Everything about Geldern totally explained
Geldern (
Dutch:
Gelderen, archaic
English:
Guelder(s)) is a
city in the northwest of the
federal state North Rhine-Westphalia,
Germany. It is part of the
district of Cleves, which is part of the
administrative region Düsseldorf.
Geography
Location
Geldern lies in the plains of the lower, northern
Rhineland, west of the
Rhine. Its average elevation is 27 m
AMSL. The river
Niers, a tributary of the
Meuse, flows through Geldern. The stream
Gelderner Fleuth flows into the Niers in Geldern.
Subdivisions
Geldern is subdivided into the following
boroughs:
- Geldern City
- Hartefeld
- Kapellen
- Lüllingen
- Pont
- Veert
- Vernum
- Walbeck
Neighbouring towns and municipalities
Geldern shares borders with
Kevelaer and
Sonsbeck to the north,
Issum to the east,
Kerken and
Straelen to the south, and the
Dutch municipalities
Arcen en Velden and
Bergen to the west.
Coat of arms
The first coat of arms of the city of Geldern was a
shield with three
medlars, referring to an event in the
dragon legend, see below. The lion of
Guelders, recognizable in the present coat of arms, has been used since the
Middle Ages.
History
Dragon legend
According to folk legend, local noblemen Wichard and Lupold of Pont fought a fire-breathing
dragon around
878. They found it under a
medlar tree, and one of them stabbed it with his
spear. The dying dragon rattled two or three times:
Gelre! Gelre!. In commemoration of this heroic feat, the Lords of Pont founded the city of Geldern at the confluence of the
Niers and the Fleuth.
Middle Ages
The city of Geldern was first documented in
812. Several versions of the name have been used:
Gelre, Gielra, Gellero, Gelera and similar. The probable ancestor of the Counts of Guelders was Gerhard Flamens, who received
Wassenberg as a
fief from Emperor
Henry II in
1020. His great-grandson Gerhard IV of Wassenberg was the first to call himself Count of Guelders (as Gerhard I), from
1096. The title "count" came from other properties, probably in
Teisterbant. From
1125 only the title
of Guelders was used. Wassenberg itself was given to the
Duke of Limburg (and later to
Jülich) as a wedding gift in
1107. The counts of Guelders moved their residence to the castle in Geldern, that was built probably around this date at the crossing of the Niers. The castle and the accompanying medieval settlement were the origin of the present city, and also gave its name to the
county and later
duchy of
Guelders.
The settlement was
fortified in the
13th century with earth and stone walls and moats. The walls were named after the four
cardinal directions and had three gates. Geldern received
city rights in
1229. It was the residence of the counts and dukes of Guelders until
1343, and capital of the Upper Quarter of Guelders until
1347. The
monastery of the
Carmelites was built in the early
14th century. The
Late Gothic parish church of
Mary Magdalene was built between
1400 and
1418.
Often in its history, Geldern lay in the battlefield of territorial disputes. It was subordinate to
Spanish rule from
1543 until
1578, when it was occupied by the
Dutch. By treason Geldern returned to Spanish control in
1587, which lasted until
1703. During this period (more exactly between
1662 and
1664) the castle Haag (first documented in
1337, located 1 km north of Geldern) was expanded. Since
World War II only the outer castle remains.
18th century
From
1701 until
1714 the
War of the Spanish Succession took place. The city was under
Prussian siege since February
1703, but only surrendered on
21 December. At the end of the war, at the
1713 Treaty of Utrecht, the previously Spanish Upper Quarter of Guelders was divided over four powers:
Austria, the
United Provinces,
Prussia and the
Duchy of Jülich. With the larger part of the forler Upper Quarter, Geldern fell to Prussia and became the seat of administration of
Prussian Guelders. King
Frederick II of Prussia visited Geldern in August
1740. He ordered the demolition of the city fortifications in
1764.
Modern era
Between
1794 and
1814 Geldern was occupied by the
French. They disbanded the old structures and created a new, more strict administration. The canton of Geldern was part of the arrondissement of
Cleves, which was a part of the département of the
Roer. In
1802 the monastery of the Carmelites was
secularized.
In the course of the Prussian reorganization of administration, the district of Geldern was formed on
23 April 1816. It was one of over 40 rural districts of the province
Jülich-Kleve-Berg, the northern half of the later
Rhine Province. In
1863 the
railway line
Cologne -
Krefeld - Geldern -
Cleves was opened, and a
narrow-gauge local line in
1902 (closed in
1932).
In
World War II Geldern was
bombed several times, at the end of
1944 and on
14 February 1945, which led to severe devastations in the city centre. Only a few houses were saved, about 82 % was destroyed. The parish church was also severely damaged, and the main building of castle Haag was completely destroyed. The parish church of Mary Magdalene was rebuilt in
1952, and redecorated in
2003/
2004.
Religion
The
population of Geldern is mostly
Catholic. There are several Catholic churches, including the historically important parish church of Mary Magdalene at the market square. There are two
Protestant churches: the Holy Spirit church near the market, and one in the borough Walbeck.
Territorial reorganization
The present composition of the city of Geldern was created at the territorial reorganization of
North Rhine-Westphalia, on
1 July 1969. The municipalities of Kapellen, Vernum, Pont, Veert and Walbeck were incorporated into Geldern.
On
1 January 1975 the former districts of Cleves and Geldern and parts of the districts of
Moers and
Rees were merged to form the new
district of Cleves.
Population
Culture and tourism
Buildings
There is an approx. 60 km long cycle path along the
Fossa Eugeniana, a never completed
canal from the
Rhine near
Rheinberg to the
Meuse near
Venlo. Hiking is possible around the former castle Haag, part of which still remains, and is home to a.o. a golf club. A mill tower and the
refectory of the
16th century former monastery of
Augustinian nuns. There are some
wind mills in the vicinity.
Events
Every summer Geldern hosts a
street art contest, which attracts international artists. Geldern has the largest
Whitsun funfair of the lower Rhine, a street party in summer, and a
Christmas Market. Several other events are organized in summer.
City twinnings
Geldern is
twinned with
Fürstenberg in
Brandenburg (Germany), and with
Bree in
Belgium.
Transport
Aviation
Geldern is served by the airports
Weeze Airport (20 km) and
Düsseldorf International Airport (55 km).
Trains and buses
The
Deutsche Bahn railway station of Geldern lies on the line from
Cleves to
Düsseldorf via
Krefeld. There are two trains per hour. Buses are used for public transport in the city and the surrounding area.
Roads
Geldern is connected to the German
motorways 40 (
E 34) and
57 (
E 31) by the federal roads
B9 and
B58.
Personalities
Björn Böhning, current leader of the Young Socialists in the SPD
Helmut Linssen, finance minister of North-Rhine Westphalia
Lydia Hüskens, German politician
Paul Nolte, German historian
Dominic Saleh-Zaki, German actor
Xenia Seeberg, German actress
Thomas Struth, German photographerFurther Information
Get more info on 'Geldern'.
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