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Wülfrath () is a town in the district of
Mettmann (district) Mettmann () is a Kreis (district) in the middle of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring are the Ennepe-Ruhr, Rhein-Kreis Neuss, Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis and the district-free cities Cologne, Leverkusen, Wuppertal, Solingen, Düsseldo ...
, in
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.


Geography

The town is situated on the mountain spurs of the Bergische Land, between 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 ...
,
Ruhr 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 ...
and
Wupper The Wupper () is a right tributary of the Rhine in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Rising near Marienheide in western Sauerland it runs through the mountainous region of the Bergisches Land in Berg County and enters the Rhine at Le ...
rivers. It is located in the central part of the Berg region, approx. 12 km northeast of
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 ...
. The old town centre lies in the small valley of the Angerbach, a brook which rises nearby and flows through the town. The newer parts of the town are built on the valley slopes.


History

Wülfrath was one of the first settlements to be made in a clearing in the great Imperial forest of the early
Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
. The name means ''clearing of a man named Wolf'' and its date of origin is thought to be about 713. Around this has grown up the legend of a settler called Wolf who had been expelled from his clan and who is supposed to have made a clearing in the then luxuriant forest on the site of the present village centre. In 875 the hundreds (''Honnschaften'') and present suburbs of Flandersbach (''Flatmarasbeki'', i.e., Flattmar's brook) and Rützkausen (''Hrotsteninghuson'', i.e., the houses of Hrotse's people) are named in a description of the places owing tithes to
Werden Abbey Werden Abbey () was a Benedictine monastery in Essen-Werden (Germany), situated on the Ruhr. The foundation of the abbey Near Essen Saint Ludger founded a monastery in 799 and became its first abbot. The little church which Saint Ludger b ...
on the Ruhr. In around 1100 the placename Wülfrath (''Wolverothe'') itself is at last mentioned in a document written in a monk's hand at the religious house at
Kaiserswerth Kaiserswerth is one of the oldest quarters of the City of Düsseldorf, part of Borough 5. It is in the north of the city and next to the river Rhine. It houses the where Florence Nightingale worked. Kaiserswerth has an area of , and 7,923 in ...
. The boundaries are given in a deed of grant of the
Emperor Henry VI Henry VI (German: ''Heinrich VI.''; November 1165 – 28 September 1197), a member of the Hohenstaufen dynasty, was King of Germany (King of the Romans) from 1169 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1191 until his death. From 1194 he was also King of Sic ...
dated 16 October 1165 as the courses of the Rhein, Ruhr and
Düssel The Düssel is a small right tributary of the river Rhine in North Rhine Westphalia, Germany. River Its source is east of Wülfrath. It flows westward through the Neander Valley where the fossils of the first known to be Neanderthal man were ...
(''Tussella'') rivers. The eastern boundary was the old highway of the "Kölnische Straße" (''strata colonensis''), which ran from the bridge over the Ruhr at
Werden Werden ( Westphalian: ''Wadden'') is a southern borough of the city of Essen in Germany. It belongs to the city district ''IX Werden/Kettwig/Bredeney'' and has 9,998 inhabitants as of June 30, 2006. The borough occupies a space of and is situat ...
via
Velbert Velbert (, Low Rhenish: ''Vèlbed'') is a town in the district of Mettmann (district), Mettmann, in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The town is renowned worldwide for the production of locks and fittings. Geography Velbert is located ...
and Wülfrath along the Düssel towards
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 ...
. The centre of the mediaeval village was a demesne farm or manor (Mollmershof), which as part of the lordship of
Hardenberg Hardenberg (; or '' 'n Arnbarg'') is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Overijssel, Eastern Netherlands. The municipality of ...
was sold to the
Counts of Berg Berg () was a state—originally a county, later a duchy—in the Rhineland of Germany. Its capital was Düsseldorf. It existed as a distinct political entity from the early 12th to the 19th centuries. It was a member state of the Holy Roman Emp ...
. Possession of this manor, to which an extensive group of scattered farms belonged, particularly in the hundreds of Erbach and Püttbach, also gave control of the
advowson Advowson () or patronage is the right in English law of a patron (avowee) to present to the diocesan bishop (or in some cases the ordinary if not the same person) a nominee for appointment to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice or church living, a ...
of the church, that is, the right to appoint the priest. As early as 1265 the presence of a smith can be demonstrated from the tax and rent register. The estate of Puttbach in the hundred of the same name was in the possession of the
Teutonic Knights The Teutonic Order is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem was formed to aid Christians on their pilgrimages to t ...
in 1392. It became the administrative centre for the order's scattered properties, where every year the manorial court was held. In 1578 the village was destroyed by a great fire, which also burnt the roof and tower of the church. To help mitigate the severe losses of the inhabitants, the local prince, Duke Johann Wilhelm IV of Jülich-Kleve-Berg, granted them in 1579 a charter of market rights, permitting his ''village and parish of Wulfrod'' four free markets a year. But exactly one hundred years after the first fire, another destroyed the entire village centre with more than 70 houses. After the transfer of the
Duchy of Berg Berg () was a state—originally a county, later a duchy—in the Rhineland of Germany. Its capital was Düsseldorf. It existed as a distinct political entity from the early 12th to the 19th centuries. It was a member state of the Holy Roman Emp ...
to the French and the establishment of the Grand Duchy of Berg, out of the hundreds Erbach, Püttbach, Obschwarzbach, Niederschwarzbach (all previously Amt
Mettmann Mettmann () is a town in the northern part of the Bergisches Land, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the administrative centre of the Mettmann (district), district of Mettmann, Germany's most densely populated rural district. The town lies ...
), Flandersbach, Rützkausen (previously Amt
Angermund Angermund is an urban quarter of Düsseldorf, part of Borough 5 (Düsseldorf), Borough 5. Angermund is the northernmost part of Düsseldorf, neighbouring to Düsseldorf-Kalkum, Kalkum, Düsseldorf-Kaiserswerth, Kaiserswerth, Ratingen and Duisbu ...
) and Oberdüssel (previously in the lordship of Schöller) was formed in 1808 the municipality (''mairie'') of Wülfrath. In 1809 Obschwarzbach and Niederschwarzbach were added to Mettmann, in return for which, the hundred of Unterdüssel with the village of Düssel were given to Wülfrath. After the wars of liberation the place came to
Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...
, as part of the newly created
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. ...
. By an ordinance of 1827 Wülfrath was entitled to representation as part of the estate of towns in the Rhine Provincial Parliament. In 1856 it finally received full municipal rights with the passing of the town ordinance for the Rhine Province.


Church and other buildings

At the time of the first recorded reference in c. 1100, the first church building could already have been standing on the site of the present church square, a small early mediaeval church with a square choir. Since the 11th century a romanesque church stood there, which was extended and enlarged in the 15th century with Gothic additions. In the mid-15th century it was referred to as Saint Cornelius' church. The tower and north aisle with the wall separating it from the nave are romanesque, probably from the 12th century. The nave is Gothic, from the 14th century. The south aisle in Late Gothic style was completed, according to a
capstone __NOTOC__ Capstone may refer to: Architecture * Keystone (architecture), also known as a capstone Brands and enterprises * Capstone Investment Advisors, a US investment management firm * Capstone Partners, an investment banking firm * Capstone P ...
, in 1524. The church is surrounded by houses and shops built round it in a circle, forming a beautiful enclosed church square typical of the ancient Berg region. The surrounding houses remain for the most part in their original state and are protected buildings, although others have been rebuilt. Each of them had (and still has) a name as well as a house number: ''Auf'm Keller'' (1678), ''Hamels'' (1678), ''Melanders'' (1678), ''Op der Ley'' (about 1600 - refurbished 1911), ''Auf'm Haus'' (1678),'' Großer Klaus'' (1686 - rebuilt 1964), ''Kleiner Klaus'' (1678), ''Scholle'' (1678), ''Hinter'm Turm'' (1678), ''Jostenhaus'' (refurbished about 1738), ''Hechtsteinhaus'' (1678), ''Op de Trapp'' (1678) and ''Leonhards'' (rebuilt 1955). In 2001 a part of the historic Old Town yet again fell victim to the flames. During the night of 21 January 2001 a fire broke out which destroyed three of the old
half-timbered Timber framing () and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy Beam (structure), timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and Woodworking joints, joined timbers with joints secure ...
houses. They had to be demolished, and have been replaced by modern buildings.


Economics

By the mid-19th century, more than 100 companies and businesses had established themselves, most of which were largish cottage industries, principally weaving on looms. After 1850, the first large-scale businesses, aided by steam technology, were created. Despite the strong industrialization of that time, the village's agricultural character was not completely lost, but today only isolated agricultural enterprises exist. Of particular significance was the arrival of quarrying in Wülfrath, with the establishment of the ''Rheinisch-Westfälische Kalkwerke Dornap'' in 1887, and the ''Rheinische Kalksteinwerke Wülfrath'' in 1903. Wülfrath now has the largest chalk and limestone quarries in Europe. These undertakings have been a decisive influence on the development of the town, and have remained the principal component of Wülfrath's industrial life until now. There continued to be numerous home-based weaving enterprises, as well as businesses involved in finishing leather and many other small firms. A branch of the Ford works at
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 ...
was founded here, rising out of the coachwork company ''Josef Hebmueller Soehne'', established 1889, and still extant as ''(Tedrive)''.


Coat of arms

After 1840, the Wülfrath
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 last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...
, modelled on an old seal of the Lutheran Reformed municipality, was designed by the Düsseldorf heraldic and painter Wolfgang Pagenstecher. In 1938 the arms were again re-designed and officially recognized by the President of the Rhine Province. The arms, showing a shepherd in mediaeval costume fending off a wolf with his staff, symbolize the victory of good over evil and refer to the town's name, although not particularly to the settler Wolf.


Schools

(External links here are in German): *Grundschule Ellenbeek, 16 Tiegenhöfer Straße *Grundschule Lindenschule, 26 Lindenstraße *Grundschule Parkschule, 14 Parkstraße *Hauptschule Wolverothe, 5 Schulstraße *Theodor-Heuss-Realschule, 20 Bergstraße *Städtisches Gymnasium, 63 Kastanienallee *Schule für Lernbehinderte, 3 In den Eschen *Volkshochschule Mettmann-Wülfrath, 189 Wilhelmstraße


Politics


Mayors

In September 2020, Rainer Otto Ritsche was elected mayor of Wülfrath. '' Previous mayors '' * 1975-1984: Ulrich Schiller (CDU) * 1984-1988: Helmut Kuhnert (SPD) * 1988-1995: Alois Huning (CDU) * 1995-2004: Ulrich Eilebrecht (independent) * 2004-2009: Barbara Lorenz-Allendorff (independent) * 2009-2020: Claudia Panke (independent) * 2020-: Rainer Otto Ritsche (independent)


City council

The city council has 46 seats. The elections in 2020 showed the following results:


Twinned towns

*
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,
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, United Kingdom (since 1971) *
Bondues Bondues (; ) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. Since 1997, Bondues has housed a Museum devoted to the Resistance of the Nord-Pas de Calais region. The Fort of Bondues, also known as Fort Lobau, was built near the conflu ...
,
Nord-Pas-De-Calais Nord-Pas-de-Calais (; ; West Flemish: ''Nôord-Nauw van Kales'') was a former regions of France, administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new Regions of France, region Hauts-de-France. It consisted of the ...
, France (since 2003) *
Ames AMES, short Air Ministry Experimental Station, was the name given to the British Air Ministry's radar development team at Bawdsey Manor (afterwards RAF Bawdsey) in the immediate pre-World War II era. The team was forced to move on three occasion ...
,
Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...
, United States (since 1985)


Sponsorship

*Since 24 October 2000, the town ha
sponsored
th
Army Music Corps 7
of the
Bundeswehr The (, ''Federal Defence'') are the armed forces of the Germany, Federal Republic of Germany. The is divided into a military part (armed forces or ''Streitkräfte'') and a civil part, the military part consists of the four armed forces: Germ ...
, based in Düsseldorf


Sites of interest


Museums

* Niederbergisches Museum, Bergstrasse 22-24 * Zeittunnel Wülfrath, Hammerstein 5


Others

*Historical church square *''Düsseler Tor''


Events

*Weekly market, every Saturday from 7:00 to 12:00 (CET) *Annual summer fair of the allotments at ''Erbacher Berg'' *Annual city celebration, the ''Kartoffelfest'' (''Potato Fair''), in September *Annual Christmas market, known as ''Duke William's Market'', at the end of November.


Notable people

'' Sons and daughters: '' * Wolfgang Kuck (born 1967), volleyball player * Werner Weber (1904–1976), jurist '' Persons with relationship to the city: '' *
Friedensreich Hundertwasser Friedrich Stowasser (15 December 1928 – 19 February 2000), better known by his pseudonym Friedensreich Regentag Dunkelbunt Hundertwasser (), was an Austrian visual artist and architect who also worked in the field of environmental protection ...
(1928–2000), artist; Designed the dome at the Kindergarten '' Düsseler Tor '' * Gottfried Daniel Krummacher (1774–1837), theologian, 1801–1816 Pastor in Wülfrath


Notes


References

* * * * *


External links


Wülfrath Town Homepage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wulfrath Towns in North Rhine-Westphalia Mettmann (district)