- Emmerich am Rhein
Infobox German Location
Art = Stadt
Name = Emmerich
Wappen = Emmerich am Rhein-Wappen.png
lat_deg = 51 |lat_min = 50 |lat_sec = 6
lon_deg = 6 |lon_min = 14 |lon_sec = 43
Bundesland = Nordrhein-Westfalen
Regierungsbezirk = Düsseldorf
Kreis = Kleve
Höhe = 15
Fläche = 80.11
Einwohner = 29577
Stand = 2006-06-30
PLZ = 46446
PLZ-alt = 4240
Vorwahl = 0 28 22
0 28 28 (Elten)
Kfz = KLE
Gemeindeschlüssel = 05 1 54 008
NUTS = DEA1B
LOCODE = DE EMM
Gliederung = 8
Straße = Geistmarkt 1
Website = [http://www.emmerich.de/ www.emmerich.de]
Bürgermeister = Johannes Diks
Partei = CDUEmmerich am Rhein, meaning "Emmerich on the Rhine"; Dutch "Emmerik") is a city on the lower part of the River
Rhine in the northwest of the German federal state ofNorth Rhine-Westphalia . In terms of local government organization, it is a medium-sized city belonging to the district of Cleves in the administrative region ("Regierungsbezirk") ofDüsseldorf .Geography
Emmerich lies to the north bank of the Rhine, just inside the German border; it is only 4 km to the
Netherlands to the north and 5 km to the west. It is therefore the last German town on the Rhine before the river flows into the Netherlands.Metropolitan area
The municipalities which comprise Emmerich are "Borghees, Dornick, Elten, Hüthum, Klein-Netterden, Speelberg, Praest, Vrasselt" and "Leegmeer."
Neighboring Municipalities and Cities
To the north, the city of Emmerich borders the Dutch municipalities of
Montferland andOude IJsselstreek , both of which are in the Dutch province ofGelderland .To the east, it is bordered by the German city of Rees.To the south, it is bordered by the Rhine, and south of the river, by the German city ofKleve . To the west, it is bordered by the Dutch municipalities ofRijnwaarden andZevenaar , both of which are also in the Dutch province ofGelderland .History
Around the year
700 Saint Willibrord founded the mission "Emmerich" in the Utrecht diocese. The oldest documented name is "Villa Embrici," which survives from the year828 .The collegiate church "St. Martinikirche" was constructed in
1040 .On
May 31 ,1233 Count Otto von Zutphen and Gelder arose to the royalty of the prosperous city with the authorization of the Roman emperor and the German King Emmerich (Emeric of Hungary ). Emmerich became a member of theHanseatic League at the end of the14th century .In
1856 the railway sectionOberhausen -Arnhem , of theCologne -Minden er Railway was opened.During
World War II Emmerich was 97% destroyed onOctober 7 ,1944 byallied air strikes.On
November 28 ,2004 the four Catholic congregations of the city (St. Martini, St. Aldegundis, Heilig-Geist and Liebfrauen) combined to form the new city parish St. Christophorus.Municipality and County Reform
As a part of the 1st municipal restructuring program, the municipalities of "Borghees, Dornick, Hüthum, Klein-Netterden, Praest" and "Vrasselt" were integrated into the city of Emmerich on
July 1 ,1969 . In the course of the 2nd restructuring program, the municipality of "Elten" was integrated as well, onJanuary 1 ,1975 .Places of interest
Holy Ghost Church This Catholic church was built in
1966 and is especially striking due to its version of thecross made of scrap metal and theStations of the Cross made of linen. The architectural development during the time of theSecond Vatican Council shaped the design of the church.Rhine Bridge This bridge, which connects Emmerich on the north of the Rhine with
Kleve on the south, was opened in1965 , and with a length of 1228 meters and aspan of 500 meters it is the longestsuspension bridge in Germany. Approximately 500 ships pass underneath it every day.Rhine Museum. In the Rhine Museum, 130 ship models are exhibited, as well as a radar unit, examples of fish
taxidermy , maps of the Rhine, a historic Christophorus figurine and a library of the city’s history. In addition there is a one-manU-Boat fromWorld War II and exhibitions regarding shipping on the Rhine, the history of the city and fisheries.PAN-Art Forum/Poster Museum. The famous poster collection is displayed in the former Lohmann chocolate factory in rotating exhibits.
Transportation Infrastructure
Railways
The Emmerich
train station is located about 1 km southeast of the city center on the double-track electrified “Holland Route,” which plays an important role in passenger travel and commercial transport and is therefore treated in theEU as a part of the Trans-European Network in the category “priority projects which should be begun before 2010.” In addition to the ICE International fromAmsterdam toFrankfurt am Main , thenight train CityNightLine to southern Germany,Austria and toSwitzerland travels through here with a stop in Emmerich.With regards to regional rail transport, the following trains pass through Emmerich, in general every hour:
*the Rhine Express (RE5) from Emmerich toKoblenz and
*the Regional Train "Der Weseler" (RB35) from Emmerich to Duisberg, and at rush hour to Düsseldorf.There is another station located on the same line near Emmerich, the stop "Praest", which is only served by the Regional Train "Der Weseler" (RB 35).
Roads
Emmerich lies on the A3 motorway (known in German as the
Bundesautobahn 3 ), which has the European designation E35. It also lies on the B8 (theBundesstrasse 8 ) and the B220.Inland waterways
* The River
Rhine
* The Municipal Rhine Harbour of EmmerichPeople
*
Rainer Bonhof , a former footballer for the German national team, was born in Emmerich.
*Wilhelm Normann , the inventor of fat hardening by hydrogenation.Sister cities
Emmerich maintains relationships with:
*King's Lynn (United Kingdom, since 1978)
*Šilutė (Lithuania , since 1990, formerly "Heydekrug ")
*Kirkland, Washington (United States, since 1995)References
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