Wegberg
Encyclopedia
Wegberg is the northernmost town in the district of Heinsberg
in North Rhine-Westphalia
, Germany
.
in the northeast and Erkelenz
in the southeast. The city lies in the Naturpark Maas
-Schwalm
-Nette
, a nature and wildlife park hugging the border to the Netherlands
. Its name derives from the three rivers that define its boundaries.
.
Its modern-day name appeared around the 14th century, and derives from the city's location on an old Roman road
.
The many castles and defense structures (the so-called Motten, sngl. Motte) that dot the area in whole or as ruins are indications of a history of martial as well as raiding forays in and around Wegberg. One infamous stronghold that remains the focal point of many anecdotes is the castle of a robber baron located in nearby Gripekoven. The castle with its walls and swampy trenches was deemed impregnable until 1354, when it was successfully besieged and razed. Today, only a small hill hints at its former location.
From 1543 on, Wegberg was divided between the duchy of Geldern (Guelders
) and the duchy of Jülich
. The border ran across the city, formed by the rivers Schwalm and Beeckbach. In this period, Wegberg effectively had two mayors. Only in 1816, after the district fell to Prussia
, was the division removed. In 1935 the two townships of Wegberg and Beeck were merged.
The city as it exists today emerged from the restructuring of cities and municipalities of 1972, and on July 5, 1973, Wegberg was granted the right to use the official name Stadt Wegberg ("City of Wegberg").
and the Netherlands
.
The local Flachsmuseum ("Flax Museum") depicts the legacy of flax
in the city's agricultural history.
The Museum für europäische Volkstrachten shows regional costumes of Europe.
The township of Wildenrath
is home to a permanent exhibition, titled "Bionic".
The river Schwalm
features many historic watermill
s, many of which are in good shape and often used as hotels or restaurants.
Special mention must be made of the Grenzlandring
("border-region ring"). Completed in 1938 or 1939 for World War II
strategic reasons, the 9 km long egg-shaped oval road that circles Wegberg and its neighboring township Beeck gained international renown as a racing track with its five events between 1948 and 1952, attracting up to 300,000 spectators. The Grenzlandring was falsely claimed by some German media to be the world's fastest racing track until a fatal accident happened on 31 August 1952 (in which 13 or 14 spectators were killed and another 42 wounded), putting an immediate end to its use. Today, it serves in distributing road traffic away from the inner city, minimizing congestion and there is nothing left that reminds of its rather short motor sports history.
Wegberg has been the home of an RAF hospital
since 1953.
The RAF Hospital Wegberg is a hospital located in Wegberg, near the city of Mönchengladbach, in Germany. It was opened in 1953 and burned down in 1994 in certain wings of the hospital. The hospital doesn't cover as much medicality as it once did with birth and pregnancy no longer treated. Today the only in patients unit is a small Mental Health Unit, all other patients within the British Forces Germany community requiring in patient hospital treatment are now treated in local German Hospitals. The Headquarters of the British Forces Germany Health Services is based in the Hospital. The hospital's motto is "Inter Fera Salus" and its crest is a wild boar passant overlaid with a Staff of Asclepius.
with: Echt-Susteren
, Netherlands
Maaseik
, Belgium
Heinsberg (district)
Heinsberg is a Kreis in the west of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Viersen, district-free city Mönchengladbach, Neuss, Düren and Aachen, and also the Dutch province Limburg.-History:...
in North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of 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...
.
Geography
Wegberg is situated between MönchengladbachMönchengladbach
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....
in the northeast and Erkelenz
Erkelenz
- Geology :The Erkelenz Börde is the northernmost extent of the Jülich Börde and is formed from a loess plateau that has an average thickness of over eleven metres in this area. Beneath it are the gravels and sands of the main ice age terrace, laid down by the Rhine and the Meuse...
in the southeast. The city lies in the Naturpark Maas
Meuse River
The Maas or Meuse is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea...
-Schwalm
Swalm
The Swalm is a small river in Germany and the Netherlands, tributary to the river Meuse. Its source is near Wegberg, in the district Heinsberg, south-west of Mönchengladbach, in North Rhine-Westphalia . The Swalm flows through Wegberg and Brüggen before flowing into the Meuse just across the...
-Nette
Nette (Niers)
The Nette is a small river in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, a left tributary of the Niers. It rises near Dülken, a borough of Viersen. The Nette flows through Nettetal before reaching the Niers in Wachtendonk. Its total length is 28 km; its drainage area is 180 km²....
, a nature and wildlife park hugging the border to the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. Its name derives from the three rivers that define its boundaries.
History
The first mention of Wegberg under the name of Berck is in a document dating from during the reign of Otto I, dated 966966
Year 966 was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* April 14 or April 30 – Mieszko I, the first duke of Poland, is baptized a Christian. This is usually considered the beginning of the Polish state ....
.
Its modern-day name appeared around the 14th century, and derives from the city's location on an old Roman road
Roman road
The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...
.
The many castles and defense structures (the so-called Motten, sngl. Motte) that dot the area in whole or as ruins are indications of a history of martial as well as raiding forays in and around Wegberg. One infamous stronghold that remains the focal point of many anecdotes is the castle of a robber baron located in nearby Gripekoven. The castle with its walls and swampy trenches was deemed impregnable until 1354, when it was successfully besieged and razed. Today, only a small hill hints at its former location.
From 1543 on, Wegberg was divided between the duchy of Geldern (Guelders
Guelders
Guelders or Gueldres is the name of a historical county, later duchy of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the Low Countries.-Geography:...
) and the duchy of Jülich
Duchy of Jülich
The Duchy of Jülich comprised a state within the Holy Roman Empire from the 11th to the 18th centuries. The duchy lay left of the Rhine river between the Electorate of Cologne in the east and the Duchy of Limburg in the west. It had territories on both sides of the river Rur, around its capital...
. The border ran across the city, formed by the rivers Schwalm and Beeckbach. In this period, Wegberg effectively had two mayors. Only in 1816, after the district fell to Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
, was the division removed. In 1935 the two townships of Wegberg and Beeck were merged.
The city as it exists today emerged from the restructuring of cities and municipalities of 1972, and on July 5, 1973, Wegberg was granted the right to use the official name Stadt Wegberg ("City of Wegberg").
Things of note
Eight kilometers of the city's border are also the national border of GermanyGermany
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...
and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.
The local Flachsmuseum ("Flax Museum") depicts the legacy of flax
Flax
Flax is a member of the genus Linum in the family Linaceae. It is native to the region extending from the eastern Mediterranean to India and was probably first domesticated in the Fertile Crescent...
in the city's agricultural history.
The Museum für europäische Volkstrachten shows regional costumes of Europe.
The township of Wildenrath
Wildenrath
Wildenrath is a township within the municipality of Wegberg in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The town is situated on the Bundesstraße 221 between Wassenberg and Arsbeck on the edge of the Maas-Schwalm-Nette Nature Park and close to the border with the Netherlands.For 40 years, the town was the...
is home to a permanent exhibition, titled "Bionic".
The river Schwalm
Swalm
The Swalm is a small river in Germany and the Netherlands, tributary to the river Meuse. Its source is near Wegberg, in the district Heinsberg, south-west of Mönchengladbach, in North Rhine-Westphalia . The Swalm flows through Wegberg and Brüggen before flowing into the Meuse just across the...
features many historic watermill
Watermill
A watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...
s, many of which are in good shape and often used as hotels or restaurants.
Special mention must be made of the Grenzlandring
Grenzlandring
The Grenzlandring , sometimes Grenzland-Ring written, is a former high-speed race track oval in the Lower Rhine area of Germany, around the town of Wegberg, located close to Mönchengladbach and the Dutch town of Roermond....
("border-region ring"). Completed in 1938 or 1939 for World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
strategic reasons, the 9 km long egg-shaped oval road that circles Wegberg and its neighboring township Beeck gained international renown as a racing track with its five events between 1948 and 1952, attracting up to 300,000 spectators. The Grenzlandring was falsely claimed by some German media to be the world's fastest racing track until a fatal accident happened on 31 August 1952 (in which 13 or 14 spectators were killed and another 42 wounded), putting an immediate end to its use. Today, it serves in distributing road traffic away from the inner city, minimizing congestion and there is nothing left that reminds of its rather short motor sports history.
Wegberg has been the home of an RAF hospital
RAF Hospital Wegberg
The former Royal Air Force Hospital Wegberg, commonly abbreviated to RAF Wegberg, was a Royal Air Force military hospital located in Wegberg, near the city of Mönchengladbach, in Germany....
since 1953.
The RAF Hospital Wegberg is a hospital located in Wegberg, near the city of Mönchengladbach, in Germany. It was opened in 1953 and burned down in 1994 in certain wings of the hospital. The hospital doesn't cover as much medicality as it once did with birth and pregnancy no longer treated. Today the only in patients unit is a small Mental Health Unit, all other patients within the British Forces Germany community requiring in patient hospital treatment are now treated in local German Hospitals. The Headquarters of the British Forces Germany Health Services is based in the Hospital. The hospital's motto is "Inter Fera Salus" and its crest is a wild boar passant overlaid with a Staff of Asclepius.
International relations
Wegberg is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with: Echt-Susteren
Echt-Susteren
Echt-Susteren is a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. Echt-Susteren was created in 2003 by merging the former municipalities of Echt and Susteren....
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
Maaseik
Maaseik
Maaseik is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg. The city is located on the river Meuse , bordering the Netherlands. The Maaseik municipality includes the town of Maaseik and the villages of Neeroeteren and Opoeteren...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...