Stolberg | |
|---|---|
 Burg Stolberg | |
_COA.svg) Coat of arms | |
Location of Stolberg within Aachen district  | |
 Location of Stolberg | |
  Stolberg  Stolberg | |
| Coordinates:50°46′N6°14′E / 50.767°N 6.233°E /50.767; 6.233 | |
| Country | Germany |
| State | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| Admin. region | Köln |
| District | Aachen |
| Subdivisions | 17 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2019–25) | Patrick Haas[1] (SPD) |
| Area | |
• Total | 98.48 km2 (38.02 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 260 m (850 ft) |
| Population (2023-12-31)[2] | |
• Total | 56,584 |
| • Density | 574.6/km2 (1,488/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| Postal codes | 52222, 52223, 52224 |
| Dialling codes | 02402, 02408 (Venwegen), 02409 (Gressenich/ Werth/ Schevenhütte) |
| Vehicle registration | AC |
| Website | www.stolberg.de |
Stolberg (German pronunciation:[ˈʃtɔlbɛʁk]ⓘ,Ripuarian:Stolbersch) is a town inNorth Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It has a long history as an industrial town and belongs to the districtAachen and the lower district court ofEschweiler.
Stolberg is located approximately 5 km east ofAachen in a valley at the fringes of theEifel which begins in the East with theHürtgenwald and in the South in the municipality ofMonschau. It bordersEschweiler in the north and the Aachen city district ofEilendorf in the west.
The core of Stolberg is commonly divided into Unterstolberg (Lower Stolberg) and Oberstolberg (Upper Stolberg) which includes most of the old parts of Stolberg. Other parts of Stolberg are Atsch,Büsbach, Donnerberg, Münsterbusch. In addition the villages of Breinig, Dorff, Gressenich, Mausbach, Schevenhütte, Venwegen, Vicht, Werth, and Zweifall.
Stolberg is first mentioned in documents from the 12th century. It became an important centre ofbrass production when Protestant brass producers resettled to Stolberg fromAachen around 1600 to escape religious persecution and economic restrictions. Thenickname of Stolberg,Die Kupferstadt (theCopper City), thus derives not from copper but from brass, "yellow copper". TheKupferhöfe (copper yards) where brass was originally produced and the brass manufacturers built their mansions remain as reminders of the brass manufacturers that dominated Stolberg and its economy.
Stolberg lost its importance as a brass producer when purezinc became available in the middle of the 19th century. Many brass producers moved into other industries, especially the glass andtextile industries, or specialized in themass production ofhaberdashery.
Stolberg belonged to theDuchy of Jülich until 1794, when it became occupied by France and part of theCanton of Eschweiler in theDépartement de la Roer. After theCongress of Vienna in 1815, Stolberg became part of theKingdom of Prussia.
Stolberg acquired notoriety in the 1960s as the residence ofContergan producerGrünenthal. Because of its heavy industry, Stolberg has become associated with diseases of metal poisoning, literally "Gressenich cadmium cattle-dying" disease and "Stolberg lead children" disease.
Stolberg has a significantultra-right history, e.g., as the headquarters of theWiking-Jugend from 1967 to 1991 and as a place ofNPD activities.
Large parts of the central axis of the valley and the villages of Zweifall, Vicht and Atsch were severely affected by the2021 European floods. One of the buildings affected by the destruction was the town hall, which is getting demolished and will replaced by a new building.
The town's landmark is a castle which was rebuilt at the beginning of the 20th century at the location of the former medieval castle of Stolberg. Other remarkable old buildings are the Kupferhöfe (Copper yards) and the old town in general.
At the eastern border of the territory of Stolberg is the Wehebachtalsperre (Beck Wehe reservoir) which includes a lookout point.
Although Stolberg lacks directAutobahn access, the next autobahns are easily accessible via the neighbouring towns ofAachen andEschweiler.Stolberg Hauptbahnhof (central station) is on theCologne–Aachen railway and served by aRegional-Express train every half-hour. Several smaller stations in the centre of Stolberg are connected toAachen (district) andDüren (district) by theeuregiobahn, a slower regional train.
Stolberg has severalfootball,handball,gymnastics,swimming,tennisclubs and a few traditional shooting clubs.
Other sports clubs include thegliding clubLuftsportverein Stolberg, situated at the Diepenlinchen Airfield and the regionally successfulartistic cycling clubRSC Münsterbusch.
Stolberg (Rhineland) istwinned with:[3]
Faches-Thumesnil, France (1989)
Stolberg (Südharz), Germany (1990)Valognes, France (1990/1991)
(in German)Towns and municipalities inAachen district | ||
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