Bergisch Gladbach
| Bergisch Gladbach | |
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  Bergisch Gladbach
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Location of the town of Bergisch Gladbach within Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis district
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| Coordinates | |
| Administration | |
| Country | Germany |
| State | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| Admin. region | Cologne |
| District | Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis |
| City subdivisions | 6 |
| Mayor | Lutz Urbach (CDU) |
| Basic statistics | |
| Area | 83.12 km2 (32.09 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 51 - 267 m |
| Population | 105,699 (31 December 2009)[1] |
| - Density | 1,272 /km2 (3,294 /sq mi) |
| Other information | |
| Time zone | CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) |
| Licence plate | GL |
| Postal codes | 51401-51469 |
| Area codes | 02202, 02204, 02207 |
| Website | www.bergischgladbach.de |
Bergisch Gladbach is a city and capital of the Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis (district), in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
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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.
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 is a lot harder to explain in English, as it originates from Low German (Bergisches Platt). "Gladbach" evolved from the stream "Strunde", which received an artificial river bed in early medieval times. Basically the river was "laid" which means "gelaat" in "Bergisch Platt", the slang/dialect of the region. During the centuries the word "gelaat" evolved and was rounded by the people to "glad". The second part of the word, "bach" stands for stream, meant is the "Strunde". Basically "Gladbach" means stream with an artificially laid river bed.
In 1975 the city incorporated the neighbouring Bensberg and when it reached a population of 100,000 in 1977 it received the rank of a city.
Economy
Its principal industries include paper manufacturing, printing, glasswool manufacturing and high tech.
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 | 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 |
Born in Bergisch Gladbach
- Astrid Benöhr, German endurance athlete
- Wolfgang Bosbach, German politician
- Fabian Hambüchen, German gymnast
- Mats Hummels, German association football player
- Heidi Klum, German supermodel
- Georg Koch, German football goalkeeper
- Tim Wiese, German football goalkeeper
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
References
- ↑ "Amtliche Bevölkerungszahlen" (in German). Landesbetrieb Information und Technik NRW. 31 December 2009. http://www.it.nrw.de/statistik/a/daten/amtlichebevoelkerungszahlen/index.html.
External links
- Bergisch Gladbach Official site (German)
- Fire Department Bergisch Gladbach (German)
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