Solingen
Solingen is a city in
North Rhine-Westphalia,
Germany. It is located on the northern edge of the region called
Bergisches Land, south of the
Ruhr area. Population: 163,923 (2005).
|
Müngstener Brücke, a railroad bridge between Solingen and Remscheid. |
Solingen is called the "town of blades", since it has long been renowned for the manufacturing of fine swords, knives, scissors, and other cutlery made by famous firms such as Fiskars, Wüsthof, Zwilling (J.A. Henckels), and numerous other manufacturers.
In Medieval times, the swordsmiths of Solingen coined the town's image, which is preserved to date. In the latter part of the 17th century, a group of swordsmiths from Solingen broke their guild oaths by taking their sword-making secrets with them to
Shotley Bridge,
County Durham in
England, an ideal area, due to its iron reserves and the proximity of the
River Derwent. Some 90% of German knives are produced in Solingen.
Solingen was first mentioned in
1067 by an editor. He called the area "Solonchon". It was a tiny village for centuries, but became a fortified town in the 15th century. In
World War II the Old Town was completely destroyed by an
air raid in
1944 and 1,040 people died, so there are few sights in the center.
More recently, the city has been well known because of a
May 29,
1993 fire in which two women and three girls died in an arson attack on the house of a Turkish family in Solingen. Seven more people were severely injured. Followers of
Neo-Nazism were believed to have set the fire. The incident ignited further controversy when the German Chancellor,
Helmut Kohl, refused to attend the funeral for the Solingen victims.
Remaining edifices in the city center include:
*
Schloss Burg, the Castle of the counts of Berg
*
Klosterkirche, church (1690)
*
Deutsches Klingenmuseum, German Blade Museum, presenting swords and cutlery of all epochs
*
Müngstener Brücke, a railroad bridge connecting Solingen with the neighbour town of
Remscheid. Standing at 107 m above the ground, it is the highest
railroad bridge of Germany.
Solingen was the birthplace of Nazi war criminal
Adolf Eichmann.
* -
Złotoryja,
Poland, since 1955
* -
Gouda,
Netherlands, since 1957
* -
Chalon-sur-Saône,
France, since 1960
* -
Blyth,
Northumberland,
England, since 1962
* -
Jinotega,
Nicaragua, since 1985
* -
Ness Ziona,
Israel, since 1986
* -
Thiès,
Senegal, since 1990
* -
Aue,
Saxony,
Germany, since 1990
