Bergisch Gladbach


Bergisch Gladbach, is a city in the Cologne/Bonn Region of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, and capital of the Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis.

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.
and town hall of Bensberg
The word Bergisch in the name does not originate from its location in the county of Berg and was not added to distinguish it from Mönchengladbach as believed by many people, but from the counts who gave their name to the region.
At the start of the 12th century the counts of Berg settled in the area and it later became the duchy of Berg. This is where the first part of the name comes from, the town being located in the former county of Berg. It is the administrative headquarters of the Rheinish-Bergisch district.
The second part of the name, Gladbach originates from Low German and means canalised stream, referring to the small river that was artificially canalised in early medieval times. In Bergisch Platt, the regional dialect, laid is said gelaat, a word which eventually evolved to glad. 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 town incorporated neighbouring Bensberg and when it reached a population of 100,000 in 1977 it was given city status.

Economy

Paper manufacturing, printing, glass wool manufacturing, chocolate, and high-tech industries make up a large part of Bergisch Gladbach's economy.

International relations

Bergisch Gladbach is twinned with:
CountryPlaceCounty / District / Region / StateDate
FranceBourgoin-JallieuRhône-Alpes1956
United KingdomLutonBedfordshire1956
NetherlandsVelsenNorth Holland1956
FranceJoinville-le-Pont1960
United KingdomRunnymedeSurrey1965
LithuaniaMarijampolėSuvalkija1989
CyprusLimassol1991
PolandPszczynaSilesian Voivodship1993
PalestineBeit JalaWest Bank2010
IsraelGanei Tikva2012
United StatesSouth BendIndiana2019

Born in Bergisch Gladbach