History of Velbert

Velbert is a German town in North Rhine Westphalia, consisting from the three former towns Velbert, Neviges and Langenberg. The history of Velbert begins in the Middle Ages and ends in recent times.

During Stone Age

In Stone Age there was no settlement in Velbert, Neviges or Langenberg, but up to seven finds of different neolithic stone tools from different places in Velbert, Neviges and Langenberg are known so far.

From medieval ages to the year 1806

In the year 875 Velbert was first mentioned under the name of Feldbrahti. In this time, Velbert was ruled by the abbey of Werden. Around the year 1050 a Lady Adelheid donated the Hof zum Hof ("Manor at Manor") (a manor of Velbert) and her owning rights of the local church to the abbey of Werden. In 1115 earl Adolf II. von Berg owned the Vogtei of the abbey of Werden, so he owned Velbert too. Earl Hermann von Hardenberg owned Hadenberg (later Neviges) in 1145. Neviges was first mentioned around the year 1150 as Navagis, while Langenberg was first mentioned before 1220 under the name of Langenberge. In 1220 Hermann von Hardenberg and his mother, the widow Hellenburgis, founded a society of priests in the church of Neviges. In 1265 the church of Langenberg was first mentioned, while the county court Homberg (responsible for Velbert) and the county court Hardenberg wee mentioned first in 1317 respectively 1343. In 1354 Heinrich von Hardenberg and his son Heinrich sold Hardenberg to earl Gerhard I. von Jülich-Berg. Until 1496 Hardenberg is hypothecated quite often. In 1380 the earls von Berg became dukes. In 1496 the bailiff Bertram von Gevertzhain, called Lützerode, gets Hardenberg as a hereditary fiefdom and lower dominion after paying the hypothecary credit of Hardenberg. He got Hardenberg from duke Wilhelm III. von Jülich-Berg. The first locksmith of Velbert was mentioned in 1508. The locksmithery was and is an important industry in Velbert. In 1518 Velbert became a benefice with a local priest. In 1529 the fiefdom of Hardenberg was owned by the family von Bernsau, relatives of the family von Gevertzhain. After the year of 1570 Velbert, Neviges and Langenberg became Protestant an had their first synod of Berg in Neviges in 1589. In 1649 Johann Sigismund, the owner of Hardenberg, became Catholic, so the Annakirche ("Anna's Church") was built in 1670, but replaced by the Klosterkirche St. Mariä Empfängnis ("Minster St. Mary's conception") in 1728. In 1676 Franciscans took over the counselling. In 1680 the important merchant Tillmann in der Vehlau started his work and the first stone laying of the monastery Hardenberg happened. In 1681 prince-bishop Ferdinand von Fürstenberg made a pilgrimage to the holy picture of Mary, nowadays found in the Mariendom ("Mary's Cathedral"). In 1694 three Jewish families lived in Hardenberg. In 1715 in Märkisch-Langenberg a Lutheran community was founded. In 1715 the Langenberger Lateinschule ("Latin School of Langenberg") got its first head teacher. In the year 1729 the Catholic Church of Langenberg was finished. In 1785 a Lutheran community was founded in Neviges. In the year 1806 Maximilian Joseph von Pfalz-Zweibrücken, the owner of Berg living in Munich, abstained from his owning rights of Berg and became king of Bavaria. Because of this in the same year the monastery of Hardenberg was closed because of Napoleons laws.

In 19th century

In the year 1806 Hardenberg became part of French grand duchy Berg and became a municipality ruled by a director, later by a mayor. In 1808 Velbert became a municipality. First mayor of Velbert was the merchant Johannes Mohn. From 1811 to 1815 the Essen-Solinger-Straße ("Essen-Solingen-Street") in Velbert became an avenue. In 1813 French rulership ended. In 1815 the former grand duchy Berg became part of Prussia because of the Congress of Vienna. Because of this the mayoralty of Velbert, including the villages Velbert, Heiligenhaus and others, became also part of Prussia. In 1825 Emil Krummacher became priest of the Protestant community of Langenberg. In 1825 was also the beginning of the Christian revival. In 1827 Langenberg is a town of the Rhenish provincial objects. From 1828 to 1873 the theologian Ludwig Bender taught at the Rektoratsschule ("Head teacher's School") in Langenberg. In 1830/ 1831 a 7.5 km long narrow-gauge railway from Überruhr to Nierenhof (a part of Langenberg) was built and used for coal transport by an incorporation. In 1854 the railway was nationalised and now called Prinz-Wilhelm-Bahn ("Prince Wilhelm Railway"). In 1830 also the bourgeois "Gesellschaft Harmonie" ("Society Harmony") was founded in Velbert. In the year 1833 the Leseverein für die Hardenberger Schullehrer ("Reading club for school teachers of Hardenberg") was founded and became the basis for the Hardenberger Pfarrer- und Lehrerkonferenz ("Conference for priests and teachers of Hardenberg"). In 1840 the first town hall of Velbert was built. In 1841 the "Neuborn" manison of Eduard Colsman, a successful entrepreneur for silk, was built. Because of this, more manisons were built in Langenberg. In 1845 it came to troubles during the continued construction of the Prinz-Wilhelm-Bahn, which was extended from Nierenhof through Langenberg, Neviges and Vohwinkel to the railway connection to the Bahn Düsseldorf-Elberfeld ("Düsseldorf-Elberfeld Railway") in 1847. In 1848/ 1849 there was a revolution in Germany, but not in Hardenberg. In 1849 the county's first newspaper, the "Zeitungs-Bote" ("Newspaper Delivery boy") was published. In the same year the Rheinischer Provinzial-Ausschuss ("Rhenish Provincial Committee") was founded by the Innere Mission ("Inner Mission"). Its office was placed in Langenberg from 1851 to 1962. From 1851 to 1862 Carl Wilhelm Sternberg was the mayor of Velbert. He reformed the municipal poor management, built a poorhouse and built a Sparkasse ("Savings Bank") in 1852. In the year 1853 the first locksmiths guild and the first yellow jug guild in Velbert were founded. From 1853 to 1903 in Velbert there were good times for mining. In 1856 the town "Langenberg mit Hardenberg" ("Langenberg with Hardenberg") got the Rheinische Städteordnung ("Rhenish City Order") awarded. In the year 1857 the Lutheran school and the Protestant school of Velbert were fused to the Evangelische Volksschule ("Lutheran-Protestant Elementary School"). In 1858 "Langenberg mit Hardenberg" was divided into the town of Langenberg and the agricultural community of Hardenberg. In 1862 the Lutheran community and the Protestant community of Velbert fused to the united "Evangelische Gemeinde Velbert" ("Lutheran-Protestant Community of Velbert"). In the year 1863 the first steam engine was used in the paper mill Laakmann in Langenberg. In the same year in Velbert was the consecration of the Catholic church St. Marien ("St. Mary") as well as the foundation of the "Männergesangsverein Liedertafel" ("Male Voice Choir Song Board") and the "Gesellschaft Bürgerverein" ("Society Civic Association"). In 1864 the poorhouse and hospital of Langenberg were donated. In the same year in Velbert the Catholic craftsmen club and the "Velberter Turnferein" ("Gymnastics Club of Velbert") were founded. In 1867 was the foundation of the local chapter of the Allgemeiner Deutscher Arbeiterverein ("General German Workers Association") in Neviges. In 1868 a lcal chapter of the Allgemeiner Deutscher Arbeiterverein was founded in Velbert as well. The Franciscan order of Neviges was abolished in 1875 because of the Kulturkampf, but rehabilitated in 1886. In 1876 was the fusion of both Protestant communities of Langenberg. From 1877 to 1910 Rudolf Thomas was mayor of Velbert. In 1880 41 companies of Velbert presentet their products at the Düsseldorfer Gewerbeausstellung ("Crafts Exhibition of Düsseldorf") In 1881 Bergisch-Langenberg (original Langenberg) fused with Märkisch-Langenberg (a part of Langenberg outside of Berg) and Bonsfeld (a later part of Langenberg). In the same year the "Evangelischer Männer und Jünglingsverein" ("Protestant Men and Youth Club") was founded in Velbert. In 1885 in Velbert was the foundation of the Deutschfreisinniger Wahlverein ("German-Liberal Electoral Association") and of a local club, the construction of the urban Hospital, called "Kaiser-Wilhelm-Stift" ("Emperor Wilhelm Hospital") and the foundation of the factory Damm & Ladwig (later BKS GmbH), which becomes the most important lock factory in Europe. In the year 1887 a urban Rektoratsschule ("Head teacher's School") in Velbert was founded. In 1888 the new town hall of Velbert was built and Velbert got a connection to the German railway system. In 1891 Langenberg grew because of the fusion with parts of Nordrath, Wallmichrath and Vossnacken (later parts of Langenberg). In 1892 Velbert got a district court. In 1896 the first system for generating electric current in Langenberg was used for the first time. In 1897 Neviges got a connection to the tram network of Elberfeld. In the same year Heiligenhaus separated from Velbert. In 1898 the tram system Elberfeld-Neviges-Velbert was connected and called Bergische kleinbahnen ("Local Railway of Berg"). In the same year the Zentrumspartei, a Catholic party, established a lokal chapter. In the year 1901 Langenberg got a new hospital. In the same year a gewerbliche Fortbildungsschule für Handwerker ("Industrial Training School for Artisans") was founded in Velbert. In 1903 a Realprogymnasium mit Realschule ("Junjor High Grammar School with Junior High School") was founded in Velbert. In 1905 the Velberter Leseverein ("Reading Club of Velbert") was founded and the urban public library of Velbert was opened. In the year 1906 in Velbert were 116 lock facturies and fondries with 5,187 workers. In 1910 the Sacrification of the Protestant Christuskirche ("Christ Church") happened. In 1911 the first university-entrance diploma was made in Langenberg and Velbert. In the same year the Realprogymnasium was established as a fully-fledged school. In the year 1913 the first sod for the Bürgerhaus ("Citizen's House") in Langenberg was made.

During World War I

In July and August 1914 there were massive panic buyings in Velbert, Neviges and Langenberg. On 1 August 1914 the mobilization order was read out on the town square of Velbert. On 12 August 1914 the first injured German soldiers reached Velbert. On 29 August 1914 there was a victory celebration with flags, nationalist speeches and sermons in Velbert. On 26 September 1914 the Gymnasium Velbert ("Grammar School of Velbert") held a memorial service for Hugo Wippermann, one of the school's teachers. On 17 February 1915 there was the last school free victory celebration at Gymnasium Velbert. On 19 March 1915 there was the first ride of the hospital train Y3, built in Langenberg. In 1915 Ernst Schwalfenberg founded an ironworks factory in Neviges. In the same year the company Wilhelm Mittelmann in Neviges stopped its production because of shortage of raw materials. In 1916 there were 88,000 pilgrims in Neviges and the company Gustav Hammel started the production of malleable iron. In 1917 there were demonstrations in Velbert for a better food supply, 45,000 pilgrims were in Neviges and Counselor Adalbert Colsman, who donated the Bürgerhaus, becomes freeman of Langenberg. On 2 June 1917 the "Velberter Zeitung" ("Newspaper of Velbert") appealed for the "sacrifice day for our submariners" and commended the use of Geman submarines. On 4th Juny 1917 food, tobacco and cigar tobacco were stolen from the stock of the "Konsumgenossenschaft Haushalt" ("Consumer Cooperative Financial") in Velbert. On 4 November 1918 the "Langenberger Zeitung" ("Newspaper of Langenberg") appealed to its readers for singing war bonds.

During the Weimar Republic

On 10 and 11 November 1918 there was a revolution in Velbert, Langenberg and Neviges with formation of workers' and soldiers' councils. From January to March 1919 there were the first universal, direct, equal and secret elections in Velbert, Newiges and Langenberg. In March 1920. during the Kapp Putsch, the situation in Velbert approached civil war: there were fights between a Reichswehreinheit ("Empire Military Unit") and armed workers at Dalbecksbaum on 16 March 1920.

On 9 September 1922 Neviges became a town and got the Rheinische Städteordnung awarded. In 1922 a local Chapter of the Stahlhelm was founded in Velbert, but prohibited soon in the same year, so that the local chapter of the Stahlhelm was founded again in August 1926.

From January 1923 to July 1925 Velbert, Neviges and Langenberg were occupied by French and Belgian soldiers during the occupation of the Ruhr. In the year 1923 the hyperinflation caused miserable living conditions, high unemployment and violent demonstrations. After the elections of 1924 a Nazi became a member of Langenberg city council.

In the same year the expansion of the railway system between Velbert and Heiligenhaus was finished. The Bahnhof Velbert West ("Railway Station Velbert West") was opened on 31 March 1925. In May 1925 (and until 1929) there was a typhoid epidemic in Neviges. In the same year there were one thousand year celebrations in Velbert and Neviges as well. In 1926 Neviges started the construction of a canalization and mayor Henry Prahl also planned to modernize the town. In 1927 Langenberg started to construct a canalization and the "Jubiläumshalle" ("Jubilee Hall") in Velbert was finished. On 15 January 1927 the Sender Langenberg ("Transmission Tower Langenberg") started its work.

From 1927 to 1929 there was a municipal reorganization, but Velbert failed to become a county-level city. In 1928 Neviges lost parts of Nordrath, Richrath, Vossnacken, Wallmichrath and Windrad to Langenberg, but also Rottberg, the rest of Richrath and a part of Vossnacken to Velbert. In the same year the buildings of the town hall and the district court were expanded and connected. In 1929 the town hall tower was built in Velbert, while the center of Neviges was redeveloped. On 16 February 1929 the Velberter Heimatmuseum ("Heritage Museum") was opened in the mayor's house at Friedrichstraße.

From 1930 to 1932 the Great Depression caused short-time work, unemployment, misery, hunger, a rise in urban welfare spending and lowered tax revenue in Velbert, Langenberg and Neviges, most bad in 1932. From 1930 to 1933 there was a political radicalization. The 250 year jubilee of pilgrimage in Neviges occurred in 1933. In January 1933 there were violent clashes between nazis and communists in Velbert, Langenberg and Neviges.

During Nazi Regime

On 31 January 1933 the NSDAP took over the control with rallies and torchlight. There were street fights between the SA and communists. On 28 February 1933 65 communists from Velbert, Langenberg and Neviges were imprisoned. On 13 March 1933 was the begin of purges against the members of the SPD in administration and public utilities in Velbert. From 28 March 1933 to 7 April 1933 there was the constitution of the city council meetings of Velbert, Neviges and Langenberg, whose powers were given to the committee decision. In April 1933 and March 1934 there was the development of communistic resistance in Velbert, Langenberg and Neviges. On 2 May 1933 the SA occupied the union house in Velbert and there was the foundation of the local chapter of Deutsche Christen ("German Christians") in Langenberg. On 3 July 1933 the elections of Protestant church community happened with the foundation of a local chapter of Deutsche Christen in Velbert. In July 1933 the Gestapo closed three Catholic clubs in Velbert. In July and August 1933 was the foundation of local chapters of the Reichsluftschutzbund ("State Air Protection Corps") in Velbert, Langenberg and Neviges. On 4 March 1934 the Protestant youth clubs of Velbert, Neviges and Langenberg became part of the Hitler Youth. In July 1934 was the foundation of the Confessing church community in Velbert. From 3 December 1934 to November 1938 the "Dorfsiedlung" ("Village Settlement") Langenhorst in Velbert was constructed with 84 houses. On 12 March 1935 the district president decides, that Neviges will be the name of town and not Hardenberg. In May 1935 there was the first Niederbergisches Musikfest ("Music Festival of Niederberg") in Langenberg. From 28 October to 5 November 1935 the Deutsche Gemeindeordnung ("German Community Order") abolished the municipal electoral law and decreeded the appointment of honorary aldermen and councilors by NSDAP district leader Dr. Berns. On 12 December 1935 the Niederberger Hochverratsprozesse ("Treason Lawsuits of Niederberg"). 87 communists were sentenced to 160 years in jail and 60 years in prison. From 1936 to March 1939 the settlement "Auf der Egge" in Langenberg was constructed with 40 houses. On 5 April 1937 the Gemeinschaftslehrwerkstätte Velbert ("Community Training Workshop of Velbert") was opened and acquired by the industry of Velbert in 1938. On 1 February 1938 the Gestapo abolished all Catholic young men's clubs. On 1 May 1938 the screw factory Walter Helkenberg was awarded with the Golden DAF-flag as a NS-model factory. From 12 to 14 October the clearance sale of the household goods store Aaron was hardly disturbed by Nazis. On 10 November was the Reichsprogromnacht ("State Pogrom Night") in Velbert and Neviges. In Velbert the houses Bahnhofstraße 2 and Friedrichstraße 171 were destroyed while in Neviges old Jewish people were abused sadistically and five Jewish people from Velbert were sent to Dachau concentration camp. In December 1938 the settlements at Lohmüller Berg and at Gut "Im Holz" with together 32 houses were finished. The construction started in 1932 during Weimar Republic. In March 1939 the town Neviges bought the Schloss Hardenberg ("Hardenberg Castle"). On Easter 1939 all denominational schools in Velbert, Neviges and Langenberg were abolished.

During World War II

On 23 and 24 September 1939 the first obituaries of fallen soldiers were found in the "Velberter Zeitung". In 1940 the youth music school was opened in Velbert. Since 20 April 1940 the Realgymnasium mit Realschule was called "Ulrich von Hutten-Schule" ("Ulrich von Hutten School") In June 1940 were the first airstrikes on Velbert on 13 and 24 June, while the first airstrikes on Neviges were on 24 June. On 26 September 1940 was the inauguration of an electric furnace for steel castings of the company August-Engels in Velbert. On 25 October 1940 the movie "Jud Süß" was shown in the Sala cinema. On 19 September 1941 the Velberter Zeitung informed, that Jewish people had to wear a yellow badge. In 1941 Velbert became sponsor of a submarine. In the year 1942 barracks for Russian forced laborers were constructed at Böttinger-Platz. On 13 January 1943 glass windows were broken in the Christuskirche in Velbert because of bombing. On 26 March 1944 was an airstrike on Neviges causing high numbers of dead and injured victims. Since 7 October 1944 school lessons in Velbert, Neviges and Langenberg were abolished except in the "Ulrich von Hutten-Schule". On 12 November 1944 400 old men and youth of Velbert, Neviges and Langenberg were sworn in for the Volkssturm ("Storm of People"). On 12 April 1945 the Sender Langenberg was detonated. On 15 April 1945 it was the last time, that the "Rheinisches Landesblatt" ("Rhenish Land Journal"), the party journal of NSDAP, was published in Velbert. On 15 and 16 April 1945 the allies attacked Neviges and 60 inhabitants of Neviges died. On 16 April 1945 Langenberg and Neviges were occupied by the American forces. On 17 April 1945 Velbert was occupied by the American forces too.

From the end of World War II to the municipal reorganization

On 1 May 1945 the American occupiying power published the "Amtliches Mittleilungsblatt für Velbert" ("Official Information Bulletin for Velbert"). On 13 June 1945 the Americans went and the British became new occupiying power in Neviges. On 17 September 1945 was the foundation of the local chapter of the CDU under the name of CDP (Christlich-Demokratische Partei) ("Christian Democratic Party"). On 6 October 1945 the local chapter of SPD in Langenberg was founded. On 7 October school started again at Gymnasium ("Grammar School") in Velbert. On 4 February 1946 was the foundation of the employers' association in Velbert. On 18 August 1946 the union in Velbert was founded. The first union president was Hugo Ortmann. On 22 June 1946 was the inaugural meeting of the denazification committee in Velbert. On 15 September 1946 were the first local elections in Velbert, Neviges and Langenberg after WWII. On 16 September the meeting of the land synod ot Protestant church in Rhineland started in Velbert. On 27 March 1947 there were demonstrations and walkouts in front of the town hall in Velbert because of bad food supply. On 20 June 1948 Neviges lost about 2 million Reichsmark because of the currency reform. On 14 August 1949 the first member of Bundestag for Velbert, Langenberg and Neviges was Gerhard Schröder from the CDU. On 15 October 1949 the "Velberter Zeitung" and the "Langenberger Zeitung" were published again. On 24 October 1949 the denazification committee in Velbert finished its work. In February 1952 the tram line 9 on route Velbert-Neviges-Werden was stopped. So Velbert, Neviges and Langenberg had no tram line anymore. In 1954 was the sacrification of Johanniskirche ("John's Church") in Velbert. In 1955 was the sacrification of the St.-Nikolaus-Kapelle ("St. Nicholas Chapel") in Langenhorst, a part of Velbert. On 4 July 1055 was the sacrification of the church St. Paulus ("St. Paul") in Velbert. it was planned by Dominikus Böhm. On 10 June 1956 was the laying of the foundation stone of the Apostelkirche ("Church of the Apostels") in Velbert. On 28 May 1956 the city council of Velbert decided for a boy's high school. On 22 September 1956 was the detonation of the warter tower of 40 meters height in Tönisheide, a part of Neviges. On 18 November 1956 was the inauguration of the memorial "den Lebenden zur Mahnung" ("Reminder to the Living") in Neviges on the Burgfeldschule terrain. On 25 March 1957 the Stadtsparkasse Velbert ("Town's Savings Bank of Velbert") started its work in the new building at Friedrichstraße. In 1960 was the sacrification of the Markuskirche ("St. Mark's Church") in Velbert. On 8 June 1961 was the inauguration of the Schlotschmet monument in Velbert. Schlotschmet is the word for German Schlossschmied ("locksmith") in Velberter Platt local dialect. On the same daywas the foundation of "Wobau", short for Wohnungsbaugenossenschaft Velbert ("Housing Cooperative of Velbert"). In 1963 was the sacrification of the Don Bosco Kirche ("Don Bosco Church") in Velbert. On 7 September 1964 the former chancellor Konrad Adenauer visited Velbert. On 9 April 1965 was the beginning of twinning between Velbert and French town Châtellerault. On 8 October Nikolaus Ehlen, born on 9 December 1886 in Graach an der Mosel, died in Velbert. In 1967 was the sacrification of the Erlöserkirche ("Church of the Redeemer") and of the Friedenskirche ("Church of Peace") in Velbert. In the same year the construction works began which made the Friedrichstraße in Velbert to a pedestrian zone. In 1968 was the sacrification of the new Mariendom in Velbert, planned by Gottfried Böhm. In 1969 Heinz Schenken from the CDU became new mayor in Velbert. On 1 January 1970 Nierenhof and parts of Niederelfringhausen community became part of Langenberg. On 17 January the city council of Langenberg decided for articles about the very special nature of the structural center image of Langenberg. On 9 March 1974 the city council decided for a merger with Velbert and langenberg and against the possibility of becoming part of Wuppertal.

From 1975 to today

In 1975 Langenberg, Neviges, and Velbert became the new town Velbert. First mayor was Heinz Schemken. In 1976 Langenberg complained to the constitutional court of North Rhine Westpalia in Münster against the union of Langenberg with Velbert and Neviges. In 1978 Karol Wojtyła came as a pilgrim to the Mariendom in Neviges and the inauguration of the "Klinikum Niederberg" ("Niederberg Hospital") in Velbert happened. In 1982 was the inauguration of "Forum Niederberg" in Velbert and the street in Neviges from Langenberg to Wuppertal became a pedestrial zone. In 1985 the party congresses of DKP and NPD in Velbert provoked large demonstrations. In 1986 the introduction of the Gesamtschule Velbert-Mitte ("Comprehensive School of Velbert-Mitte") provoked numerous protests with up to 6,000 demonstrants. Nowadays the comprehensive school gets far more applications than places are available. In 1990 former Jewish citizens of Velbert, Langenberg and Neviges visit the town at the invitation of the town. At this event the square in front of the Bürgerhaus was named "Nathan-Platz" ("Nathan Square") in memorial of Jewish family Nathan. In 1991 "Schach" ("Chess") was the first musical production of Kunst&Musikschule Velbert ("Art & Music School of Velbert"). In 1996 the Kinocenter ("Cinema Center"), the last cinema in Velbert, closed as well as the paper factory Laakmann in Langenberg, bought by a competitor some years ago. In the same year Velbert had nearby 90,000 inhabitants. In 1997 "Tuchfühlung I" ("Cloth Touch I"), an exhibition of modern art, was exhibited all over Langenberg. In 1998 the construction of three big buildings between Friedrichstraße and Thomasstraße, the Rathausarkaden ("Town Hall Arcades") and the "Thomas Carré" (finished in 2001), began, so a new town hall was no possibility anymore. In 1999 the first successful public decision in Velbert stopped the Spaßbad Waikiki ("Fun Pool Waikiki") project. In the same year Hanns-Friedrich Hörr became the first mayor of Velbert directly elected by the citizens. In the year 2000 the art exhibition Körperkonturen (Tuchfühlung II) ("Body Contours (Cloth Touching II)") there was again an exhibition of modern art spread all over Langenberg. In the same year there was the European youth guitar competition for the first time in Velbert. In 2002 the inauguration of Langenberg tunnel finished the bypass discussion. In 2003 was the opening of the S-Bahn line S9 in Neviges at former Prinz-Wilhelm-Bahn track. In the same year the museum Schloss Hardenberg closed for renovations. In 2007 the north-south-connection B 224 became part of motorway A 535. On 13 August 2008 Velbert celebrated the 200 year jubilee of mayoralty Velbert.

Literature

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