Leverkusen
Leverkusen
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 Leverkusen
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| Coordinates | 51°02′N 6°59′E / 51.03333°N 6.98333°E | |
| Administration | ||
| Country | Germany | |
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| State | North Rhine-Westphalia | |
| Admin. region | Cologne | |
| District | Urban district | |
| Mayor | Reinhard Buchhorn (CDU) | |
| Governing parties | CDU / SPD / Bürgerliste | |
| Basic statistics | ||
| Area | 78.85 km2 (30.44 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 60 m (197 ft) | |
| Population | 160,772 (31 December 2010) | |
| - Density | 2,039 /km2 (5,281 /sq mi) | |
| Other information | ||
| Time zone | CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) | |
| Licence plate | LEV | |
| Area codes | 0214, 02171 & 02173 | |
| Website | www.Leverkusen.de/English | |
Leverkusen (German pronunciation: [ˈleːvɐˌkuːzn̩]) is a district-free city in the Cologne/Bonn Region, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Leverkusen is located on the Eastern bank of the Rhine, and geographically is both part of Bergisches Land and the Rhineland. To the South, Leverkusen shares borders with the city of Cologne and to the North not far from the state's capital Düsseldorf.
With about 161,000 inhabitants, Leverkusen is one of the state's smaller cities. The city has gained popularity chiefly through the multinational company Bayer and its associated sports clubs Bayer 04 Leverkusen (focussing only on soccer) and TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen (for most other popular sporting activities).
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History
Dating to the 12th century as Wiesdorf, the Leverkusen area was rural until the late 19th century.
- Chemical facility
- In 1860, Wiesdorf was chosen by the apothecary Carl Leverkus for establishing a dye factory. The factory was taken over by the Bayer company in 1891. The company moved its office to Wiesdorf in 1912, turning the town into the centre of German chemical industry. In World War II, the Bayer (Standard Oil/IG Farben) plant [1] was bombed on August 22, 1943,[2] and during the Battle of Berlin (air) on November 19/20 and December 10/11, 1943.
Leverkusen was founded in 1930 by merging Wiesdorf, Schlebusch, Steinbüchel and Rheindorf. In 1975, Opladen (including Lützenkirchen since 1930), Hitdorf and Bergisch Neukirchen joined. The present city is made up of several villages, originally called Wiesdorf, Opladen, Schlebusch, Lützenkirchen, Steinbüchel, Rheindorf and Bergisch-Neukirchen.
Main sights and places of interest
- BayArena
- The BayArena is the stadium and home of Leverkusen's soccer team Bayer Leverkusen. After the extension the stadium now holds place for over 30,210 people.
- Bayer Cross Leverkusen
- The Bayer Cross Leverkusen is one of the largest illuminated advertisements in the world. It has a identifying meaning for Leverkusen's population.
- Freudenthaler Sensenhammer
- the Sensenhammer is a 'living' industrial museum. The permanent exhibiton includes manufrature of scythes and drepanium and the use of those tools in farming. The museum itself is the biggest exhibit. The museum is also used in a different way, for example for conzerts or theaters.
- Schloss Morsbroich - moated castle in the baroque style, now a museum for contemporary art
- Water Tower Leverkusen-Bürrig - 72.45 metres high water reservoir containing an observation deck
- Neuland Park - large park beside the Rhine
- Japanese Garden - A garden created by Carl Duisberg at 1923
- Colony of workers - historical urban district in the center of Leverkusen
- Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit - historical Boat bridge next to the Rhine between Wiesdorf and Rheindorf
- Mausoleum of Carl Duisberg - mausoleum in the center of the Carl Duisberg Park next to the Casino
- NaturGut Ophoven - educational center for nature in Leverkusen-Opladen
International relations
Leverkusen is twinned with:
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Notable people
- Jörg Bergmeister (born February 13, 1976) , racing driver
- Uta Briesewitz, cinematographer
- Bärbel Dieckmann (born March 26, 1949), politician (SPD), mayor of Bonn 1994-2009
- Paul Janes, football player
- Heidemarie Ecker-Rosendahl (born February 14, 1947), athlete and olympic medalist
- Danny Ecker, athlete, son of Heidemarie Ecker-Rosendahl
- Wilhelm Fucks (June 4, 1902 - April 1, 1990), physicist and former rector of the RWTH Aachen University
- Hans Kühne, plant manager of IG Farben's (Bayer) plant in Leverkusen during World War II, acquitted of crimes against humanity in the IG Farben Trial
- Dietmar Mögenburg, athlete
- Detlef Schrempf (born January 21, 1963), former NBA basketball player
- Felix Sturm (born January 31, 1979), middleweight boxer
- Wolf Vostell, painter
- Werner Wenning (born October 21, 1946), former chairman of the board of Bayer AG
- Goran Bakaric (born January 11, 1974), Semi-professional poker player famous for his bad luck when holding KK V 72o G-Unit Industries
- ^ "Amtliche Bevölkerungszahlen" (in German). Landesbetrieb Information und Technik NRW. 31 December 2010. http://www.it.nrw.de/statistik/a/daten/amtlichebevoelkerungszahlen/index.html.
- ^ "Twin towns". www.ouka.fi. http://www.ouka.fi/kansainvalisyys/english/ystavyyskaupungit.html. Retrieved 2009-11-07.
- ^ (Bracknell Town, part of the Bracknell Forest local authority twinned with Opladen in 1973, Opladen then incorporated with Leverkusen in 1975
- ^ "Profit Over Life". The Nuremberg Pharma Tribunal. http://www.profit-over-life.org/rolls.php?roll=95&pageID=33&expand=no. Retrieved tbd.
Literature
- Blaschke, Stefan (1999): Unternehmen und Gemeinde: Das Bayerwerk im Raum Leverkusen 1891-1914 Cologne: SH-Verlag, ISBN 3-89498-068-0 (German)
- Archive of Leverkusen (2005): Leverkusen. Geschichte einer Stadt am Rhein. Bielefeld: Verlag für Regionalgeschichte, ISBN 3-89534-575-X (German)
- Franz Gruß (1987): Geschichte und Porträt der Stadt Leverkusen. Leverkusen: Verlag Anna Gruß, ISBN 393047803X (German)
Coordinates: 51°2′N 6°59′E / 51.033°N 6.983°E
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Urban and rural districts in the state of 
