ), it took the name ('Monks’ Gladbach', in reference to the abbey) in 1888. Between 1933 and 1950, it was written ' (short: ), without a hyphen. This spelling was seen as potentially misleading, as it could imply that Gladbach was a borough of

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

(), so consequently the name was changed to in 1950 (and subsequently in 1960) to avoid confusion. The town was founded around Gladbach Abbey 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 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'' ( ) is an extinction, extinct species of Homo, archaic human from the Pleistocene, spanning nearly 2 million years. It is the first human species to evolve a humanlike body plan and human gait, gait, to early expansions of h ...

and

Neanderthal Neanderthals ( ; ''Homo neanderthalensis'' or sometimes ''H. sapiens neanderthalensis'') are an extinction, extinct group of archaic humans who inhabited Europe and Western and Central Asia during the Middle Pleistocene, Middle to Late Plei ...

. There are numerous

cairn A cairn is a human-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 (plural ). Cairns have been and are used for a broad variety of purposes. In prehistory, t ...

s from the

Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...

and

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

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 ( , ; ), formerly and traditionally known in English as Trèves ( , ) and Triers (see also Names of Trier in different languages, names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle (river), Moselle in Germany. It lies in a v ...

. 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 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 within the duchy of Jülich. On 4 October 1794, the armed forces of the French Revolution 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 do ...

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 municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

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

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

'' Krefeld, of the Roer '' Département''.

Recent history

In 1815, Gladbach became part of the

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (, ) was a German state that existed from 1701 to 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Rev. ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1946. It played a signif ...

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 Rheydt was an independent city; the split from München-Gladbach was arranged by Joseph Goebbels, who was born locally. After reuniting with Mönchengladbach, the central station ( Rheydt Hauptbahnhof) 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 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 Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

(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. Forced laborers of the 3rd SS construction brigade were dispatched in the city in 1943. Eventually, the Prussian

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

was dissolved after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, and the city became part of the new state of

which was formed in 1946.

Climate

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

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

and spinning machines (Dörries Scharmann, Monforts, Trützschler, Schlafhorst), automatic conveyor systems, signal and system technology (Scheidt & Bachmann), transformers (SMS Meer), cables ( Nexans Germany formerly Kabelwerk Rheydt), printed matter and foodstuffs.

Chocolatier A chocolatier ( ; ; ) is a person or company that makes and sells chocolate confections. Chocolatiers are distinct from chocolate makers, who create chocolate from cacao beans and other raw ingredients. Chocolatiers work artisanally with pre- ...

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 an alcoholic beverage produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches from cereal grain—most commonly malted barley, although wheat, maize (corn), rice, and oats are also used. The grain is mashed to convert starch in the ...

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 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, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

in particular is playing a certain role. Mönchengladbach has about 40 hotels (for example: Hotel Burgund) and inns as well as a youth hostel in the district Hardter Wald. In total there are about 2000 beds. The number of overnight stays is over 200,000 annually. Mönchengladbach Airport 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 from the 1940s. The next major international airport Düsseldorf Airport 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 (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, Social Democratic Party , 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 , 15,304 , 17.5 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Corina Bülow , align=left,

Alternative for Germany Alternative for Germany (, AfD, ) is a Far-right politics in Germany (1945–present), far-right,Far-right: * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Right-wing populism, right-wing populist and National conservatism, national-conservative p ...

, 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 magazine ...

, 1,914 , 2.2 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Franz Josef Schiller , align=left, Ecological Democratic Party , 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, Social Democratic Party (SPD) , 22,365 , 25.2 , 4.3 , 20 , ±0 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Alliance 90/The Greens (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, Ecological Democratic Party (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 for contemporary art * Municipal Museum Schloss Rheydt for fine art * Museum im Wasserturm Rheindahlen for relics of the Stone Age * Museum Altes Zeughaus e. V. for Carnival * Museum Schloss Wickrath for ornithology * Bunter Garten, 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. is ...

and

arboretum An arboretum (: arboreta) is a botanical collection composed exclusively of trees and shrubs of a variety of species. Originally mostly created as a section in a larger garden or park for specimens of mostly non-local species, many modern arbor ...

* Wasserturm Mönchengladbach

Twin towns – sister cities

Mönchengladbach is twinned with: *

Bradford Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in West Yorkshire, England. It became a municipal borough in 1847, received a city charter in 1897 and, since the Local Government Act 1972, 1974 reform, the city status in the United Kingdo ...

, England, UK (1971) * North Tyneside, England, UK (1958) *

Roubaix Roubaix ( , ; ; ; ) is a city in northern France, located in the Lille metropolitan area on the Belgian border. It is a historically mono-industrial Communes of France, commune in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, depar ...

, France (1969) *

Roermond Roermond (; or ) is a city, municipality, and diocese in the Limburg (Netherlands), 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 City rights i ...

, Netherlands (1971) *

Thurrock Thurrock () is a unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Essex, England. It lies on the north bank of the River ...

, England, UK (1969) *

Verviers Verviers (; ) 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 cent ...

, Belgium (1970)

Transport

The city has two main railway stations: Mönchengladbach Hauptbahnhof and Rheydt Hauptbahnhof, 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 connects the city to

and

Hagen Hagen () is a city in the States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia, in western Germany, on the southeastern edge of the Ruhr area, 15 km south of Dortmund, where the rivers Lenne and Volme meet the Ruhr (river), Ruhr. In 2023, the ...

; an extension further westwards is being discussed. A number of regional trains 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 southeastern Netherlands, close to the border with Germany. It is situated in the province of Limburg (Netherlands), ...

which is located in

the Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. By the end of 2009 it was the largest city in Germany without regular long-distance services. With the new schedule for 2010, Mönchengladbach got an

InterCity InterCity (commonly abbreviated ''IC'' on timetables and tickets) is the train categories in Europe, classification applied to certain long-distance passenger train services in Europe. Such trains (in contrast to InterRegio, regional train, r ...

Intercity-Express Intercity Express (commonly known as ICE () and running under this Train categories in Europe, category) is a high-speed rail in Germany, high-speed rail system in Germany. It also serves destinations in Austria, France, Belgium, Switzerland an ...

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, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

tradition. Its home club,

Borussia Mönchengladbach Borussia Verein für Leibesübungen 1900 e.V. Mönchengladbach, better known as Borussia Mönchengladbach () and colloquially known as just Gladbach, is a professional Association football, football club based in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-W ...

, 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 Stadion im BORUSSIA-PARK) is a Association football, football stadium in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany which serves as the home stadium of Bundesliga club Borussia Mönchengladbach. It replaced ...

stadium with a capacity of 54,057. The club has the sixth largest fan club 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 2008 Women's Hockey Champions Trophy, and the 2010 Men's Hockey Champions Trophy.

Harness racing

Since 1892, Mönchengladbach has owned a harness racing track called ''Trabrennbahn Mönchengladbach'' (Trotting track Mönchengladbach).

Military

Until December 2013, the Rheindahlen Military Complex was located just outside Mönchengladbach, where it was home to the headquarters of the

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

in Germany.

Notable people

Franz Meyers ex Ludwig Erhard 1965 FdG 1

* Jacob Masen (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 ...

(1859–1935), engineer and entrepreneur * Joseph Goebbels (1897–1945), Minister of Propaganda in

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

* Lisel Haas (1898–1989), photographer * Hans Jonas (1903–1993), philosopher and scholar, wrote extensively on ethics * Franz Meyers (1908–2002), politician (CDU), former minister-president North Rhine-Westphalia * Elisabeth Gottschalk (1912–1989), German-born Dutch historical geographer and professor * Jack Zunz (1923–2018), civil and structural engineer, former chairman of Ove Arup & Partners, principal structural designer of the

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue Performing arts center, performing arts centre in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive b ...

* Dietrich Nummert (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 Miss World 1956, 1956 Miss World contest, representing W ...

(1933–2010), Miss Germany 1956, Miss World 1956 * Shakuntala Banerjee (born 1973) television presenter * Hildegard Uhrmacher (born 1939), operatic soprano * Peter Klusen (born 1951), writer, translator and cartoonist * Reinhold Ewald (born 1956), physicist and ESA astronaut * Walter Moers (born 1957), author * Joscho Stephan (born 1979), gypsy jazz guitarist * Joko Winterscheidt (born 1979), television presenter

Sport

* Joseph Pilates (1883–1967), physical trainer, proponent of the Pilates method * Hans Heyer (born 1943), racing driver * Horst-Dieter Höttges (1943–2023), footballer * Günter Netzer (born 1944), footballer * Jupp Heynckes (born 1945), footballer and manager * Erwin Kremers (born 1949), footballer * Ulrike von der Groeben (born 1957), television sport journalist * Michael Frontzeck (born 1964), footballer * Ellen Lohr (born 1965), racing driver * Heinz-Harald Frentzen (born 1967),

Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...

driver * Jorg Albertz (born 1971), footballer * Nick Heidfeld (born 1977), Formula One driver * Sven Heidfeld (born 1978), racing driver * Marcell Jansen (born 1985), footballer * Isabell Herlovsen (born 1988), Norwegian footballer * Marc-André ter Stegen (born 1992), footballer

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mönchengladbach Cities in North Rhine-Westphalia Urban districts of North Rhine-Westphalia Düsseldorf (region)