Remscheid () is a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

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 ...

. It is, after

Wuppertal Wuppertal (; ) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, in western Germany, with a population of 355,000. Wuppertal is the seventh-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia and List of cities in Germany by population, 17th-largest in Germany. It ...

and

Solingen Solingen (; ) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, 25 km east of Düsseldorf along the northern edge of the Bergisches Land, south of the Ruhr. After Wuppertal, it is the second-largest city in the Bergisches Land, and a member of ...

, the third-largest municipality in

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 ...

, being located on the northern edge of the region, on the south side of the

Ruhr The Ruhr ( ; , also ''Ruhrpott'' ), also referred to as the Ruhr Area, sometimes Ruhr District, Ruhr Region, or Ruhr Valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 1,160/km2 and a populati ...

area. Remscheid had around 109,000 inhabitants in 2015. At the end of 2019 it had 113,703 inhabitants.

Geography

Remscheid comprises four boroughs, ''Alt-Remscheid'', ''Remscheid-Süd'', ''Lennep'', and Lüttringhausen. Its highest point is the Brodtberg (378 m).

History

Remscheid was founded in the 12th century, but remained a small village until the 19th century. Early spellings for the city included ''Remissgeid'' (1217), ''Rymscheyd'' (1351), ''Reymscheyd'' (1487) and ''Rembscheid'' (1639). The economic growth of the entire Rhine-Ruhr region led to an increase of the population of Remscheid. Mechanical engineering and toolmaking were the main industries practised within the town. This is carried on today with the Hazet tool company which has three factories in Remscheid. Remscheid was part of the

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

Rhine Province The Rhine Province (), also known as Rhenish Prussia () or synonymous with the Rhineland (), was the westernmost Provinces of Prussia, province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia, within the German Reich, from 1822 to 1946. ...

from 1822 to 1945. On 31 July 1943, during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Remscheid was almost completely destroyed during a British

bombing raid Strategic bombing is a systematically organized and executed military attack from the air which can utilize strategic bombers, long- or medium-range missiles, or nuclear-armed fighter-bomber aircraft to attack targets deemed vital to the enemy' ...

which caused a

firestorm A firestorm is a conflagration which attains such intensity that it creates and sustains its own wind system. It is most commonly a natural phenomenon, created during some of the largest bushfires and wildfires. Although the term has been used ...

. This bombing raid was the final operation of RAF's Battle of the Ruhr involving 273 aircraft. Today around one third of the city consists of buildings from before World War II. During 14 and 15 April 1945, Remscheid was captured by the 78th Infantry Division (United States). An

A-10 Thunderbolt II The Fairchild Republic A-10 , also infamously known under the nickname , is a single-seat, twinjet, twin-turbofan, straight wing, straight-wing, Subsonic aircraft, subsonic attack aircraft developed by Fairchild Aircraft, Fairchild Republic ...

crashed in the city on 8 December 1988. Six people died.

Demographics

As of 31 December 2019, the city's population was 113,703, of which 92,726 (81.6%) were German citizens and 20,977 (18.4%) were non-Germans (''Ausländer''); of the non-German population, the top 10 nationalities represented were as follows: Available on Stadt Remscheid website under
Bevölkerung und Bevölkerungsentwicklung
".

Politics

Mayor

The current mayor of Remscheid is Burkhard Mast-Weisz of the

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties Form ...

(SPD), elected in 2014 and re-elected in 2020. The most recent mayoral election was held on 13 September 2020, and the results were as follows: ! colspan=2, Candidate ! Party ! Votes ! % , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Burkhard Mast-Weisz , align=left,

, 22,431 , 60.6 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Heidemarie Alexa Bell , align=left, Christian Democratic Union , 9,710 , 26.2 , - , , align=left, Peter Keck , align=left, Pro Remscheid , 1,908 , 5.2 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Fritz Beinersdorf , align=left, The Left , 1,309 , 3.5 , - , , align=left, Roland Kirchner , align=left, W.i.R. Remscheid , 877 , 2.4 , - , , align=left, Bettina Stamm , align=left, Real Remscheid , 775 , 2.1 , - ! colspan=3, Valid votes ! 37,010 ! 98.5 , - ! colspan=3, Invalid votes ! 548 ! 1.5 , - ! colspan=3, Total ! 37,558 ! 100.0 , - ! colspan=3, Electorate/voter turnout ! 85,783 ! 43.8 , - , colspan=5, Source
State Returning Officer

City council

The Remscheid city council governs the city alongside the mayor. The most recent city council election was held on 13 September 2020, and the results were as follows: ! colspan=2, Party ! Votes ! % ! +/− ! Seats ! +/− , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

(SPD) , 12,718 , 34.5 , 0.3 , 20 , 1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Christian Democratic Union (CDU) , 11,036 , 29.9 , 7.3 , 17 , 3 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

Alliance 90/The Greens Alliance 90/The Greens (, ), often simply referred to as Greens (, ), is a Green (politics), green political party in Germany. It was formed in 1993 by the merger of the Greens (formed in West Germany in 1980) and Alliance 90 (formed in East Ger ...

(Grüne) , 5,409 , 14.7 , 6.3 , 9 , 5 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Free Democratic Party (FDP) , 1,945 , 5.3 , 0.6 , 3 , 1 , - , , align=left, Pro Remscheid (PRO) , 1,870 , 5.1 , 0.7 , 3 , 1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, The Left (Die Linke) , 1,700 , 4.6 , 1.4 , 3 , ±0 , - , , align=left, W.i.R. Remscheid (WIR) , 1,092 , 3.0 , 1.5 , 2 , ±0 , - , , align=left, Real Remscheid (Echt) , 788 , 2.1 , New , 1 , New , - , colspan=7 bgcolor=lightgrey, , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

Alternative for Germany Alternative for Germany (, AfD, ) is a Far-right politics in Germany (1945–present), far-right,Far-right: * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Right-wing populism, right-wing populist and National conservatism, national-conservative p ...

(AfD) , 358 , 1.0 , New , 0 , New , - ! colspan=2, Valid votes ! 36,916 ! 98.4 ! ! ! , - ! colspan=2, Invalid votes ! 592 ! 1.6 ! ! ! , - ! colspan=2, Total ! 37,508 ! 100.0 ! ! 58 ! 6 , - ! colspan=2, Electorate/voter turnout ! 85,783 ! 43.7 ! 0.7 ! ! , - , colspan=7, Source
State Returning Officer

Main sights

* The '' Müngstener Brücke'' is a railway bridge crossing a valley and connecting Remscheid with the neighbouring town of

. It is 107 m above the ground, making it the highest railway bridge in Germany. It was constructed in 1897 and originally named the ''Kaiser-Wilhelm-Brücke'' after

Wilhelm I Wilhelm I (Wilhelm Friedrich Ludwig; 22 March 1797 – 9 March 1888) was King of Prussia from 1861 and German Emperor from 1871 until his death in 1888. A member of the House of Hohenzollern, he was the first head of state of a united Germany. ...

(whose 100th birthday would have been in 1897). * The ''

Eschbachtalsperre The Eschbach Dam () was the first dam to be built in Germany for drinking water supply. It is located in Remscheid, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With its opening in 1891, this pioneer work of hydraulic engineering was a milestone in the econ ...

'', the first dam built in Germany for the supply of drinking water is located here. It was built in 1891. * The old city of the borough Lennep consists of 116 houses from 1756.

Twin towns – sister cities

Remscheid is twinned with: *

Ashington Ashington is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, with a population of 27,864 at the 2011 Census. It was once a centre of the coal mining industry. The town is north of Newcastle upon Tyne, west of the A189 and bordered to the ...

, England, United Kingdom *

Kırşehir Kırşehir, historically known as Mocissus or Mokissos () and Justinianopolis () in ancient times, is a city in Turkey. It is the seat of Kırşehir Province and Kırşehir District.Newbiggin by the Sea, England, United Kingdom *

Pirna Pirna (; , ) is a town in Saxony, Germany and capital of the administrative district Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge. The town's population is over 37,000. Pirna is located near Dresden and is an important district town as well as a ''Große ...

, Germany *

Prešov Prešov () is a city in eastern Slovakia. It is the seat of administrative Prešov Region () and Šariš. With a population of approximately 85,000 for the city, and in total more than 100,000 with the urban area, it is the second-largest city i ...

, Slovakia *

Quimper Quimper (, ; ; or ) is a Communes of France, commune and Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Finistère Departments of France, department of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in northwestern France. Administration Quimper is the ...

, France Remscheid also cooperates with

Mrągowo County __NOTOC__ Mrągowo County () is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, northern Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed i ...

, Poland and

Schmalkalden Schmalkalden () is a town in the Schmalkalden-Meiningen district, in the southwest of the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is on the southern slope of the Thuringian Forest at the Schmalkalde river, a tributary to the Werra. , the town had a popul ...

, Germany.

Notable people

Caspar Georg Carl Reinwardt Caspar Georg Carl Reinwardt (5 June 1773 in Lüttringhausen – 6 March 1854 in Leiden) was a Germans, Prussian-born Netherlands, Dutch botanist. He is considered to be the founding father of Bogor Botanical Garden in Indonesia. Biography ...

(1773–1854), scientist *

Gottfried Duden Gottfried Duden (May 19, 1789 – October 29, 1856) was a German emigration writer from Remscheid, Rhineland in the early 19th century. His famous book ''Bericht über eine Reise nach den westlichen Staaten Nordamerikas und einen mehrjährigen ...

(1789–1856), writer * Oscar Schlitter (1838–1939), banker * Johannes Fastenrath (1839–1908), lawyer, writer and translator * August Gissler (1857–1935), adventurer and treasure hunter *

Wilhelm Röntgen Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen (; 27 March 1845 – 10 February 1923), sometimes Transliteration, transliterated as Roentgen ( ), was a German physicist who produced and detected electromagnetic radiation in a wavelength range known as X-rays. As ...

(1845–1923), discoverer of

x-ray An X-ray (also known in many languages as Röntgen radiation) is a form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than those of ultraviolet rays and longer than those of gamma rays. Roughly, X-rays have a wavelength ran ...

s * Otto Jungtow (1892–1959), footballer * Otto Kuhler (1894–1977), American designer of locomotives * Hans Stammreich (1902–1969), German-Brasilian chemist *

Teo Otto Teo Otto (1904–1968) was a Swiss Scenographer, stage designer.Banham (1998, 830). He trained in Kassel and Paris and in 1926 taught at the Bauhaus in Weimar.Baugh (1994, 252). In 1928 he became an assistant at the Berlin Staatsoper. Followin ...

(1904–1968), stage designer *

Wolfgang von der Nahmer Wolfgang von der Nahmer (14 April 1906 in Remscheid – 12 October 1988 in Wuppertal) was a German conductor and university lecturer. In 1933 he was Kapellmeister at the Mecklenburg State Theatre. Then, in 1953 he was professor of conducting Co ...

(1906–1988), conductor * Gustav Adolf Theill (1924–1997), composer and musicologist *

Karl Michael Vogler Karl Michael Vogler (28 August 1928 – 9 June 2009) was a German actor, probably best known for his appearances in several big-budget English language films. In '' The Blue Max'' (1966), he co-starred with George Peppard and Ursula Andress as ...

(1928–2009), actor * Wolfgang Seiler (born 1940), biogeochemist and climatologist *

Peter Brötzmann Peter Brötzmann (6 March 1941 – 22 June 2023) was a German jazz saxophonist and clarinetist regarded as a central and pioneering figure in European free jazz. Throughout his career, he released over fifty albums as a bandleader. Amongst his m ...

(1941–2023),

free jazz Free jazz, or free form in the early to mid-1970s, is a style of avant-garde jazz or an experimental approach to jazz improvisation that developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s, when musicians attempted to change or break down jazz conventi ...

saxophonist * Christel Frese (born 1944), athlete * Michael Bacht (born 1947), artist *

Frank Plasberg Frank Plasberg (born 18 May 1957) is a German journalist and television presenter. Biography Born in Remscheid, Plasberg has an education in theatre, politics and pedagogy and works as television presenter on German broadcaster WDR. From 198 ...

(born 1957), journalist *

Wolfgang Tillmans Wolfgang Tillmans (born 16 August 1968) is a German Fine-art photography, photographer. His diverse body of work is distinguished by observation of his surroundings and an ongoing investigation of the photographic medium’s foundations. Tillman ...

(born 1968), photographer * Georg Wurth (born 1972), lobbyist and activist * Christiane Soeder (born 1975), German-Austrian cyclist * Robert A. Küfner (born 1988), entrepreneur, raised here * The Rotation (born 1996), professional wrestler

Gallery

Muengsten.jpg,

Müngsten Bridge The Müngsten Bridge is the highest railway bridge in Germany. The bridge is high and spans the valley of the river Wupper, carrying the Wuppertal-Oberbarmen–Solingen railway between the cities of Remscheid and Solingen. It is used by line S ...

RS-Theo-Otto-Theater.jpg, Teo Otto Theater Lennep_Kraspuett_3.jpg, Kraspütt 3 in Lennep Stadt Remscheid 1922.JPG, bond of the town Remscheid, issued 25 August 1922

References

External links

* *
German Roentgen-Museum
{{Authority control Cities in North Rhine-Westphalia Urban districts of North Rhine-Westphalia Populated places established in the 12th century Districts of the Rhine Province Düsseldorf (region)