Remscheid (original) (raw)

City in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

Remscheid
City
German Röntgen MuseumGerman Röntgen Museum
Flag of RemscheidFlagCoat of arms of RemscheidCoat of arms
Location of Remscheid Map
Remscheid is located in GermanyRemscheidRemscheid Show map of GermanyRemscheid is located in North Rhine-WestphaliaRemscheidRemscheid Show map of North Rhine-Westphalia
Coordinates: 51°11′N 07°12′E / 51.183°N 7.200°E / 51.183; 7.200
Country Germany
State North Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. region Düsseldorf
District Urban district
Government
• Lord mayor (2020–25) Burkhard Mast-Weisz[1] (SPD)
Area
• Total 74.6 km2 (28.8 sq mi)
Elevation 365 m (1,198 ft)
Population (2023-12-31)[2]
• Total 114,061
• Density 1,530/km2 (3,960/sq mi)
Time zone UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST) UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes 42801–42899
Dialling codes 02191
Vehicle registration RS
Website www.remscheid.de

City Hall

Remscheid (German pronunciation: [ˈʁɛmʃaɪt] ⓘ) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is, after Wuppertal and Solingen, the third-largest municipality in Bergisches Land, being located on the northern edge of the region, on the south side of the Ruhr area.

Remscheid had around 109,000 inhabitants in 2015. At the end of 2019 it had 113,703 inhabitants. A variety of the Limburgish language, known locally as Remscheder Platt is spoken in the city through all generations.

Remscheid comprises four boroughs, Alt-Remscheid, Remscheid-Süd, Lennep, and Lüttringhausen.

Its highest point is the Brodtberg (378 m).

Remscheid was founded in the 12th century, but remained a small village until the 19th century. Early spellings for the city included Remissgeid (1217), Rymscheyd (1351), Reymscheyd (1487) and Rembscheid (1639). The economic growth of the entire Rhine-Ruhr region led to an increase of the population of Remscheid. Mechanical engineering and toolmaking were the main industries practised within the town. This is carried on today with the Hazet tool company which has three factories in Remscheid. Remscheid was part of the Prussian Rhine Province from 1822 to 1945.

On 31 July 1943, during World War II, Remscheid was almost completely destroyed during a British bombing raid which caused a firestorm. This bombing raid was the final operation of RAF's Battle of the Ruhr involving 273 aircraft. Today around one third of the city consists of buildings from before World War II.[3] During 14 and 15 April 1945, Remscheid was captured by the 78th Infantry Division (United States).[4][5]

An A-10 Thunderbolt II crashed in the city on 8 December 1988. Six people died.

As of 31 December 2019, the city's population was 113,703, of which 92,726 (81.6%) were German citizens and 20,977 (18.4%) were non-Germans (Ausländer); of the non-German population, the top 10 nationalities represented were as follows:[6]

Rank Nationality Population (31.12.2019)
1 Turkey 5,749
2 Italy 3,158
3 Syria 1,264
4 Poland 1,187
5 Bulgaria 1,039
6 Spain 866
7 North Macedonia 748
8 Croatia 646
9 Serbia 583
10 Portugal 493

The current mayor of Remscheid is Burkhard Mast-Weisz of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), elected in 2014 and re-elected in 2020. The most recent mayoral election was held on 13 September 2020, and the results were as follows:

Candidate Party Votes %
Burkhard Mast-Weisz Social Democratic Party 22,431
Heidemarie Alexa Bell Christian Democratic Union 9,710
Peter Keck Pro Remscheid 1,908
Fritz Beinersdorf The Left 1,309
Roland Kirchner W.i.R. Remscheid 877
Bettina Stamm Real Remscheid 775
Valid votes 37,010 98.5
Invalid votes 548 1.5
Total 37,558 100.0
Electorate/voter turnout 85,783 43.8
Source: State Returning Officer

Results of the 2020 city council election

The Remscheid city council governs the city alongside the mayor. The most recent city council election was held on 13 September 2020, and the results were as follows:

Party Votes % +/− Seats +/−
Social Democratic Party (SPD) 12,718 34.5 Decrease 0.3 20
Christian Democratic Union (CDU) 11,036 29.9 Decrease 7.3 17
Alliance 90/The Greens (Grüne) 5,409 14.7 Increase 6.3 9
Free Democratic Party (FDP) 1,945 5.3 Increase 0.6 3
Pro Remscheid (PRO) 1,870 5.1 Increase 0.7 3
The Left (Die Linke) 1,700 4.6 Decrease 1.4 3
W.i.R. Remscheid (WIR) 1,092 3.0 Decrease 1.5 2
Real Remscheid (Echt) 788 2.1 New 1
Alternative for Germany (AfD) 358 1.0 New 0
Valid votes 36,916 98.4
Invalid votes 592 1.6
Total 37,508 100.0 58 Increase 6
Electorate/voter turnout 85,783 43.7 Increase 0.7
Source: State Returning Officer

Twin towns – sister cities

[edit]

Remscheid is twinned with:[7]

Remscheid also cooperates with Mrągowo County, Poland and Schmalkalden, Germany.[7]

  1. ^ Wahlergebnisse in NRW Kommunalwahlen 2020 Archived 17 May 2022 at the Wayback Machine, Land Nordrhein-Westfalen, accessed 19 June 2021.
  2. ^ "Bevölkerung der Gemeinden Nordrhein-Westfalens am 31. Dezember 2023 – Fortschreibung des Bevölkerungsstandes auf Basis des Zensus vom 9. Mai 2011" (in German). Landesbetrieb Information und Technik NRW. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
  3. ^ "Zensus 2011 - Gebäude- und Wohnungsbestand in Deutschland" [2011 Census - Building and housing stock in Germany] (PDF) (in German). Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 March 2024.
  4. ^ "US Army SS 01 Chronology 1941–1945: 1945". Archived from the original on 14 August 2017. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
  5. ^ "Lightning, the History of the 78th Infantry Division". Washington, Infantry journal press. 1947.
  6. ^ "Informationen der Statistikstelle: Remscheider Einwohnerinnen und Einwohner am 31. Dezember 2019" (PDF). Stadt Remscheid. pp. 6, 12. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 February 2020. Retrieved 9 May 2020. Available on Stadt Remscheid website under "Bevölkerung und Bevölkerungsentwicklung Archived 16 June 2021 at the Wayback Machine".
  7. ^ a b "Städtepartnerschaften" (in German). Remscheid. Retrieved 25 January 2024.

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