Rees () is a town in the
district of Kleve in the state of
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 ...
,
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 ...
. It is located on the right bank 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 ...
, approximately 20 km east of
Kleve
Kleve (; traditional ; ; ; ; ; Low Rhenish: ''Kleff'') is a town in the Lower Rhine region of northwestern Germany near the Netherlands, Dutch border and the River Rhine. From the 11th century onwards, Cleves was capital of a county and lat ...
. The population in 2005 was 22,559. Founded in 1228, Rees is the oldest town in the lower Rhine area.
Geography
Rees is administratively organized in eight communities:
* Community of Bienen
* Community of Empel
* Community of Esserden
* Community of Haffen
* Community of Haldern
* Community of Mehr
* Community of Millingen
* Community of Rees
The neighbouring municipalities are
Oude IJsselstreek
Oude IJsselstreek () is a municipality in the province of Gelderland, in the eastern Netherlands. It was established on 1 January 2005 by a merger of the former municipalities of Gendringen and Wisch, Gelderland, Wisch.
Geography and population c ...
(province of
Gelderland
Gelderland ( , ), also known as Guelders ( ) in English, is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands, located in the centre-east of the country. With a total area of of which is water, it is the largest province of the Nethe ...
,
NL) and
Isselburg
Isselburg (; ) is a town in the district of Borken, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the river Issel, near the border of the Netherlands
, Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwe ...
(district of
Borken) in the North,
Hamminkeln and
Wesel
Wesel () is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, in western Germany. It is the capital of the Wesel (district), Wesel district.
Geography
Wesel is situated at the confluence of the Lippe River and the Rhine.
Division of the city
Suburbs of Wesel i ...
in the East,
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 ...
in the South (all district of
Wesel
Wesel () is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, in western Germany. It is the capital of the Wesel (district), Wesel district.
Geography
Wesel is situated at the confluence of the Lippe River and the Rhine.
Division of the city
Suburbs of Wesel i ...
), and
Kalkar
Kalkar () is a municipality in the district of Kleve, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located near the Rhine, approx. 10 km south-east of Cleves. The catholic church St. Nicolai has preserved one of the most significant sacral inv ...
and
Emmerich in the West.
History
The origin of the town is a
Frankish
Frankish may refer to:
* Franks, a Germanic tribe and their culture
** Frankish language or its modern descendants, Franconian languages, a group of Low Germanic languages also commonly referred to as "Frankish" varieties
* Francia, a post-Roman ...
settlement established between 500-800 AD. The name Rees most probably goes back to the
Kleverlandish
Kleverlandish ( or ; ) is a group of Low Franconian dialects spoken on both sides of the Dutch-German border along the Meuse and Rhine rivers.
Extent and terminology
Kleverlandish varieties are spoken in the Netherlands in the northernmost part ...
term "Rys", which means "willow grove".
The
Lower Rhine
Lower Rhine (, ; kilometres 660 to 1,033 of the Rhine) is the section of the Rhine between Bonn in Germany and the North Sea at Hook of Holland in the Netherlands, including the '' Nederrijn'' () within the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta; alternat ...
area was Christianized by the Irish missionary
Willibrord
Willibrord (; 658 – 7 November AD 739) was an Anglo-Saxons, Anglo-Saxon monk, bishop, and missionary. He became the first Diocese of Utrecht (695–1580), Bishop of Utrecht in what is now the Netherlands, dying at Echternach in Luxembourg, and ...
between 657-739. Around 1000 the nearby
monastery
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...
of Aspel was first mentioned.
On 14 July 1228 Rees was granted municipal rights by
Heinrich I von Müllenark,
Archbishop of Cologne
The Archbishop of Cologne governs the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cologne in western North Rhine-Westphalia. Historically, the archbishop was ''ex officio'' one of the prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire and ruled the Electorate of Cologne ...
. At that time it had about 600 inhabitants. In 1289/90 the works on a fortified city wall began, which was completed in 1350. In 1392 Rees and the monastery of Aspel became parts of the
County of Cleves.
During the
Eighty Years War
The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt (; 1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish government. The causes of the war included the Reformation, centralisation, exce ...
, the town was captured by Spanish troops in 1598. After the death of the last duke of Cleves in 1609 the town belonged to the
Margraviate of Brandenburg
The Margraviate of Brandenburg () was a major principality of the Holy Roman Empire from 1157 to 1806 that, having electoral status although being quite poor, grew rapidly in importance after inheriting the Duchy of Prussia in 1618 and then came ...
. Between 1616 and 1625 Rees was occupied by
Dutch troops who transformed the town into a huge fortress. In 1701 Rees became a 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 ...
.
In 1816 Rees became capital of the newly founded
Rees District within
Regierungsbezirk Kleve. The railway line from
Oberhausen
Oberhausen (, ) is a city on the river Emscher in the Ruhr Area, Germany, located between Duisburg and Essen ( ). The city hosts the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen and its Gasometer Oberhausen is an anchor point of the European Rout ...
to
Arnhem
Arnhem ( ; ; Central Dutch dialects, Ernems: ''Èrnem'') is a Cities of the Netherlands, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands, near the German border. It is the capita ...
was inaugurated in 1856 and a railway station was built near Rees.
At the beginning of the 20th century Rees had 4,096 inhabitants of whom 330 were Protestants and 52 were Jews.
From November 1944 to March 25, 1945, a Nazi forced
labor camp
A labor camp (or labour camp, see British and American spelling differences, spelling differences) or work camp is a detention facility where inmates are unfree labour, forced to engage in penal labor as a form of punishment. Labor camps have ...
existed in the city. 5,000 prisoners from various countries, over half of them from the Netherlands, were forced to carry out entrenchment work. The prisoners were housed under inhumane conditions and about 10 percent of the prisoners did not survive the camp.
During the
Nazi period, many
Jew
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...
ish inhabitants were deported. Today the only reminders of Jewish culture in Rees are two historic Jewish cemeteries. The city was almost completely destroyed by an Allied air raid on February 16, 1945 during
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 ...
. It became part of North Rhine-Westphalia after the war.
The Rhine bridge of Rees was completed in 1967.
Mayor
Christoph Gerwers (CDU) has been mayor of Rees since 2009. He was reelected in 2015 with 66.6% of the votes.
[Wahlergebnisse Bürgermeisterwahl 2015](_blank)
Kommunales Rechenzentrum Niederrhein
Culture, Tourism and Points of Interest
*In the Middle Ages Rees was surrounded by a city wall which was built from 1289 - 1307. Several parts of the wall are well-preserved and can be visited, e.g. the "White Tower" (''Weißer Turm'') built in 1410 which was used as a prison until the 18th century. The watch tower (''Wachturm'')near the Jewish cemetery dates from 1480. It was destroyed by bombs in 1945 and rebuilt in 1993. ''Mühlenturm'', the tallest tower, was built in 1470 and used as a windmill. It suffered comparatively little bomb damage and was renovated in 1984. Near the river bank there are further remains of the ancient city fortification. Several
casemates have been restored and are open to the public. One of them (''Bastei'') was built in 1583 and transformed into a war memorial after 1945.
*The municipal Koenraad-Bosman-Museum houses various exhibitions explaining the history of Rees and pieces of art.
*The catholic church "Saint Mary's Ascension" (''Sankt Mariä Himmelfahrt'') was built from 1820-1828 in a classicist style. It was destroyed in 1945 and rebuilt from 1956-1964.
*The small Protestant church in the Market Place was built in 1624, destroyed in 1945 and reconstructed after the war.
*In the town center, there are many carefully restored wells and water pumps that have become recognizable landmarks. An annual ''Pumpenkirmes'' (Ger., "pump fair") celebrates their former role as places for work and gossip.
*The Jewish cemetery of Rees was founded at the beginning of the 18th century.
[Wilhelm Voss-Gerling: ''Niederrhein und Ruhrgebiet'', p. 39. München 1986] As Jews in medieval Rees were forbidden from being buried in the city their cemetery was laid out on the medieval wall which was 8 metres broad. Thus the graves were safe in case of a Rhine flood. In 1872 the cemetery was closed because it was fully occupied and a new Jewish cemetery was founded in the outskirts of the town on Wesel Road. On 8 of November 1938 the cemetery was desecrated by the Fascists and heavily damaged by bombs on 16 February 1945. Today 24 graves can be seen on the cemetery with the oldest gravestone dating from 1788. The cemetery is not open to the public but the graves on the wall can be seen from the outside.

*The sculpture park of Rees was founded in 2003. Pieces of art by German und Dutch artists are exhibited.
*In Millingen, a former village which became a part of Rees in 1974, catholic Saint Quirin's Church dating from the 15th and 16th century is worth a visit.
*Rees has one of the most beautiful Rhine promenades in Germany with restaurants and cafes arranged along the riverbank. Most visitors come from the nearby
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 ...
, the
Münsterland, and the urban
Ruhr Area
The Ruhr ( ; , also ''Ruhrpott'' ), also referred to as the Ruhr Area, sometimes Ruhr District, Ruhr Region, or Ruhr Valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 1,160/km2 and a populati ...
, from where Rees can be easily accessed via the
Autobahn
The (; German , ) is the federal controlled-access highway system in Germany. The official term is (abbreviated ''BAB''), which translates as 'federal motorway'. The literal meaning of the word is 'Federal Auto(mobile) Track'.
Much of t ...
A3 in approx. 30 minutes. Boat tours on the Rhine river (e.g. to
Nijmegen
Nijmegen ( , ; Nijmeegs: ) is the largest city in the Dutch province of Gelderland and the ninth largest of the Netherlands as a whole. Located on the Waal River close to the German border, Nijmegen is one of the oldest cities 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 ...
) can be taken from the small shipping pier. The town offers a
motorhome
A motorhome (or coach) is a type of self-propelled recreational vehicle (RV) which is as the name suggests, like a home on wheels.
Features
Motorhomes usually have sleeping spaces for two to eight people. Each sleeping space is either fixed o ...
park, as well as three campsites and many bicycling routes.
*The facilities of the SV (Sportverein) Rees have been used by several national and international
soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
teams, most memorably playing host to the
national team of Cameroon in 2002.
*Haldern is venue of the
Haldern Pop
Haldern Pop is an annual German open air music festival, first held in 1984. It takes place in Rees, Germany, Rees-Haldern (North Rhine-Westphalia).
Focus
The Haldern Pop Festival cannot be limited to one genre. The focus ranges from experiment ...
festival, which takes place every August and attracts
indie music
Independent music (also commonly known as indie music, or simply indie) is a broad style of music characterized by creative freedoms, low-budgets, and a do-it-yourself approach to music creation, which originated from the liberties afforded by in ...
artists from all over the world as well as thousands of enthusiastic fans.
Transportation
Railway
The train station
Empel-Rees, located about 4 km from the city center, is connected northbound to
Emmerich and
Arnhem
Arnhem ( ; ; Central Dutch dialects, Ernems: ''Èrnem'') is a Cities of the Netherlands, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands, near the German border. It is the capita ...
and southbound to
Wesel
Wesel () is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, in western Germany. It is the capital of the Wesel (district), Wesel district.
Geography
Wesel is situated at the confluence of the Lippe River and the Rhine.
Division of the city
Suburbs of Wesel i ...
,
Oberhausen
Oberhausen (, ) is a city on the river Emscher in the Ruhr Area, Germany, located between Duisburg and Essen ( ). The city hosts the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen and its Gasometer Oberhausen is an anchor point of the European Rout ...
,
Duisburg
Duisburg (; , ) is a city in the Ruhr metropolitan area of the western States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Lying on the confluence of the Rhine (Lower Rhine) and the Ruhr (river), Ruhr rivers in the center of the Rhine-Ruh ...
,
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 ...
,
Cologne
Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...
,
Bonn
Bonn () is a federal city in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, located on the banks of the Rhine. With a population exceeding 300,000, it lies about south-southeast of Cologne, in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr region. This ...
, and
Koblenz
Koblenz ( , , ; Moselle Franconian language, Moselle Franconian: ''Kowelenz'') is a German city on the banks of the Rhine (Middle Rhine) and the Moselle, a multinational tributary.
Koblenz was established as a Roman Empire, Roman military p ...
. From the station, there is a bus line downtown. There are train stations in Millingen and Haldern as well.
Major roads
Rees has major road access to the
Autobahn
The (; German , ) is the federal controlled-access highway system in Germany. The official term is (abbreviated ''BAB''), which translates as 'federal motorway'. The literal meaning of the word is 'Federal Auto(mobile) Track'.
Much of t ...
A3 and the federal roads B8 (North-South) and B67 (East-West).
Inland waterways
*The River
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 ...
For pedestrians and bicyclists, transfer across the Rhine is provided by two ferries from Easter holidays through October.
Nearest airports
Distance to
Düsseldorf Airport
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 seventh-largest city in Germany, with a 2022 population of 629,047.
The Düsse ...
: ca. 75 km
Distance to
Airport Weeze (low cost carriers only): ca. 35 km
Notable people

*
Mirko Boland (born 1987), footballer (
Eintracht Braunschweig
Braunschweiger Turn- und Sportverein Eintracht von 1895 e.V., commonly known as Eintracht Braunschweig () or BTSV (), is a German football and sports club based in Braunschweig, Lower Saxony. They compete in the 2. Bundesliga, the second tier o ...
)
*
Konrad Heresbach (1496–1576), German Humanist
*
Karl Leisner (1915–1945), martyr of the Catholic Church, who died as a result of mistreatment in concentration camp Dachau
*
Vlado Stenzel (born 1934), handball player and coach
*
Reiner Pommerin (1943–2024), historian
*
Franz-Josef Tenhagen (born 1952), former footballer and coach
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Kleve (district)
Holocaust locations in Germany