Düren

Düren is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, between Aachen and Cologne on the river Rur.

History

Roman era

Celts inhabited the area now known as Düren before the Roman invasion. The Celts called their small settlement, Durum (meaning castle). After the Celts, other Germanic tribes settled this area. They were conquered by the Romans under Julius Caesar.

Durum became a supply area for the rapidly growing Roman city of Cologne. Furthermore, a few important Roman roads skirt Durum (including the road from Cologne to Jülich and Tongeren and the road from Cologne to Zülpich and Trier). The Romans remained in the area for about 400 years. The name "villa duria" occurred the first time in the Frankish Annals in the year 747.

After the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century, the Franks settled in Düren. The Frankish king Pippin der Kleine (Pippin the Short) often visited Düren in the 8th century and held a few important conventions there. Pippin was the father of the famous emperor Charlemagne. The Franks made of Durum a royal palace, from which the name Palatine (Pfalz in German) is derived. Charlemagne sojourned a few times there. Jeff was built at the place where, in 1991, the Saint Anne Church is located today. Due to the frequent visits of Charlemagne, a few markets sprang up, such as the corn, cattle, wood, chicken, and butter markets, all of which contributed to Düren's development.

Düren (district)

Düren is a Kreis (district) in the west of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Heinsberg, Neuss, Rhein-Erft-Kreis, Euskirchen and Aachen.

History

The district was created in 1972 by merging the former districts of Jülich and Düren. Both districts date back to 1816 when the new Prussian province Rhineland was created. Before the Napoleonic Wars all of the area belonged to the duchy of Jülich.

Geography

Geographically it covers both the lowlands of the Niederrheinische Bucht as well as the hills of the Eifel. The district has rich lignite (brown coal) deposits, which is used in open pit mining. Another big industry is paper production, which dates back to the second part of the 16th century. The main river in the district is the Rur.

Coat of arms

Towns and municipalities

Sister County

Düren has a partnership with Dorchester County in Maryland.

References

External links

Media related to Kreis Düren at Wikimedia Commons

Coordinates: 50°50′N 6°30′E / 50.83°N 6.5°E / 50.83; 6.5