Neuss

Neuss (German pronunciation: [ˈnɔʏs] (listen); spelled Neuß until 1968; Limburgish: Nüss; Latin: Novaesium) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the west bank of the Rhine opposite Düsseldorf. Neuss is the largest city within the Rhein-Kreis Neuss district. It is primarily known for its historic Roman sites, as well as the annual Neusser Bürger-Schützenfest. Neuss and Trier share the title of "Germany's oldest city"; and in 1984 Neuss celebrated the 2000th anniversary of its founding in 16 BCE.

Neuss
Town hall
Coat of arms
Location of Neuss within Rhein-Kreis Neuss district
Neuss
Neuss
Coordinates: 51°12′N 6°42′E
CountryGermany
StateNorth Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. regionDüsseldorf
DistrictRhein-Kreis Neuss
Government
 • MayorReiner Breuer (SPD)
Area
 • Total99.48 km2 (38.41 sq mi)
Elevation
40 m (130 ft)
Population
 (2019-12-31)[1]
 • Total153,896
 • Density1,500/km2 (4,000/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
41460-41472
Dialling codes02131, 02137 (Norf), 02182
Vehicle registrationNE, GV
Websitewww.neuss.de

History
Rheinbahn tram in downtown Neuss.
Saint Sebastianus church in the city of Neuss

Ancient Rome

Neuss was founded by the Romans in 16 BC as a military fortification (castrum) with the current city to the north of the castrum, at the confluence of the rivers Rhine and Erft, with the name of Novaesium.

Legio XVI Gallica ("Gallic 16th Legion") of the Roman army was stationed here in 43-70 AD. It was disbanded after surrendering during the Batavian rebellion (AD 70).[2]

Later a civil settlement was founded in the area of today's centre of the town during the 1st century AD. Novaesium, together with Trier (Augusta Treverorum), is one of the three oldest Roman settlements in Germany.

Middle Ages

Neuss grew during the Middle Ages because of its prime location on several routes, by the crossing of the great Rhine valley, and with its harbour and ferry. During the 10th century, the remains of the martyr and tribune Saint Quirinus, not to be confused with the Roman god Quirinus, had been relocated to Neuss. This resulted in pilgrimage to the shrine of St. Quirinus even from countries beyond the borders of the Holy Roman Empire. Neuss was first documented as a town in 1138.

One of the main events in the town's history is the siege of the town in 1474–75 by Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, that lasted for nearly a year. The citizens of Neuss withstood the siege and were therefore rewarded by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III. The town was granted the right to mint its own coins and to carry the imperial coat of arms, the imperial eagle and the crown, in the town's own coat of arms. Neuss became a member of the Hanseatic League, although it was never accepted by the other members of the League.

Early modernity

In 1586, more than two-thirds of the city was destroyed by fire, and several wars during the reign of King Louis XIV of France resulted in worsening finances for Neuss. Its importance as a place for trading declined rapidly, and from the mid-17th century onwards, Neuss became a place only important for its agriculture.

Until the late 18th century, Neuss belonged to the Electorate of Cologne. From 1794 to 1814, Neuss was part of France during the reign of Napoleon. In 1815 after the Napoleonic Wars, Neuss became part of the Kingdom of Prussia, and was reorganized as a district with the municipalities of Neuss, Dormagen, Nettesheim, Nievenheim, Rommerskirchen and Zons. The town had a population of 6,333 at that time. It was part of the Prussian Province of Jülich-Cleves-Berg (1815–22) and its successor, the Rhine Province (1822–1946).

19th century – present

Neuss regained its economic power in the 19th century, with expansion of the harbour in 1835, and increasing industrial activity. The city's boundaries were expanded in 1881. Neuss became part of the new state of North Rhine-Westphalia in 1946.

In 1968 the spelling of the name was changed from Neuß to Neuss. In 1975 the town of Neuss and the district of Grevenbroich were joined to form the district of Rhein-Kreis Neuss with a population of 440,000 and its seat of government in Neuss. Neuss is also home to Toshiba's European headquarters.

Largest groups of foreign residents[3]
NationalityPopulation (2018)
 Turkey5,440
 Poland1,775
 Greece1,627
 Portugal1,132
 Italy1,088
 Serbia and Montenegro1,072
 Syria982
 Croatia829

Mayors and Lord Mayors since 1849
  • 1849–1851: Heinrich Thywissen, Mayor (Bürgermeister)
  • 1851–1858: Michael Frings, Mayor
  • 1858–1882: Johann Joseph Ridder, Mayor
  • 1882–1889: Carl Wenders, Mayor
  • 1890–1902: Engelbert Tilmann, Mayor
  • 1902–1921: Franz Gielen, Lord Mayor
  • 1921–1930: Heinrich Hüpper, Lord Mayor
  • 1930–1934: Wilhelm Henrichs, Centre Party, Lord Mayor (Oberbürgermeister)
  • 1934–1938: Wilhelm Eberhard Gelberg, NSDAP, Lord Mayor
  • 1938–1945: Wilhelm Tödtmann, NSDAP, Lord Mayor
  • 1945–1946: Josef Nagel, Lord Mayor
  • 1946: Josef Schmitz, Lord Mayor
  • 1946–1961: Alfons Frings, CDU, Lord Mayor
  • 1961–1967: Peter Wilhelm Kallen, Lord Mayor
  • 1967–1982: Herbert Karrenberg, CDU, Lord Mayor
  • 1982–1987: Hermann Wilhelm Thywissen, CDU, Lord Mayor
  • 1987–1998: Bertold Mathias Reinartz, CDU, Mayor
  • 1998–2015: Herbert Napp, CDU, Mayor
  • 2015–present: Reiner Breuer, SPD, Mayor

Number of inhabitants
  • 1798: 4,423
  • 1831: 7,888
  • 1861: 10,300
  • 1885: 20,074
  • 1900: 28,472
  • 1925: 44,958
  • 1945: 51,624
  • 1965: 111,104
  • 1987: 142,178
  • 2015: 159,672

Sports

One sports club is Neusser Schlittschuh-Klub. Their sections are figure skating, ice stock sport and, as the only club in Germany, bandy. With the lack of a large ice surface, the variety rink bandy is practiced.[4] There are also two football clubs in the city of Neuss, VfR Neuss Football Club, and DJK Novesia Neuss. There is also a fieldhockey club, HTC Schwarz-Weiss Neuss, and TC Blau-Weiss Neuss, a famous tennis club where Nadal began his career. And an American Football Club, the Neuss Frogs. Besides Neuss owns an all-weather racecourse called "Galopprennbahn Neuss".

Points of interest

Notable people
Theodor Schwann 1857

Twin towns - sister cities
  • Saint Quirinus Minster
  • Obertor
  • St. Sebastianus Church
  • Christuskirche
  • Blutturm

References
  1. "Bevölkerung der Gemeinden Nordrhein-Westfalens am 31. Dezember 2019" (in German). Landesbetrieb Information und Technik NRW. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  2. Matthew Bunson (1 January 2009). Encyclopedia of the Roman Empire. Infobase Publishing. pp. 313–. ISBN 978-1-4381-1027-1.
  3. "Die ausländischen Mitbürger in der Stadt Neuss am 0 1.01.2013" (PDF). Stadt Neuss. Retrieved 2014-10-26.
  4. Neusser Schlittschuh-Klub official home page
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