Neuss

Neuss
Town hall
Neuss
Location of the town of Neuss within Rhein-Kreis Neuss district
Coordinates	51°12′1″N 6°41′38″E / 51.20028°N 6.69389°E / 51.20028; 6.69389Coordinates: 51°12′1″N 6°41′38″E / 51.20028°N 6.69389°E / 51.20028; 6.69389
Administration
Country	Germany
State	North Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. region	Düsseldorf
District	Rhein-Kreis Neuss
Mayor	Herbert Napp (CDU)
Basic statistics
Area	99.48 km2 (38.41 sq mi)
Elevation	30 - 67 m
Population	151,388 (31 December 2010)[1]
- Density	1,522 /km2 (3,941 /sq mi)
Other information
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Licence plate	NE
Postal codes	41460-41472
Area codes	02131, 02137 (Norf), 02182
Website	www.neuss.de

Neuss (German pronunciation: [ˈnɔʏs]; spelled Neuß until 1968; Limburgish: Nüss) 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 and owes its prosperity to its location at the crossing of historic and modern trade routes. It is primarily known for its historic Roman sites, as well as the annual Neusser Bürger-Schützenfest. In 1984 Neuss celebrated 2000 years since its foundation. It therefore holds the title of "Germany's oldest city" alongside the city of Trier.

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 (castra) with the current city to the north of the castra, on the confluence of the rivers Rhine and Erft, with the name of Novaesium. Later a civil settlement was founded in the area of today's center of the town during the 1st century AD. Novaesium, together with Trier (Augusta Treverorum), is one of the three oldest Roman settlements in Germany. 451 settled by Huns.

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.

Points of interest

• Botanischer Garten der Stadt Neuss, the city's botanical garden
• Saint Quirinus Minster: a 13th-century late romanesque church, dedicated to the city's patron saint and housing a shrine with his relics. Its dome-shaped eastern tower is one of the city's landmarks. In 2009 it was granted the title of minor basilica.
• Obertor (upper gate): southern city gate, build around 1200, today part of the Clemens-Sels-Museum. It is the only remaining of originally six gates that were a part of the medieval town fortification.
• Blutturm (bloody tower): built in the 13th century, the only remaining round tower of the historic town fortification.
• Zum „Schwatte Päd“ (the black horse): established in 1604, oldest public house in the lower rhine region
• Saint Sebastianus Church
• Christuskirche (Christ church): historicistic church, the city's oldest protestant church
• Globe Theater, a replica of the London Globe Theatre, with an annual Shakespear-Festival
• Neusser Bürger-Schützenfest: one of Germany's largest marksmen's festivals, taking place annually on the last weekend in August; roundabout 6000 marksmen take part in the traditional parades

Gallery

• 

  Saint Quirinus Minster

• 

  Obertor

• 

  St. Sebastianus Church

• 

  Christ Church

• 

  Blutturm

Twinnings

• Châlons-en-Champagne, France, since 1972
• Pskow, Russia, since 1990
• Rijeka, Croatia, since 1990
• Saint Paul, United States, since 1999
• Nevşehir, Turkey, since 2007
• Bolu, Turkey

References

1. ^ "Amtliche Bevölkerungszahlen" (in German). Landesbetrieb Information und Technik NRW. 31 December 2010. http://www.it.nrw.de/statistik/a/daten/amtlichebevoelkerungszahlen/index.html. 

External links

• Official website (German) (English)