Bergisch Gladbach

Bergisch Gladbach (German pronunciation: [ˌbɛʁɡɪʃ ˈɡlatbax] (listen)) is a city in the Cologne/Bonn Region of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, and capital of the Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis (district).

Bergisch Gladbach
City
Forecourt of Schloss Bensberg
Flag
Coat of arms
Location of Bergisch Gladbach within Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis district
Bergisch Gladbach
Bergisch Gladbach
Coordinates: 51°06′N 07°07′E
CountryGermany
StateNorth Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. regionKöln
DistrictRheinisch-Bergischer Kreis
Subdivisions6
Government
 • Mayor (2020–25) Frank Stein[1] (SPD)
Area
 • Total83.12 km2 (32.09 sq mi)
Highest elevation
267 m (876 ft)
Lowest elevation
51 m (167 ft)
Population
 (2020-12-31)[2]
 • Total111,636
 • Density1,300/km2 (3,500/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
51401-51469
Dialling codes02202, 02204, 02207
Vehicle registrationGL
Websitewww.bergischgladbach.de

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.

Old castle 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 (under Napoleon, the grand duchy) of Berg. This is where the first part of the name (Bergisch) comes from, the town being located in the former county of Berg. It is the administrative headquarters ('Kreisstadt') of the Rheinish-Bergisch district (or 'Kreis').

The second part of the name, Gladbach (cognate with English Ladbrooke) originates from Low Rhenish (Bergisches Platt) and means canalised stream, referring to the small river (the Strunde) that was artificially canalised (laid) in early medieval times. In Bergisch Platt, the regional dialect, laid is said gelaat, a word which eventually evolved to glad (in this case the 'd' is pronounced as a 't'). 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.

Largest groups of foreign residents[3]
NationalityPopulation (2014)
 Turkey2,123
 Italy882
 Poland878
 Greece679
 Romania300
 Kosovo288
 Croatia260
 Austria257
 Russia241
 Bosnia & Herzegovina208

Economy

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

Politics

Mayor

The current mayor of Bergisch Gladbach is Frank Stein of the Social Democratic Party (SPD). The most recent mayoral election was held on 13 September 2020, and the results were as follows:

Candidate Party Votes  %
Frank Stein Social Democratic Party 25,321 52.3
Christian Buchen Christian Democratic Union 18,973 39.2
Iro Herrmann Citizens' Party GL 2,093 4.3
Günther Schöpf Alternative for Germany 2,014 4.2
Valid votes 48,401 99.3
Invalid votes 358 0.7
Total 48,759 100.0
Electorate/voter turnout 89,995 54.2
Source: City of Bergisch Gladbach

City council
Results of the 2020 city council election.

The Bergisch Gladbach 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:

Party Votes  % +/- Seats +/-
Christian Democratic Union (CDU) 17,463 36.2 5.7 20 6
Alliance 90/The Greens (Grüne) 13,858 28.7 12.8 16 6
Social Democratic Party (SPD) 9,209 19.1 5.0 10 5
Free Democratic Party (FDP) 2,438 5.1 0.5 3 ±0
Alternative for Germany (AfD) 2,213 4.6 0.2 3 ±0
Citizens' Party GL (BGL) 1,398 2.9 1.2 2 1
Free Voters' Association Bergisch Gladbach (FWG) 1,645 3.4 New 2 New
Valid votes 48,224 98.8
Invalid votes 597 1.2
Total 48,821 100.0 56 6
Electorate/voter turnout 89,995 52.3 0.1
Source: City of Bergisch Gladbach

Twin towns – sister cities

Bergisch Gladbach is twinned with:[4]

  • Beit Jala, Palestine (2010)
  • Bourgoin-Jallieu, France (1956)
  • Ganei Tikva, Israel (2012)
  • Joinville-le-Pont, France (1960)
  • Limassol, Cyprus (1991)
  • Luton, England (1956)
  • Marijampolė, Lithuania (1989)
  • Pszczyna, Poland (1993)
  • Runnymede, England (1995)
  • Velsen, Netherlands (1956)

Notable people
  • Markus von Ahlen (born 1971), footballer and coach
  • Rüdiger Baldauf (born 1961), jazz musician
  • Astrid Benöhr (born 1957), endurance athlete
  • Sebastian Blomberg (born 1972), actor
  • Wolfgang Bosbach (born 1952), politician (CDU)
  • Karl Budde (1850–1935), Protestant theologian
  • Armin Falk (born 1968), economist
  • Markus Feldenkirchen (born 1975), journalist
  • Vanessa Fuchs (born 1996), Germany's Next Topmodel winner of the season 2015
  • Kerstin Gier (born 1966), author
  • Volker Goetze (born 1972), German born, New York based musician composer and filmmaker
  • Fabian Hambüchen (born 1987), artistic gymnast
  • Götz Heidelberg (1923–2017), physicist, constructor and entrepreneur
  • Waldemar Henrici (1878–1950), general and Reichsarbeitsdienstführer
  • Mats Hummels (born 1988), footballer
  • Hubert Käppel (born 1951), guitarist and music pedagogue
  • Brigitte Kraus (born 1956), middle distance runner
  • Georg Koch (born 1972), football goalkeeper
  • Heidi Klum (born 1973), model and presenter
  • Carolin Kebekus (born 1980), comedian, singer and actress
  • Theo Koll (born 1958), journalist
  • German Mäurer (1811–1885), Prussian writer
  • Veronika Moos-Brochhagen (born 1961), textile artist
  • Benyamin Nuss (born 1989), pianist
  • Bastian Oczipka (born 1989), footballer
  • Uwe Ommer (born 1943), act, fashion and advertising photos
  • Monika Piel (born 1951), journalist and presenter
  • Tibor Pleiß (born 1989), basketball player
  • Karin Sander (born 1957), artist
  • David Schnell (born 1971), painter
  • Tim Wiese (born 1981), German football goalkeeper and wrestler

Secondary schools in Bergisch Gladbach
  • Albertus-Magnus-Gymnasium Bensberg/Bergisch Gladbach
  • Gymnasium Herkenrath/Bergisch Gladbach
  • Nicolaus-Cusanus-Gymnasium Bergisch Gladbach
  • Otto-Hahn-Gymnasium Bensberg/Bergisch Gladbach
  • Dietrich-Bonhoeffer-Gymnasium Bergisch Gladbach
  • Integrierte-Gesamtschule-Paffrath Bergisch Gladbach

See also
  • Gustav Stresemann Institute

References
  1. Wahlergebnisse in NRW Kommunalwahlen 2020, Land Nordrhein-Westfalen, accessed 29 June 2021.
  2. "Bevölkerung der Gemeinden Nordrhein-Westfalens am 31. Dezember 2020" (in German). Landesbetrieb Information und Technik NRW. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  3. "Staatsangehörigkeit in Bergisch Gladbach". Stadt Bergisch Gladbach. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  4. "Städtepartnerschaften- und Freundschaften". bergischgladbach.de (in German). Bergisch Gladbach. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
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