Bergisch Gladbach

Bergisch Gladbach

Forecourt of Schloss Bensberg

Flag
Coat of arms
Bergisch Gladbach

Coordinates: 51°06′N 07°07′E / 51.100°N 7.117°E / 51.100; 7.117Coordinates: 51°06′N 07°07′E / 51.100°N 7.117°E / 51.100; 7.117
Country Germany
State North Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. region Köln
District Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis
Government
 • Mayor Lutz Urbach (CDU)
Area
 • Total 83.12 km2 (32.09 sq mi)
Population (2014-12-31)[1]
 • Total 109,697
 • Density 1,300/km2 (3,400/sq mi)
Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
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.

Old castle and town hall of Bensberg

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)
 Turkey 2,123
 Italy 882
 Poland 878
 Greece 679
 Romania 300
 Kosovo 288
 Croatia 260
 Austria 257
 Russia 241
 Bosnia & Herzegovina 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
France France Bourgoin-Jallieu Rhône-Alpes 1956
United Kingdom United Kingdom Luton Bedfordshire 1956
Netherlands Netherlands Velsen North Holland 1956
France France Joinville-le-Pont 1960
United Kingdom United Kingdom Runnymede 1965
Lithuania Lithuania Marijampolė 1989
Cyprus Cyprus Limassol 1991
Poland Poland Pszczyna Silesian voivodship, pszczyński county, Pszczyna gmina 1993
State of Palestine Palestine Beit Jala West Bank 2010

Ganei Tikva Israel 2012

Born in Bergisch Gladbach

High Schools in Bergisch Gladbach

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Amtliche Bevölkerungszahlen". Landesbetrieb Information und Technik NRW (in German). 23 September 2015.
  2. ↑ "Staatsangehörigkeit in Bergisch Gladbach". Stadt Bergisch Gladbach. Retrieved 2015-07-21.

External links

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