Bergisch Gladbach
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Bergisch Gladbach | |
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![]() Forecourt of Schloss Bensberg | |
Location of Bergisch Gladbach within Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis district ![]() | |
Country | Germany |
State | North Rhine-Westphalia |
Admin. region | Köln |
District | Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis |
Subdivisions | 6 |
Government | |
• Mayor | Lutz Urbach (CDU) |
Area | |
• Total | 83.12 km2 (32.09 sq mi) |
Highest elevation | 267 m (876 ft) |
Lowest elevation | 51 m (167 ft) |
Population (2023-12-31)[1] | |
• Total | 112,660 |
• Density | 1,400/km2 (3,500/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
Postal codes | 51401-51469 |
Dialling codes | 02202, 02204, 02207 |
Vehicle registration | GL |
Website | www.bergischgladbach.de |
Bergisch Gladbach (German pronunciation: [ˈbɛɐ̯gɪʃ ˈglatbax] ), is a town in the Cologne/Bonn Region of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, and capital of the Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis (district).
Geography
Bergisch Gladbach is located east of the river Rhine, approx. 10 kilometers east of Cologne.
Neighbouring municipalities
Beginning in the north clockwise the neighbouring municipalities and neighbouring towns are: Odenthal, Kürten, Overath, Rösrath, Cologne and Leverkusen.
History
Early settlements existed in the 13th century, but the town was officially founded in 1856.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/93/Bensberg_Rathaus2.jpg/220px-Bensberg_Rathaus2.jpg)
The word Bergisch in the name does not originate from its location in the earldom of Berg and was not added to distinguish it from Mönchengladbach as believed by many people, but from the earls who gave their name to the region. At the start of the 12th century the earls of "Berg" settled in the area and it became the grand duchy of Berg. This is where the first part of the name (Bergisch) comes from.
The second part of the name, Gladbach (cognate with English Ladbrooke) originates from Low German (Bergisches Platt) and means canalised stream, referring to the small river (the Strunde) that was artificially canalised (laid) in early medieval times. In Bergisch Platt, the regional dialect, laid is said gelaat, a word which eventually evolved to glad (in this case the 'd' is pronounced as a 't'). The second part of the word, bach is the standard German word for a small stream, referring in this case to the Strunde.
In 1975 the city incorporated the neighbouring Bensberg and when it reached a population of 100,000 in 1977 it was given municipality status.
Largest groups of foreign residents[2] | |
Nationality | Population (2014) |
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2,123 |
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882 |
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878 |
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679 |
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300 |
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288 |
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260 |
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257 |
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241 |
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208 |
Economy
Paper manufacturing, printing, glass wool manufacturing, and high-tech industries make up a large part of Bergisch Gladbach's economy.
International relations
Bergisch Gladbach is twinned with:
Country | Place | County / District / Region / State | Date | ||
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France | Bourgoin-Jallieu | ![]() |
Rhône-Alpes | 1956 |
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United Kingdom | Luton | ![]() |
Bedfordshire | 1956 |
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Netherlands | Velsen | ![]() |
North Holland | 1956 |
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France | Joinville-le-Pont | 1960 | ||
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United Kingdom | Runnymede | 1965 | ||
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Lithuania | Marijampolė | 1989 | ||
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Cyprus | Limassol | 1991 | ||
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Poland | Pszczyna | Silesian voivodship, pszczyński county, Pszczyna gmina | 1993 | |
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Palestine | Beit Jala | West Bank | 2010 |
Ganei Tikva Israel 2012
Born in Bergisch Gladbach
- Astrid Benöhr, German endurance athlete
- Wolfgang Bosbach, German politician
- Fabian Hambüchen, German gymnast
- Volker Goetze, German born, New York based musician composer filmmaker
- Götz Heidelberg, German constructing engineer
- Mats Hummels, German football player for Borussia Dortmund
- Carolin Kebekus, German actress and comedian
- Heidi Klum, German supermodel
- Georg Koch, retired German goalkeeper
- Uwe Ommer, photographer
- Vanessa Fuchs, Germany's Next Topmodel 2015
- Tim Wiese, German football goalkeeper
High Schools in Bergisch Gladbach
- Albertus-Magnus-Gymnasium Bensberg/Bergisch Gladbach, High School
- Gymnasium Herkenrath/Bergisch Gladbach, High School
- Nicolaus-Cusanus-Gymnasium Bergisch Gladbach, High School
- Otto-Hahn-Gymnasium Bensberg/Bergisch Gladbach, High School
- Dietrich-Bonhoeffer-Gymnasium Bergisch Gladbach, High School
See also
References
- ^ "Bevölkerung der Gemeinden Nordrhein-Westfalens am 31. Dezember 2023 – Fortschreibung des Bevölkerungsstandes auf Basis des Zensus vom 9. Mai 2011" (in German). Landesbetrieb Information und Technik NRW. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
- ^ "Staatsangehörigkeit in Bergisch Gladbach". Stadt Bergisch Gladbach. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)