Willich

Willich
Willich
Coat of arms of Willich
Willich is located in Germany
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Willich
Coordinates 51°15′47″N 6°32′57″E / 51.26306°N 6.54917°E / 51.26306; 6.54917Coordinates: 51°15′47″N 6°32′57″E / 51.26306°N 6.54917°E / 51.26306; 6.54917
Administration
Country Germany
State North Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. region Düsseldorf
District Viersen
Town subdivisions 4
Mayor Josef Heyes (CDU)
Basic statistics
Area 67.77 km2 (26.17 sq mi)
Elevation 40 m  (131 ft)
Population 51,949 (31 December 2010)[1]
 - Density 767 /km2 (1,985 /sq mi)
Other information
Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Licence plate VIE
Postal code 47877
Area codes 02154, 02156
Website www.stadt-willich.de

Willich is a town in the district of Viersen, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located near the cities of Düsseldorf, Mönchengladbach and Krefeld, about 30 kilometres from the border with the Netherlands.

Contents

History

The city was founded in 1970 out of the formerly independent villages of Willich, Anrath, Schiefbahn and Neersen, although the villages are much older. Anrath was mentioned for the first time in 1010, Willich in 1245, Neersen in 1262 and Schiefbahn in 1420.

The villages belonged to the Electorate of Cologne until the French Revolutionary Wars when they were occupied and annexed by France in 1794. At the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 the villages fell to the Kingdom of Prussia.

1891-1945

In 1891 a tornado devastated Anrath. The village was already impoverished by the decline of previously dominant domestic weaving and now the municipal administration of Anrath even considered a dissolution of the village. To improve the economic situation a royal prison was built. It was completed in 1905.

In 1908 Stahlwerk Becker (a steel mill) was built and up to its closing in 1932 was one of the largest employers in Willich. Under a new owner, the mill was reopened in 1934 and was used to manufacture military supplies. The factory was finally closed in 1945 and the grounds were converted to a military base for the British Armed Forces.

During World War II, Willich suffered only minor damage to its infrastructure. During Operation Grenade on March 1, 1945 American forces which had entered Schiefbahn met a counterattack from a German Panzer unit. Heavy fighting erupted, with both sides suffering numerous casualties.[2]

During the 19th century more than 100 Jews lived in the four villages. During the Third Reich, the Nazis deported 40 Jews - of which 38 were ultimately murdered in the Nazi death camps.

British Army

The British Army had soldiers stationed in Willich for more than 40 years: 40 Army Engineer Support Regiment (40 AESR), which by the early 80s was reduced down to 40 Army Engineer Support Group (40 AESG). Both units belonged to the Royal Engineers. In 1992 the camp was closed and the group disbanded. In July 2009 a reunion took place in the old camp. 141 attended the evening event. There will be an annual event and in 2012 a full reunion. The reunion will be from 6 to 9 July.

Economy

Many international companies, especially from the Far East, have their European or German headquarters in the town.

Transportation

Streets

The Bundesautobahn 44 and Bundesautobahn 52 motorways join together within the municipal area of Willich. In the area there are five junctions.

Railways

A railway station is situated in Anrath.

Notable places

Schloss Neersen

The most famous building is "Schloss Neersen". The castle goes back to the 13th century and was heavily rebuilt in the 17th century. It now houses the town council offices. During summer an open air theatre is held in the grounds.

Klein-Jerusalem chapel

A moderately well-known pilgrimage destination is the 17th century "Klein-Jerusalem" wayside chapel.

Anrath Prison

The former royal Prison in Anrath is now a federal state prison named "Justizvollzugsanstalt Willich".[3]

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. 
  2. ^ Hügen, Ludwig (1974). Der Krieg geht zu Ende. Niederrheinische Berichte zur Operation Grenade 1945. Schriftenreihe des Kreises Kempen-Krefeld. (German)
  3. ^ Official site (German)

External links


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  • Willich — Willich, 1) Fr. Just., geb. 1790 in Hanau, kam nach Vollendung seiner Studien nach Speyer, wo er sich zum Anwalt ausbildete u. mit Verlegung des Tribunals nach Frankenthal übersiedelte. Auf dem baierischen Landtage 1830–31 erschien er zuerst in… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Willich [1] — Willich, Dorf im preuß. Regbez. Düsseldorf, Landkreis Krefeld, an der Staatsbahnlinie Krefeld Rheydt, hat eine kath. Kirche, Essig , Sirup und Spritfabrikation, Bandweberei, eine Dampfmühle, Bierbrauerei und (1905) 5577 Einw …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Willich [2] — Willich, Friedrich, oldenburg. Minister, geb. 2. Aug. 1846 in Seckbach bei Frankfurt a. M., studierte die Rechte, stand 1874–83 im oldenburgischen Justizdienst, ging zur Verwaltung über, wurde 1887 vortragender Rat im oldenburgischen… …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

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  • Willich — Original name in latin Willich Name in other language Vilikh, Villikh, Willich, wei li xi, wylysh, Вилих, Виллих State code DE Continent/City Europe/Berlin longitude 51.26371 latitude 6.54734 altitude 43 Population 51843 Date 2012 11 26 …   Cities with a population over 1000 database

  • Willich — Wịllich,   Stadt im Kreis Viersen, Nordrhein Westfalen, im linken Niederrheingebiet bei Krefeld, 48 000 Einwohner; Webereien, Bekleidungs , Armaturen , grafische und keramische Industrie sowie über 40 Hightechbetriebe; Baumschule, Obst und… …   Universal-Lexikon

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