Neuss

History

Roman period

Neuss was founded by the Romans in 16 BC as a military fortification (castrum) with the current city to the north of the castrum, at the confluence of the rivers Rhine and Erft, with the name of Novaesium.

Legio XVI Gallica ("Gallic 16th Legion") of the Roman army was stationed here in 43–70 AD. It was disbanded after surrendering during the Batavian rebellion (AD 70).

Later a civil settlement was founded in the area of today's centre of the town during the 1st century AD. Novaesium, together with Trier (Augusta Treverorum), is one of the three oldest Roman settlements in Germany.

Middle Ages

Neuss grew during the Middle Ages because of its prime location on several routes, by the crossing of the great Rhine valley, and with its harbour and ferry. During the 10th century, the remains of the martyr and tribune Saint Quirinus, not to be confused with the Roman god Quirinus, had been relocated to Neuss. This resulted in pilgrimage to the shrine of St. Quirinus even from countries beyond the borders of the Holy Roman Empire. Neuss was first documented as a town in 1138.

One of the main events in the town's history is the siege of the town in 1474–75 by Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, that lasted for nearly a year. The citizens of Neuss withstood the siege and were therefore rewarded by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III. The town was granted the right to mint its own coins and to carry the imperial coat of arms, the imperial eagle and the crown, in the town's own coat of arms. Neuss became a member of the Hanseatic League, although it was never accepted by the other members of the League.

Early modernity

In 1586, more than two-thirds of the city was destroyed by fire, and several wars during the reign of King Louis XIV of France resulted in worsening finances for Neuss. Its importance as a place for trading declined rapidly, and from the mid-17th century onwards, Neuss became a place only important for its agriculture.

Until the late 18th century, Neuss belonged to the Electorate of Cologne. From 1794 to 1814, Neuss was part of France during the reign of Napoleon. In 1815 after the Napoleonic Wars, Neuss became part of the Kingdom of Prussia, and was reorganized as a district with the municipalities of Neuss, Dormagen, Nettesheim, Nievenheim, Rommerskirchen and Zons. The town had a population of 6,333 at that time. It was part of the Prussian Province of Jülich-Cleves-Berg (1815–22) and its successor, the Rhine Province (1822–1946).

19th century – present

Neuss regained its economic power in the 19th century, with expansion of the harbour in 1835, and increasing industrial activity. The city's boundaries were expanded in 1881. Neuss became part of the new state of North Rhine-Westphalia in 1946.

In 1968 the spelling of the name was changed from Neuß to Neuss. In 1975 the town of Neuss and the district of Grevenbroich were joined to form the district of Rhein-Kreis Neuss with a population of 440,000 and its seat of government in Neuss. Neuss is also home to Toshiba's European headquarters, 3M,

Norsk Hydro ASA and UPS.

Population

Jewish history

A Jewish community has been documented in the city since the High Middle Ages. The earliest documentation of Jews in the city is from 1096, when Jews from Cologne fleeing from Crusaders were sheltered in the city by the Archbishop of Cologne Hermann III. Nevertheless, about 200 of them (men, women, and children) were slaughtered by Crusaders. This all was in the context of what is known as the Rhineland massacres.

There is however no indication that Neuss already had an organized Jewish community in 1096; It is however certain that there was one in the Staufer period from the late 12th century onwards, in the context of a general influx of merchants into the city at the time.

According to Ephraim of Bonn, on 11 January 1197, multiple members of the Jewish community were put to death as revenge for the killing of a Christian girl by a mentally ill Jew. The killer and several of his close relatives were gruesomely executed. They seem to have been allowed a Jewish funeral: their bodies were brought – presumably by boat – to Xanten, where they were buried alongside victims of the Rhineland massacres of 1096.

The community in the High Middle Ages at first resided in the area where merchants lived, between the haven and the market. The passage to the haven's loading place was known as the Judensteg. By the year 1300 however the Judensteg was now inhabited by Christians, the Jews having moved to the area around the Glockhammer, where their synagogue and school were also located. The area was not exactly a ghetto, as it was not sealed, and Christians also lived there.

From the 14th century onwards the Jews faced increasing economic competition, firstly due the loss of their advantageous former location near the docks, and later because of the loss of their monopoly in money lending, with the arrival of bankers from Lombardy and Cahors.

The city was hit by the Black Death in 1348–49, and the community suffered from gruesome persecutions during that time, as was the case elsewhere in Europe. In the wake of the plague, the community was numerically decimated and economically weakened. A wave of religious extremism and intolerance swept the area at the time, and the Jews were increasingly pressured and became objects of political infighting: In the year 1424, Jews were for a time expelled from the city; this was meant as a middle finger to the Landesherr, who had placed the Jews under his protection.

Politics

Mayor

The current mayor of Neuss is Reiner Breuer of the Social Democratic Party (SPD). The most recent mayoral election was held on 13 September 2020, and the results were as follows:

1849–1851: Heinrich Thywissen, Mayor (Bürgermeister)

1851–1858: Michael Frings, mayor

1858–1882: Johann Joseph Ridder, mayor

1882–1889: Carl Wenders, mayor

1890–1902: Engelbert Tilmann, mayor

1902–1921: Franz Gielen, Lord Mayor

1921–1930: Heinrich Hüpper, Lord Mayor

1930–1934: Wilhelm Henrichs, Centre Party, Lord Mayor (Oberbürgermeister)

1934–1938: Wilhelm Eberhard Gelberg, NSDAP, Lord Mayor

1938–1945: Wilhelm Tödtmann, NSDAP, Lord Mayor

1945–1946: Josef Nagel, Lord Mayor

1946: Josef Schmitz, Lord Mayor

1946–1961: Alfons Frings, CDU, Lord Mayor

1961–1967: Peter Wilhelm Kallen, Lord Mayor

1967–1982: Herbert Karrenberg, CDU, Lord Mayor

1982–1987: Hermann Wilhelm Thywissen, CDU, Lord Mayor

1987–1998: Bertold Mathias Reinartz, CDU, mayor

City council

The Neuss city council governs the city alongside the Mayor. The most recent city council election was held on 13 September 2020, and the results were as follows:

Number of inhabitants

1798: 4,423

1831: 7,888

1861: 10,300

1885: 20,074

1900: 28,472

1925: 44,958

1945: 51,624

1965: 111,104

1987: 142,178

2015: 159,672

Sports

One sports club is Neusser Schlittschuh-Klub. Their sections are figure skating, ice stock sport and, as the only club in Germany, bandy. With the lack of a large ice surface, the variety rink bandy is practiced. There are also two football clubs in the city of Neuss: VfR Neuss Football Club and DJK Novesia Neuss and an American Football Team: Neuss Legions American Football.

Transport

The city is served by Düsseldorf Airport, located 15 km (9 mi) north east of Neuss (17 minutes drive).

Points of interest

Botanischer Garten der Stadt Neuss, the city's botanical garden

Basilica of St. Quirinus: a 13th-century late romanesque church, dedicated to the city's patron saint and housing a shrine with his relics. Its dome-shaped eastern tower is one of the city's landmarks. In 2009 it was granted the title of minor basilica.

Obertor (Upper Gate): southern city gate, built circa 1200; today part of the Clemens Sels Museum Neuss. It is the only remaining of originally six gates that were part of the medieval town fortification.

Blutturm (Bloody Tower): built in the 13th century, the only remaining round tower of the historic town fortification.

Zum "Schwatte Päd" (The Black Horse): the oldest public house in the Lower Rhine region, established 1604

Saint Sebastianus Church

Saint Maria Church:

Christuskirche (Christ church): historicistic church, the city's oldest Protestant church

Globe Theater, a replica of the London Globe Theatre, with an annual Shakespeare festival

Hamtor/the Hamgate

Neusser Bürger-Schützenfest: one of Germany's largest marksmen's festivals, taking place annually on the last weekend in August; roundabout 7000 marksmen take part in the traditional parades.

Notable people

Hildegund (virgin) (1170–1188), saint

Johann Pennarius (1517–1563), auxiliary bishop in Cologne

Hermann Thyraeus (1532–1591), theologian and member of the Society of Jesus

Peter Thyraeus (1546–1601), Jesuit, professor of theology in Würzburg

Theodor Schwann (1810–1882), physiologist

Franz Maria Feldhaus (1874–1957), technical historian and scientific writer

Katharina von Oheimb (1879–1962), politician

Josef Frings (1887–1978), Archbishop of the Archbishopric of Cologne

Kurt Josten (1912–1994), German-British jurist, state official and resistance fighter

Erik Martin (1936–2017), author, songwriter and editor

Elke Aberle (born 1950), actress

Friedhelm Funkel (born 1953), football player and coach

Heike Hohlbein (born 1954), writer

Jürgen P. Rabe (born 1955), physicist

Norbert Hummelt (born 1962), writer

Kai Böcking (born 1964), moderator

Franziska Pigulla (1964–2019), actress, news presenter and voice actress

Twin towns – sister cities

Neuss is twinned with:

Châlons-en-Champagne, France (1972)

Pskov, Russia (1990)

Rijeka, Croatia (1990)

Saint Paul, United States (1999)

Nevşehir, Turkey (2007)