Wuppertal from spaceThe center of Wuppertal-Elberfeld, north of the main station in 2019The Schwebebahnfloating tram in Wuppertal-Barmen, suspended above the River WupperThe Schwebebahn in Wuppertal-ElberfeldConcert Hall (Stadthalle) WuppertalEngels House (Historisches Zentrum)Wuppertal-BeyenburgWuppertal University
The city straddles the densely populated banks of the RiverWupper, a tributary of theRhine. Wuppertal is located between theRuhr (Essen) to the north,Düsseldorf to the west, andCologne to the southwest, and over time has grown together withSolingen,Remscheid andHagen. The stretching of the city in a long band along the narrow Wupper Valley leads to a spatial impression of Wuppertal being larger than it actually is. The city is known for its steep slopes, its woods and parks, and for being the greenest city in Germany, with two-thirds green space of the total municipal area. From any part of the city, it is only a ten-minute walk to one of the public parks or woodland paths.
The Wupper Valley was, along with theOre Mountains and before theRuhr, the first highly industrialized region of Germany, which resulted in the construction of theWuppertal Schwebebahnsuspension railway in the then independent cities ofElberfeld andBarmen. The increasing demand for coal from the textile mills and blacksmith shops from those cities encouraged the expansion of the nearbyRuhr. Wuppertal still is a major industrial centre, being home to industries such as textiles,metallurgy, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, electronics, automobiles, rubber, vehicles and printing equipment.Aspirin originates from Wuppertal, patented in 1897 byBayer, as does theVorwerkKobold vacuum cleaner.[2][3] TheWuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy and the European Institute for International Economic Relations are located in the city.[4]Barmen was the birthplace ofFriedrich Engels. Due to the city's length, the Bergish varieties of the Limburgish language called Platt are spoken in its western communities like Vohwinkel, but not in the city's eastern communities like Langenfeld where the Southern varieties of Westphalian language are spoken and the city is called Wupperdaal by locals.
Wuppertal in its present borders was formed in 1929 by merging the industrial cities ofBarmen andElberfeld along with the communities ofVohwinkel,Ronsdorf,Cronenberg,Langerfeld andBeyenburg. The initial nameBarmen-Elberfeld was changed in a 1930 referendum to Wuppertal ("Wupper Valley"). The new city was administered as part ofPrussia'sRhine Province.
Uniquely for Germany, it is a "linear city", owing to the steep hillsides along the riverWupper. Its highest hill is theLichtscheid, which is 351 m (1,152 ft)above sea level. The dominant urban centres Elberfeld (historic commercial centre) and Barmen (more industrial) have formed a continuous urbanized area since 1850. During the succeeding decades, "Wupper-Town" became the dominant industrial agglomeration of northwestern Germany. During the 20th century, this conurbation had been surpassed byCologne, Düsseldorf and theRuhr area, all with a more favourable topography.
By order of 10 October 1938, the 1st Light Division of the German Army was formed in Wuppertal, which in September 1939 took part in theinvasion of Poland which startedWorld War II.[5] During the war, Nazi Germany operated a Nazi prison, twoforced labour subcamps of the prison inRemscheid-Lüttringhausen and anSS construction brigade in the city.[6][7][8][9] The prisoners of the SS construction brigade were Poles, Russians, French, Czechs, Romanians, Hungarians, and Greeks.[9] About 40% of buildings in the city were destroyed by Allied bombing, as were many other German cities and industrial centres (seeBombing of Wuppertal in World War II). However, a large number of historic sites have been preserved, such as:
Ölberg, literally "Oil mountain", Germany's largest original working class district, is protected as ahistoric monument. The name came about during the 1920s as the district continued using oil lamps while the surrounding bourgeois residential quarters were electrified. In traditional use, the name "Ölberg" refers to theMount of Olives inJerusalem.
Brill is one of Germany's largest districts ofGründerzeit villas, i.e. middle class mansions built by industrial entrepreneurs during the second half of the 19th century.
Population size may be affected by changes in administrative divisions.Source:[11][circular reference][12]
Wuppertal currently has a population of about 355,000. The number of inhabitants more than doubled in 1929 as a result of theBarmen–Elberfeld merger. The economic boom of the 1950s and 60s saw the establishment of new industry headquarters and with it an influx of workers, including migrant workers fromTurkey,Greece andItaly. Population numbers during these times of as-yet unparalleled growth peaked at about 423,000 in 1963; in the 1970s, a period of steady decline followed in the wake of industrial losses.
As of 31 December 2022, the largest groups of foreign residents were:
In total, Wuppertal possesses over 4,500 buildings classified as national monuments, most exemplifying styles such asNeoclassicism,Eclecticism,Historicism,Art Nouveau/Jugendstil andBauhaus. The American TV stationCNN recommended Wuppertal as one of 20 places worldwide to visit in the year 2020 because of the Schwebebahn, the architectural diversity and the Nordbahntrasse, a 22-kilometre (14 mi) cycle route across the city 2020.[13]
Main sights include:
Schwebebahn orfloating tram. One of the city's greatest attractions is the globally unique suspendedmonorailWuppertaler Schwebebahn, which was established in 1901. The tracks are 8 m (26 ft) above the streets and 12 m (40 ft) above the Wupper.
ConcerthallStadthalle, a fine piece of turn-of-the-century architecture with outstanding acoustics. Home of the Wuppertal Symphony Orchestra (Sinfonieorchester Wuppertal) (Stadthalle).
Engels-Haus, 18th century-architecturally typical of the region, it houses a permanent display of materials associated with the co-founder of modern Communism,Friedrich Engels.
Von der Heydt Museum is an important art gallery with works from the 17th century to the present time. The first of Picasso's works that ever appeared in public was displayed here.
The 2001 movieNo Regrets [de], by Benjamin Quabeck, was filmed in Wuppertal.
In the 2011 moviePina, several of the dance sequences take place in and around Wuppertal. In several sequences, the elevated tram is used as a setting, as well as a backdrop.
Infootball, Wuppertal's most popular club isWuppertaler SV which currently play in theRegionalliga West, the fourth tier of theGerman football league system. Playing their home games at the city'sStadion am Zoo, the club, which enjoyed its last season in a nationwide division during the2009–10 season, looks back on a rich and eventful history since its establishment as the result of a 1954 merger between the two main Wuppertal clubsSSV 04 Wuppertal andTSG Vohwinkel 80. The club spent a total of seven seasons in the top flight of German football, three of which in theBundesliga, which they were promoted to during 1972. In their first season in the nationwide first division, the club reached a remarkable fourth place and qualified for theUEFA Cup for the first and only time in its history. After a first-round defeat by Polish sideRuch Chorzów and another two widely unsuccessful Bundesliga campaigns, the club disappeared from the top flight again, though, and has yet to return.
During 2004, the club merged with local rivalsSV Borussia Wuppertal to formWuppertaler SV Borussia, though the name change remained the only visible attribute of the merger with the club's colours and crest remaining unaltered. The additional "Borussia" was scrapped again during 2013 due to fans' demand amidst a change of leadership which was brought about to lead the club through necessaryinsolvency proceedings which have been completed as of September 2014.
Inhandball, Wuppertal's most successful team isBergischer HC, playing in the top-tierHandball-Bundesliga which they were promoted to for the second time during 2013, reaching 15th place during the2013–14 campaign and therefore staying among the top scorers for a second consecutive season.BHC originates from a 2006 cooperation between the management, squad and main sponsor of LTV Wuppertal and rivals SG Solingen from the nearbycity of the same name. The club advertises itself as a representative of the entireBergisches Land region. The team plays its home games at Wuppertal'sUni-Halle (3,200 seats).
Wuppertal's past most successful club are the aforementionedLTV Wuppertal. LTV spent most of their seasons in the second and third tiers, before they merged withWuppertaler SV's handball section in 1996 to formHSG LTV/WSV Wuppertal. The handball combination was promoted to the Bundesliga after its inaugural season, finishing 8th before dissolving again in 1998. However, the mere departure of Wuppertaler SV still allowed LTV Wuppertal, whose professional team were renamedHC Wuppertal, to play another three seasons in the Bundesliga before returning to the 2nd division and re-introducing its old name. After the establishment of BHC in 2006, LTV lost its financial base and was relegated several times, currently playing in the fifth-tier Verbandsliga.
Involleyball,SV Bayer Wuppertal was one of Germany's leading men's teams for many years during the 1990s and 2000s. The team was part of the well-known mass-sports club originating inLeverkusen and was promoted to the Bundesliga in 1978. Reacting to low attendances, the eponymousBayer AG decided to relocate the volleyball team to Wuppertal in 1992, where there also was a Bayer-funded club. After the move, the club won various titles, including the German championship in 1994 and 1997 and the German Cup in 1995. In addition to that, they finished runners-up to Greek sideOlympiacos S.C. in the 1995–96European Cup Winners' Cup, losing the final in five sets.
After the wide-reaching retreat of Bayer AG from less popular professional sport during 2008, the club acquired the nameWuppertal Titans and laterA!B!C Titans Berg. Land. However, the loss of their main sponsor eventually resulted in the team having to terminate during 2012. Presently, they once more play by the name of Bayer Wuppertal in the third-tier Regionalliga, unable to promote with their current financial set-up.
Perhaps one of the most successful Wuppertal sports clubs was thewomen's basketball team ofBarmer TV (known asBTV Wuppertal between 1994 and 2000,BTV Gold-Zack Wuppertal between 2000 and 2002 andWuppertal Wings internationally). An 11-timeGerman champion and 12-time German Cup winner, they won a remarkable ten consecutive doubles between 1993 and 2002. During1996, they even won theEuropean Cup as the first and so far only German side, beatingItaly'sSFT Como in the final. A year later, they narrowly missed out on back-to-back trebles, losing to French sideCJM Bourges in thenewly christened EuroLeague's final.
In 2002, the club withdrew from the Bundesliga due to financial troubles, their then-main sponsorGold-Zack Werke filing for insolvency a year later. After a decade-long stay in amateur divisions, Barmer TV returned to the second-tier 2nd Bundesliga North in 2014.
Inroller hockey, Wuppertal club RSC Cronenberg are one of the most successful German teams, having won theGerman championship and the German Cup in both men's and women's competitions. In total, the men won 13 German championships and nine cups, the women ten championships and nine cups. Both teams play their home games atAlfred-Henckels-Halle.
Wuppertal hosted several international tournaments, including the World Championship in 1997 (men) and2004 (women) and the European Championship in1992,2010 (men) and 2011 (women).
Junior Uni Campus, designed 2013 by the Wuppertal Architects Goedeking and NiedworokView from the university canteen in direction of the west part of Wuppertal-Elberfeld
Four institutions of higher education are in Wuppertal.
The current mayor of Wuppertal is Uwe Schneidewind ofAlliance 90/The Greens, who was elected in 2020. The most recent mayoral election was held on14 September 2025, with a runoff held on 28 September andMiriam Scherff of theSPD being elected as thedesignated mayor. The results of the election were as follows:
The Wuppertal city council governs the city alongside the mayor. The most recent city council election was held on 14 September 2025, and the results were as follows:
TheWuppertal Suspension Railway, asuspendedmonorail, serves the city and its surroundings. It has operated since 1901. In 1950, a young elephant namedTuffi was put aboard the Wuppertal Schwebebahn (monorail), as a promotion for the Althoff Circus. The swinging tram upset the elephant, and she trumpeted, charged, and plummeted 12 m (40 ft) into the river below. Tuffi suffered minor injuries; she lived until 1989. In 1999, theSchwebebahn had its thus faronly fatal accident. New cars were added beginning in December 2016.
Between 1873 and 1987, Wuppertal was served by its owntram network.
Hubert Tigges (1895–1971), German tour operator and travel organizer; founder (1928) of the Wuppertal-based study-tour companyDr. Tigges-Fahrten, later one of the four firms that merged to formTUI in 1968. In the 1950s he collaborated withLuis Riu Bertrán in developing German tourism in theBalearic Islands, particularly through early charter travel toMallorca; he is commemorated locally by the Dr.-Tigges-Weg in Elberfeld.[18][19][20][21][22]
^Ruszkowski, Andrzej (2015). "Atak niemieckiej I Dywizji Lekkiej na Konopnicę i Rychłocice w 1939 roku".Na Sieradzkich Szlakach (in Polish). Vol. XXX, no. 2 (118). Sieradz. p. 6.ISSN1232-2695.
^abMegargee, Geoffrey P. (2009).The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos 1933–1945. Volume I. Indiana University Press, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. p. 1400.ISBN978-0-253-35328-3.
^Stanton, Shelby,World War II Order of Battle: An Encyclopedic Reference to U.S. Army Ground Forces from Battalion through Division, 1939–1946, Stackpole Books (Revised Edition 2006), p. 147
^"TUI Group GmbH".Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved28 October 2025....founded in 1928 by husband and wife Hubert and Maria Tigges in Wuppertal.
^Becker, Frank (2007)."Die Reise als Ware".Zeithistorische Forschungen/Studies in Contemporary History (in German). Retrieved28 October 2025.1968 schlossen sich ... Touropa, Scharnow, Hummel und Dr. Tigges zur Touristik Union International (TUI) zusammen.
_(32776046831).jpg)
