Wuppertal

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Wuppertal
Wuppertal Elberfeld
Wuppertal Elberfeld
Coat of arms Location
Coat of arms of Wuppertal
Wuppertal (Germany)
Wuppertal
Administration
Country Flag of Germany Germany
State North Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. region Düsseldorf
District Urban district
Lord Mayor Peter Jung (CDU)
Governing parties CDUSPD
Basic statistics
Area 168.41 km² (65 sq mi)
Elevation 100-350 m
Population  356,015  (31/12/2007)[1]
 - Density 2,114 /km² (5,475 /sq mi)
Other information
Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Licence plate W
Postal codes 42001-42399
Area code 0202
Website wuppertal.de

Coordinates: 51°16′0″N 07°11′0″E / 51.26667, 7.18333

Wuppertal
Wuppertal
The Schwebebahn in Wuppertal
The Schwebebahn in Wuppertal
Wuppertal University
Wuppertal University

Wuppertal (IPA[ˈvʊpɐtaːl]) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the Wupper river south of the Ruhr area. Population 361,333 (2005).

Two thirds of the total municipal area is green belt: woods, meadows, gardens and fields. From any part of the city it is only a ten-minute walk to one of the public parks or shady woodland path. At the same time it is a major industrial centre including such industries as: textiles, metallurgy, chemicals, medicine (Bayer), electric, rubber, vehicles and printing equipment. One of the most famous pain-killers, Aspirin, was invented in Wuppertal by Bayer.

Contents

[edit] History

The city was formed in 1929 by merging Barmen, Elberfeld, Vohwinkel, Ronsdorf, Cronenberg, Langerfeld, and Beyenburg. The name was initially Barmen-Elberfeld, and after 1930 Wuppertal (“Wupper Valley”). The new city was administered within the Prussian Rhine Province.

Uniquely for Germany it is a linear city, owing to the steep hillsides along the river Wupper. The dominating city-centres Elberfeld (historic commercial centre) and Barmen (more industrial) form a united built-up area since 1850. In the following decades, this “Wupper-Town” became the dominating industrial agglomeration of the territories in northwestern Germany. Before the 19th century ended, this conurbation had been surpassed by Cologne, Düsseldorf and the Ruhr area, all with much more favourable topography.

During World War II, it was destroyed to about 40% by the Allies as were many other industrial centres at the time. However, a large quantity of historic sites have been preserved such as the Ölberg (“Oil Hill”) District, one of Germany’s largest working class districts, and the so-called Briller Viertel, Germany’s largest district of Bourgeois dwellings.

After the liberation from the Nazi regime, Wuppertal became a part of the British Occupancy Zone, and subsequently a part of the new state North Rhine-Westphalia in West Germany.

[edit] Main sights

In total, Wuppertal possesses over 4,500 buildings classified national monuments, most dating from periods of classicism, Art Nouveau and Bauhaus.

Main sights include:

  • The Concert-hall, a fine masterpiece of turn-of-the-century architecture (Stadthalle), inaugurated in 1900 by the German emperor, William II, and his wife.
  • The Tanztheater Wuppertal, headed by Pina Bausch, is world-famous and regularly plays at theatres in New York, Tokyo, Paris, London etc.
  • Engels’ house (Engelshaus), architecturally typical of the region. It houses a permanent display of materials associated with Friedrich Engels and other famous citizens of Wuppertal.
  • Wuppertal Zoo, one of the largest, most nicely landscaped zoos in Germany with many rare animals.
  • the Von der Heydt Museum, one of the most important galleries in Germany, with works by 19th and 20th century artists. The first of Picasso’s works that ever appeared in public was displayed here.

[edit] Schwebebahn

Main article: Schwebebahn Wuppertal

One of the city’s greatest attractions is the suspended monorail (“Wuppertaler Schwebebahn”), which was established in 1901. The tracks are 8 m above the streets and 12 m above the Wupper river.

[edit] Wuppertal in the arts

[edit] Noted Wuppertal people

[edit] Sister Cities

Wuppertal is twinned with:


A panorama view over the Ölberg in Wuppertal
A panorama view over the Ölberg in Wuppertal

[edit] References