Willich
Encyclopedia
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
.
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
.
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.
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.
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.
and Bundesautobahn 52
motorways join together within the municipal area of Willich. In the area there are five junctions.
named "Justizvollzugsanstalt Willich".
Viersen (district)
Viersen is a Kreis in the west of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Cleves, Wesel, district-free Krefeld, Neuss, district-free Mönchengladbach, Heinsberg and the Dutch province of Limburg.-History:...
, in North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It is located near the cities of Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
, Mönchengladbach
Mönchengladbach
Mönchengladbach , formerly known as Münchengladbach, is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located west of the Rhine half way between Düsseldorf and the Dutch border....
and Krefeld
Krefeld
Krefeld , also known as Crefeld until 1929, is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located northwest of Düsseldorf, its centre lying just a few kilometres to the west of the River Rhine; the borough of Uerdingen is situated directly on the Rhine...
, about 30 kilometres from the border with the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.
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
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
when they were occupied and annexed by France in 1794. At the end of the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
in 1815 the villages fell to the Kingdom of Prussia
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
.
1891-1945
In 1891 a tornadoTornado
A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...
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
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Willich suffered only minor damage to its infrastructure. During Operation Grenade
Operation Grenade
During World War II, Operation Grenade was the plan for the U.S. 9th Army to cross the Roer river in February 1945.On 9 February, the U.S...
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.
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 ArmyBritish Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
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
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
. 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.Streets
The Bundesautobahn 44Bundesautobahn 44
is a German Autobahn. It consists of three main-parts and a few smaller parts. It begins in Aachen at the German-Belgian border and ends near Kassel. Before the German unification it was an unimportant provincial-motorway but after this event it became an integral part of the German highway-system...
and Bundesautobahn 52
Bundesautobahn 52
is an autobahn in western Germany. It starts at the Dutch-German border near the community of Niederkrüchten, district of Viersen. From Elmpt it runs northeast....
motorways join together within the municipal area of Willich. In the area there are five junctions.
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 prisonPrisons in Germany
The prisons in Germany are run solely by the federal states, although governed by a federal law. The aim of prison confinement in Germany is twofold: emphasis is placed on enabling prisoners to lead a life of "social responsibility free of crime" upon release, but society is also to be protected...
named "Justizvollzugsanstalt Willich".