Overath (; ) is a town in the
Rheinisch-Bergischer district
A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...
of
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia or North-Rhine/Westphalia, commonly shortened to NRW, is a States of Germany, state () in Old states of Germany, Western Germany. With more than 18 million inhabitants, it is the List of German states by population, most ...
,
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
.
Geography

Overath is located about 25 km east of
Cologne
Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...
, in the
Bergisches Land
The Bergisches Land (, ) is a low mountain range in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, east of the Rhine and south of the Ruhr. The landscape is shaped by forests, meadows, rivers and creeks and contains over twenty artificial lakes ...
. Despite the reclassification as a 'Stadt' (town, though the German understanding leans towards city) years ago due to surpassing the relevant population threshold, the former appellation Gemeinde (parish) seems more appropriate (particularly to the inhabitants) due to the spread-out villages it consists of.
The main settlement is in the
Agger valley, with others spread on the hills surrounding it. The ''kleine Heckberg'' (small Heckberg, 348 m) near Federath is the highest point of Overath, and the whole ''Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis''.
Neighbouring cities are
Rösrath
Rösrath (; ) is a town in the Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis (district) in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The earliest known documents mentioning the settlement ''Rösrath'' can be found in documents dated to 1356. There have been findings of Paleo ...
in the West,
Bergisch Gladbach
Bergisch Gladbach () is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in the Cologne/Bonn Region of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, and capital of the Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis (district).
Geography
Bergisch Gladbach is east of the Rhine and abo ...
in the North-West,
Lindlar
Lindlar ( ) is a municipality in the Oberbergischer Kreis, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located about 30 km east of Cologne.
Geography
Lindlar is located between latitudes 50°58' and 51°5' N. and longitudes 7°15' and 7°28' E ...
in the North-East,
Engelskirchen
Engelskirchen (literally "angel’s churches") is a municipality in Oberbergischer Kreis, Germany in North Rhine-Westphalia, about east of Cologne. The neighbouring municipalities are (clockwise from the west) Overath, Lindlar, Gummersbach, Wie ...
in the East and
Much,
Neunkirchen-Seelscheid
Neunkirchen-Seelscheid () is a municipality in the Rhein-Sieg district in the southern part of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Beside the two principal places Neunkirchen and Seelscheid there are numerous smaller localities among the municipality ...
and
Lohmar
Lohmar (; Ripuarian: ''Luhme'') is a municipality and a town in the Rhein-Sieg district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
Geography
Lohmar is located about 20 km east of Cologne and 15 km north-east of Bonn in the Bergisches Land a ...
in the South.
Subdivisions
Overath is divided into 7 parts.
* Brombach
* Heiligenhaus
* Immekeppel
* Marialinden
* Steinenbrück
* Untereschbach
* Vilkerath
History

When first mentioned in 1060, Overath was called "Achera" (after the Agger river). Presumably because of the first settlement at a clearing (German ''Rodung'') the name changed to "Ouerode" (about 1280), "Ovverode" (1304), "Overadt" (1582), and finally became "Overath".
Demographics
In 1939, the population of Overath was 6,500. In 1946, it already exceeded 10,500 and continued to grow to 15,500 in 1970. The area of the community was extended in 1975, which increased the population to over 20,000.
Since then it has risen further up to 27,106 in December 2005.
Religion
The
Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
church is devoted to
Saint Walpurga
Walpurga or Walburga (; ; ; 71025 February 777 or 779) was an Anglo-Saxon missionary to the Frankish Empire. She was canonized on 1 May c. 870 by Pope Adrian II. Walpurgis Night, Saint Walpurgis Night (or "Sankt Walpurgisnacht") is the name fo ...
(''Heilige Walburga''). Until 1803 the
Benedictine
The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...
s had a monastery in ''Cyriax'', a subsidiary of
Michaelsberg Abbey at
Siegburg
Siegburg (; i.e. ''fort on the Sieg (river), Sieg river''; Ripuarian language, Ripuarian: ''Sieburch'') is a city in the district of Rhein-Sieg-Kreis in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the banks of the rivers Sieg (river), Sieg ...
.
The
Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
church in Heiligenhaus is devoted to
Saint Roch
Roch (lived c. 1348 – 15/16 August 1376/79; traditionally c. 1295 – 16 August 1327), also called Rock in English, was a Majorcan Catholic confessor whose death is commemorated on 16 August and 9 September in Italy; he was especially invo ...
(''Heiliger Rochus'').
''Marialindens church (''St. Mariä Heimsuchung'') is a
pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...
destination for
Saint Mary
Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...
.
Infrastructure
Transportation
Roads
The
B 55 und
B 484 federal roads (German ''Bundesstraßen'') as well as the
A 4 Autobahn
The (; German , ) is the federal controlled-access highway system in Germany. The official term is (abbreviated ''BAB''), which translates as 'federal motorway'. The literal meaning of the word is 'Federal Auto(mobile) Track'.
Much of t ...
pass through area of the town. The
A 4 has got two exits to Overath, Overath-Untereschbach and Overath.
Air transport
The
Cologne Bonn Airport
Cologne Bonn Airport () is an international airport in north-western Germany. It serves the country's fourth-largest city Cologne, as well as Bonn, the former capital of West Germany. With approximately 12.4 million passengers passing through i ...
is reachable within 25 minutes.
Public transport
The railway station in Overath connects the town with
Cologne
Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...
and
Marienheide
Marienheide is a municipality in the Oberbergischer Kreis, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
Geography
Marienheide is located about 50 km east of Cologne.
Neighbouring places
The neighbouring towns are Gummersbach and Wipperfürth as well ...
. The train heading for Cologne departs every 30 minutes, the train heading for Marienheide departs every 60 minutes. Cologne is reachable by train in within 35 minutes.
These traffic connections, together with rural surroundings, make Overath a popular place to live for
commuters
Commuting is periodically recurring travel between a place of residence and place of work or study, where the traveler, referred to as a commuter, leaves the boundary of their home community. By extension, it can sometimes be any regular o ...
.
Healthcare
There is no hospital in Overath. The nearest hospitals are in Bergisch Gladbach and Engelskirchen.
Government
City council
The
city council
A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough counc ...
consists of 38 members. The current breakdown, from the general elections held September 26, 2004, is as follows:
Mayor
Christoph Nicodemus was elected
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
(German ''Bürgermeister'') in September 2020, representing CDU, Greens and FDP.
Coat of arms
The
coat of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...
of Overath was only created on March 3, 1938. It consists of two areas:
* The upper area shows the lion of Berg. It symbolizes the former jurisdiction by the
Earldom of Berg.
* The lower area shows a golden
bell
A bell /ˈbɛl/ () is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be m ...
. It is supposed to symbolize a tradition of bell making. The inclusion of the bell is, however, due to a 15th and 16th century bell making family ''von Overra
e'' from
Cologne
Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...
, which falsely led to belief that bells were cast in Overath.
Twin towns – sister cities
Overath is
twinned with:
*
Colne Valley
The Colne Valley is a steep sided valley on the east flank of the Pennine Hills in the English county of West Yorkshire. It takes its name from the River Colne which rises above the town of Marsden and flows eastward towards Huddersfield. ...
, England, United Kingdom
*
Pérenchies
Pérenchies (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department in northern France. It is part of the Métropole Européenne de Lille.
Population
Heraldry
People from Pérenchies
*Yvon ...
, France
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis
Districts of the Rhine Province