Wermelskirchen
Town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wermelskirchen (German pronunciation: [ˈvɛʁml̩sˌkɪʁçn̩] ⓘ; Ripuarian: Wärmelßkirrshe) is a town in the Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, southeast of Remscheid. It is home to one of Europe's biggest live Christmas trees (measuring 26m).
Wermelskirchen | |
|---|---|
Church of Saint Michael | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
Location of Wermelskirchen
within Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis district  | |
 Location of Wermelskirchen | |
  Wermelskirchen  Wermelskirchen | |
| Coordinates: 51°09′N 7°13′E | |
| Country | Germany |
| State | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| Admin. region | Köln |
| District | Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2025–30) | Bernd Hibst[1] (CDU) |
| Area | |
• Total | 74.8 km2 (28.9 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 345 m (1,132 ft) |
| Population (2024-12-31)[2] | |
• Total | 34,375 |
| • Density | 460/km2 (1,190/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| Postal codes | 42929 |
| Dialling codes | 02196 02193 (Dabringhausen) 02174 (Bechhausen) |
| Vehicle registration | GL |
| Website | www.wermelskirchen.de |
Geography
The distance to Cologne is about 35 kilometers, to Düsseldorf about 45 kilometers. The neighboring municipalities are Remscheid, Hückeswagen, Wipperfürth, Kürten, Odenthal, Burscheid and Solingen. The townscape is characterized by Altberg slate and half-timbered houses.
The city area of Wermelskirchen (area: 74,74 km²) composed out of three district's: the initial Wermelskirchen and the incorporated, previously independent municipalities, Dhünn and Dabringhausen.
Coat of arms
The coat-of-arms of the city of Wermelskirchen looks like a silver shield split into thirds. In the left field is an oak tree. In the right field there is a Swan and pictured in the middle field there is a church.
History
From 1822 to 1945, Wermelskirchen was part of the Prussian Rhine Province.
Education
Wermelskirchen has an Evangelical, a Roman Catholic church and a Latin school.
Economy
Twin towns – sister cities
Notable people
- Carl Leverkus (1804–1889), founder of a German chemical and pharmaceutical company and the namesake of the city of Leverkusen
- Uwe Boll (born 1965), film director and writer, restaurateur and founder of Bauhaus Restaurant chains in Canada
- Tim Schrick (born 1976), racecar driver, and television presenter
- Thomas Kleine (born 1977), footballer
- Christian Lindner (born 1979), politician and Federal Minister of Finance (2021–present)
- Marike Steinacker (born 1992), athlete, who competed in the women's discus throw event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the 2024 Paris Olympics, in which she placed 6th and 4th respectively
Honorary citizens
- 1876: Ludwig von Bohlen
- 1889: Carl Leverkus
- 1895: Otto von Bismarck
- 1933: Paul von Hindenburg
