Mettmann | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
Location of Mettmann within Mettmann district  | |
 Location of Mettmann | |
  Mettmann  Mettmann | |
| Coordinates:51°15′N6°58′E / 51.250°N 6.967°E /51.250; 6.967 | |
| Country | Germany |
| State | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| Admin. region | Düsseldorf |
| District | Mettmann |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2025–30) | André Bär |
| Area | |
• Total | 42.56 km2 (16.43 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 125 m (410 ft) |
| Population (2023-12-31)[1] | |
• Total | 39,197 |
| • Density | 921.0/km2 (2,385/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| Postal codes | 40822 |
| Dialling codes | 02104 |
| Vehicle registration | ME |
| Website | www.mettmann.de |
Mettmann (German:[ˈmɛtˌman]ⓘ) is atown in the northern part of theBergisches Land, inNorth Rhine-Westphalia,Germany. It is the administrative centre of thedistrict of Mettmann, Germany's most densely populated rural district. The town lies east ofDüsseldorf and west ofWuppertal. A local variety of the Limburgish language called Metmannsch Platt is spoken in town.
Located on the ancient trade route "strata coloniensis" theLotharingianhamlet of Medamana (engl. between thestreams, which bears anetymological similarity to the origins of the name for theNorthern Italian city ofMilan (lat.Mediolanum)) first appeared in the charter of the lastCarolingian King,Louis the Child, 904 AD, thus existing "officially" for more than 1100 years.
In 1363 Mettmann was one of eight administrativeburghs in theEarldom of Berg and Jülich. Later the burgh became independent at the hand ofCounsellor to the Earl ofCleves and was allowed to build a wall and choose a mayor. The ability to toll and tax allowed the burgh to develop in commerce and trade.
In 1806 Mettmann became a part of theGrand Duchy of Berg under the rule ofNapoleon's brother-in-law,Joachim Murat. During this time, Mettmann'sburgomaster was called "Monsieur le Maire." Mettmann remained French for about 10 years and became a part of Prussia'sProvince of Jülich-Cleves-Berg following Napoleon's defeat at theBattle of Leipzig in 1813. As the result of theCongress of Vienna (1814–15), in 1822 it was adsorbed into the PrussianRhine Province.
However, the Prussian rulers did not prove to be very popular, as during the bread-riots of 1848–49 and the ensuing political upheavals, which hit the district of Düsseldorf among the hardest, policing was done from Berlin, excluding local accountability. Thus, the Prussian government regarded the Rhinelands as more of a colony, furnishing the bureaucracy, which was based in Düsseldorf, with civil servants that were drafted in from other regions of Prussia.
Mettmann was liberated from theNational Socialist Dictatorship April 16, 1945, by a vanguard of theUS Ninth Army and then became a part of theBritish military administration under which the Northern Rhineland wasredemocratised. Since 1946, Mettmann is a part of theLandNorth Rhine-Westphalia and from 1949 ofWest Germany. Since 1990 it belongs to theunifiedFederal Republic of Germany.
In the years following Germany's loss ofWorld War II in 1945, Mettmann saw significant population increases driven mostly by the resettlement of citizens like the Thither Pomeraninans previously living in theeastern territories that had been ceded toPoland. Having seen almost no war-time destruction and being situated in a traditionally strong economic region, the town soon prospered, in line with a general period of rapid economic growth that acquired the monikerWirtschaftswunder (economic miracle).
A shortage of industrial workers led to several recruitment campaigns inMediterranean countries, starting with Italy in the early 1960s, and followed by Turkey later that decade. These communities soon thrived and established cultural markers such as the Pizza andkebab restaurants that are now ubiquitous throughout western Germany. Later events such as theLebanese Civil War and theBalkan Wars were also reflected in the town's makeup, which now comprises communities ofTurks,Kurds,Kashubians,Old Prussians,Silesians,Poles,Greeks,Croatians,Serbs,Albanians,Bosnians andLebanese heritage, each distinct but generally well-integrated into theRhenish-Westphalian majority population and its traditions.
Due to festivals and other events that took place in Mettmann to which many Brazilians were flown in, the town also became the host of a sizeableBrazilian community, this fact was also featured in the German movieSamba in Mettmann by the German/Italian filmmaker duoHape Kerkeling and Angelo Colagrossi.[2]
Mettmann gave its name to the District ofMettmann. Although the administrative centre of the District of Mettmann changed often over the years, in 1954 the parliament of theLandNorth Rhine-Westphalia eventually decided to make Mettmann the district's administrative centre. In 1974–75, with the administrative boundary reform, the district lost several councils to the neighbouring citiesDüsseldorf,Duisburg,Essen, andWuppertal. The district name also changed from Düsseldorf-Mettmann to Mettmann during this reform. However, the regional Board ofInland Revenue—the "Finanzamt Düsseldorf-Mettmann"—serves both the municipalities forming the district of Mettmann, as well as the city of Düsseldorf proper.
In the nearbyNeanderthal, in the summer of 1856, quarry workers discovered thefossilised remains of what became known as theNeanderthal man orHomo neanderthalensis in Feldhofcave.
Laval, France (1974)Mettmann also has friendly relations with:[3]
Żnin, Poland (1997)
Goražde, Bosnia and Herzegovina (1998)
Markranstädt, Germany
Towns and municipalities inMettmann (district) | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
