Erkrath

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Erkrath


Country	Germany
State	North Rhine-Westphalia
Administrative region	Düsseldorf
District	Mettmann
Population	47,807 (2004)
Area	26.89 km²
Population density	1,780 /km²
Elevation	45-162 m
Coordinates	51°13′ N 6°54′ E
Postal code	40699
Area code	0211 and 02104 (Hochdahl)
Licence plate code	ME
Mayor	Arno Werner (CDU)
Website	erkrath.de

Erkrath is a town in the district of Mettmann, in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, situated on the Düssel river. It is located directly east of Düsseldorf and west of Wuppertal close to the famous Neandertal.

In the nearby Neanderthal, between Erkrath and Mettmann, in the summer of 1856, quarry workers discovered the fossilised remains of what became known as the Neanderthal man or Homo Neanderthalensis in Feldhof cave.

Erkrath is known since 1148 and received the city rights in 1966. In 1975, the municipality of Hochdahl was incorporated into Erkrath. Erkrath today has three local parts: Erkrath, Hochdahl and Unterfeldhaus.