Solingen
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| Country | Germany |
| State | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| Administrative region | Düsseldorf |
| District | urban district |
| Population | 163,882 source (2005) |
| Area | 89.45 km² |
| Population density | 1,832 /km² |
| Elevation | 53-276 m |
| Coordinates | 51°10′ N 7°5′ E |
| Postal code | 42601-42719 |
| Area code | 0212 |
| Licence plate code | SG |
| Mayor | Franz Haug (CDU) |
| Website | solingen.de |
Solingen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the northern edge of the region called Bergisches Land, south of the Ruhr area. Population: 163,923 (2005).
Solingen is called the "City of blades", since it has long been renowned for the manufacturing of fine swords, knives, scissors, and other cutlery made by famous firms such as Wüsthof, Zwilling (J.A. Henckels), Boker, and numerous other manufacturers.
In Medieval times, the swordsmiths of Solingen coined the town's image, which is preserved to date. In the latter part of the 17th century, a group of swordsmiths from Solingen broke their guild oaths by taking their sword-making secrets with them to Shotley Bridge, County Durham in England, an ideal area, due to its iron reserves and the proximity of the River Derwent. Some 90% of German knives are produced in Solingen.
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[edit] History
Solingen was first mentioned in 1067 by an editor. He called the area "Solonchon". It was a tiny village for centuries, but became a fortified town in the 15th century. In World War II the Old Town was completely destroyed by an air raid in 1944 and 1,040 people died, so there are few sights in the center.
In 1929 Ohligs, located in the Prussian Rhine Province, 17 miles by rail north of Cologne became part of Solingen. Its chief manufactures were cutlery and hardware, and there were iron-foundries and flour-mills. Other industries are brewing, dyeing, weaving and brick-making. Before 1891 it was known as Merscheid.
More recently, the city has been well known because of a May 29, 1993 fire in which two women and three girls died in an arson attack on the house of a Turkish family in Solingen. Seven more people were severely injured. Followers of Neo-Nazism were believed to have set the fire. The incident ignited further controversy when the German Chancellor, Helmut Kohl, refused to attend the funeral for the Solingen victims.
[edit] Main sights
Remaining edifices in the city center include:
- Schloss Burg, the Castle of the counts of Berg
- Rhenish Industrial Museum Hendrichs Drop Forge, an Anchor Point of ERIH, The European Route of Industrial Heritage
- Klosterkirche, church (1690)
- Deutsches Klingenmuseum, German Blade Museum, presenting swords and cutlery of all epochs
- Müngstener Brücke, a railroad bridge connecting Solingen with the neighbour town of Remscheid. Standing at 107 m above the ground, it is the highest railroad bridge of Germany.
[edit] Famous people
- The original members of the German heavy metal band Accept were from Solingen.
- Writer Artur Möller van den Bruck was born in Solingen.
- Ulay (Frank Uwe Laysiepen), artist, photographer and performer who used to perform with Marina Abramovic.
- Walter Scheel Walter Scheel was the 4th President of Germany in 1974 - 1979.
[edit] Twin cities
- Złotoryja, Poland, since 1955
- Gouda, Netherlands, since 1957
- Chalon-sur-Saône, France, since 1960
- Blyth, Northumberland, England, since 1962
- Jinotega, Nicaragua, since 1985
- Ness Ziona, Israel, since 1986
- Thiès, Senegal, since 1990
- Aue, Saxony, Germany, since 1990
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Urban districts and Districts in the German State of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) |
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Urban |
Aachen | Bergisch Gladbach | Bielefeld | Bochum | Bonn | Bottrop | Dortmund | Duisburg | Düsseldorf | Essen | Gelsenkirchen | Hagen | Hamm | Herne | Köln (Cologne) | Krefeld | Leverkusen | Mönchengladbach | Mülheim | Münster | Oberhausen | Remscheid | Solingen | Wuppertal |
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Districts |
Aachen | Borken | Kleve (Cleves) | Coesfeld | Düren | Ennepe-Ruhr | Euskirchen | Gütersloh | Heinsberg | Herford | Hochsauerland | Höxter | Lippe | Märkischer Kreis | Mettmann | Minden-Lübbecke | Oberbergischer Kreis | Olpe | Paderborn | Recklinghausen | Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis | Rhein-Erft-Kreis | Rhein-Kreis Neuss | Rhein-Sieg-Kreis | Siegen-Wittgenstein | Soest | Steinfurt | Unna | Viersen | Warendorf | Wesel |
