| Rees | |
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Rees
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Location of the town of Rees within Kleve district
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| Coordinates | |
| Administration | |
| Country | Germany |
| State | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| Admin. region | Düsseldorf |
| District | Kleve |
| Town subdivisions | 8 |
| Mayor | Christoph Gerwers (CDU) |
| Basic statistics | |
| Area | 109.66 km2 (42.34 sq mi) |
| Population | 22,267 (31 December 2010)[1] |
| - Density | 203 /km2 (526 /sq mi) |
| Other information | |
| Time zone | CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) |
| Licence plate | KLE |
| Postal code | 46459 |
| Area codes | 0 28 51 0 28 50 (Haldern) 0 28 57 (Mehr / Haffen) |
| Website | www.stadt-rees.de |
Rees is a town in the district of Cleves in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the right bank of the Rhine, approx. 20 km east of Cleves. Population (2005): 22,559. Founded in 1228, Rees is the oldest town in the lower Rhine area.
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Rees is administratively organized in eight communities:
The neighbouring municipalities are Oude IJsselstreek (province of Gelderland, NL) and Isselburg (district of Borken) in the North, Hamminkeln and Wesel in the East, Xanten in the South (all district of Wesel), and Kalkar and Emmerich in the West.
The origin of the town is a Frankish settlement established between 500-800 AD. The name Rees most probably goes back to the Franconian term "Rys", which means "willow grove".
The Lower Rhine area was Christianized by the Irish missionary Willibrord between 657-739. Around 1000 the nearby monastery of Aspel was first mentioned.
On July 14, 1228 Rees was granted municipal rights by Heinrich I von Müllenark, Archbishop of Cologne. At that time it had about 600 inhabitants. In 1289/90 the works on a fortified city wall began, which was finished in 1350. In 1392 Rees and the monastery of Aspel became part of the County of Cleves.
During the Eighty Years War, the town was captured by Spanish troops in 1598. After the death of the last duke of Cleves in 1609, the town belonged to the Margraviate of Brandenburg. Between 1616 and 1625 Rees was occupied by Dutch troops, who strengthened the town into a huge fortress. In 1701 it became part of the Kingdom of Prussia.
In 1816, Rees became capital of the newly-founded Rees District within Regierungsbezirk Kleve. Railway access was established with the opening of the railway line Oberhausen-Arnhem in 1856.
During the Nazi period, many Jewish inhabitants were deported. The only surviving monuments to centuries of Jewish life and activity in Rees are two historic Jewish cemeteries. The city was almost completely destroyed by an Allied air raid on February 16, 1945 during World War II. It became part of North Rhine-Westphalia after the war.
Rees possesses one of the most beautiful Rhine promenades in Germany, with restaurants and cafes arranged along the riverbank. Most visitors come from the nearby Netherlands, the Münsterland, and the urban Ruhr Area, from where Rees can be easily accessed via the Autobahn A3 in approx. 30 minutes. Boat tours on the Rhine river (e.g. to Nijmegen, Netherlands) can be taken from the small shipping pier. The town offers a motorhome park, as well as three campsites and many bicycling routes.
The municipal Koenraad-Bosman-Museum provides varying exhibitions on town history and arts.
In the town center, there are many affectionately restored wells and water pumps that have become recognizable landmarks. An annual Pumpenkirmes (Ger., "pump fair") celebrates their former role as places for work and gossip.
Near the river bank, there are many remains of the ancient city fortification. Several casemates have been restored and are open to the public. Quite remarkable, though not publicly accessible, is a Jewish cemetery uniquely situated on the top of the wall. Because Jews in medieval Rees were forbidden from being buried within the city walls, a cemetery was built atop the wall itself to protect the graves from floods and enemies.
The town has a sculpture park where artists from Germany and the Netherlands are exhibited.
The facilities of the SV (Sportverein) Rees have been used by several national and international soccer teams, most memorably playing host to the national team of Cameroon in 2002.
Haldern is venue of the Haldern Pop festival, which takes place every August and attracts indie music artists from all over the world as well as thousands of enthusiastic fans.
The train station Empel-Rees is located about 4 km from city center and is connected northbound to Emmerich and southbound to Wesel-Oberhausen-Duisburg-Düsseldorf-Cologne-Bonn-Koblenz. From the station, there is a bus line downtown.
Rees has major road access to the Autobahn A3 and the federal roads B8 (North-South) and B67 (East-West).
For pedestrians and bicyclists, transfer across the Rhine is provided by two ferries from Easter holidays through October.
Distance to Düsseldorf International Airport: ca. 75 km
Distance to Airport Weeze (low cost carriers only): ca. 35 km
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