Düsseldorf-Gerresheim
Encyclopedia
Gerresheim is one of the City of Düsseldorf
, Germany
's forty-nine boroughs. It is located in the eastern part of the municipality. Gerresheim is much older than Düsseldorf itself, having been an independent city with a rich history for over 1,000 years. Gerresheim merged voluntarily with Düsseldorf in 1909.
The borough had 28,209 inhabitants and covered 6.47 square kilometers as of December 31, 2007.
nobleman
named Gerricus founded the church of the women's collegiate foundation (Stift) of St. Margaret's (Gerresheim Abbey).
In 1368, the Count of Berg made the village of Gerresheim surrounding the religious house a city with city rights.
In the 17th century, many of the convent's aristocratic ladies moved away and the city of Gerresheim became increasingly impoverished. Soldiers raided Gerresheim during the Cologne War
and later during the Thirty Years' War
. The city's reputation suffered in consequence. The Reichsdeputationshauptschluss abolished the abby in 1803 and the Kingdom of Prussia
took over Gerresheim in 1815.
Ferdinand Heye founded the Gerresheimer Glashütte 1864.
, Neuss
, Mönchengladbach
, Hagen
, Kaarst
, and Mettmann
.
Ttram lines 703 and 713 connect Gerresheim with the Düsseldorf's central districts and bus lines with other parts of the city.
's novel Die Blechtrommel (The Tin Drum
) abandons his stolen tram
to save Victor Weluhn from execution, as the book draws to an end.
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
's forty-nine boroughs. It is located in the eastern part of the municipality. Gerresheim is much older than Düsseldorf itself, having been an independent city with a rich history for over 1,000 years. Gerresheim merged voluntarily with Düsseldorf in 1909.
The borough had 28,209 inhabitants and covered 6.47 square kilometers as of December 31, 2007.
History
In 870, a frankishFranks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
nobleman
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
named Gerricus founded the church of the women's collegiate foundation (Stift) of St. Margaret's (Gerresheim Abbey).
In 1368, the Count of Berg made the village of Gerresheim surrounding the religious house a city with city rights.
In the 17th century, many of the convent's aristocratic ladies moved away and the city of Gerresheim became increasingly impoverished. Soldiers raided Gerresheim during the Cologne War
Cologne War
The Cologne War devastated the Electorate of Cologne, a historical ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire, present-day North-Rhine-Westphalia, in Germany...
and later during the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
. The city's reputation suffered in consequence. The Reichsdeputationshauptschluss abolished the abby in 1803 and the Kingdom of Prussia
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
took over Gerresheim in 1815.
Ferdinand Heye founded the Gerresheimer Glashütte 1864.
Buildings and attractions
- Basilica Saint Margaretha, formerly St. Hippolytus, Roman Catholic church, Romano-GothicRomano-GothicThe Romano-Gothic is an architectural style, also called Early Gothic, which evolved in Europe in the 12th century from the Romanesque style. It is characterized by rounded and pointed arches on a vertical plane. Flying buttresses were used, but are mainly undecorated. Romanesque buttresses were...
abbey church, was sanctified in 1236 in the place of a church of the StaufensHohenstaufenThe House of Hohenstaufen was a dynasty of German kings in the High Middle Ages, lasting from 1138 to 1254. Three of these kings were also crowned Holy Roman Emperor. In 1194 the Hohenstaufens also became Kings of Sicily...
. - The church's treasures comprise a crucifix from the 10th century and a Gospel bookGospel BookThe Gospel Book, Evangelion, or Book of the Gospels is a codex or bound volume containing one or more of the four Gospels of the Christian New Testament...
from the 11th century. - Abbey buildings date from the 13th century.
- Quadenhof Castle dates from the 15th century.
- Gustav Adolf Church, Protestant (Lutheran) church dates from 1878.
Infrastructure
Gerresheim has had its own railway station since 1838. Today, three regional train lines stop there: S8, S11, and S28. They connect with Düsseldorf Central Station, Düsseldorf-Bilk, WuppertalWuppertal
Wuppertal is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in and around the Wupper river valley, and is situated east of the city of Düsseldorf and south of the Ruhr area. With a population of approximately 350,000, it is the largest city in the Bergisches Land...
, Neuss
Neuss
Neuss is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the west bank of the Rhine opposite Düsseldorf. Neuss is the largest city within the Rhein-Kreis Neuss district and owes its prosperity to its location at the crossing of historic and modern trade routes. It is primarily known...
, Mönchengladbach
Mönchengladbach
Mönchengladbach , formerly known as Münchengladbach, is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located west of the Rhine half way between Düsseldorf and the Dutch border....
, Hagen
Hagen
Hagen is the 39th-largest city in Germany, located in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located on the eastern edge of the Ruhr area, 15 km south of Dortmund, where the rivers Lenne, Volme and Ennepe meet the river Ruhr...
, Kaarst
Kaarst
Kaarst is a town in the district Rhein-Kreis Neuss, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.- Geography :Kaarst is located west of the city Neuss and east of Mönchengladbach .- Division of the town :Kaarst consists of 5 subdivisions...
, and Mettmann
Mettmann
Mettmann is a Rhenish town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the administrative centre of the district of Mettmann, Germany's most densely populated rural district...
.
Ttram lines 703 and 713 connect Gerresheim with the Düsseldorf's central districts and bus lines with other parts of the city.
Literary references
It is at the Gerresheim Stadtbahn station that the hero of Günter GrassGünter Grass
Günter Wilhelm Grass is a Nobel Prize-winning German author, poet, playwright, sculptor and artist.He was born in the Free City of Danzig...
's novel Die Blechtrommel (The Tin Drum
The Tin Drum
The Tin Drum is a 1959 novel by Günter Grass. The novel is the first book of Grass's .- Plot summary :The story revolves around the life of Oskar Matzerath, as narrated by himself when confined in a mental hospital during the years 1952-1954...
) abandons his stolen tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
to save Victor Weluhn from execution, as the book draws to an end.