Editing Mönchengladbach (section)

==History==

===Name and origins===
The original name of the city was '''Gladbach''', by which it is still often known today. To distinguish it from another town of the same name (the present [[Bergisch Gladbach]]), it took the name '''München-Gladbach''' (“Monks’ Gladbach”, in reference to the abbey<ref>{{cite web |title=Monchengladbach |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Monchengladbach |website=Britannica.com |access-date=30 March 2024}}</ref>) in 1888. Between 1933 and 1950, it was written '''München Gladbach''' (short: '''M. Gladbach'''), without a hyphen. This spelling was seen as potentially misleading, as it could imply that Gladbach was a borough of [[Munich]] (''München'' in [[German language|German]]), so consequently the name was changed to Mönchen-Gladbach in 1950 (and subsequently Mönchengladbach in 1960) to avoid confusion.

The town was founded around [[Gladbach Abbey]] in 974. It was named after the Gladbach, a narrow brook which mostly runs underground today. The abbey and adjoining villages became a town in the 14th century. The town of [[Rheydt]] is located nearby and is incorporated into Mönchengladbach today.

===Early history===
The first settlements in the area of Mönchengladbach are approximately 300,000–400,000 years old and show remains of [[Homo erectus]] and [[Neanderthal]]. There are numerous [[cairn]]s from the [[Neolithic]] and [[Bronze Age]]s.

The history of Mönchengladbach began with the construction of the Gladbach Minster and the founding of an abbey in the year 974 by [[Gero, Archbishop of Cologne]], and his companion, the monk Sandrad of [[Archbishopric of Trier|Trier]].

To improve the settlement, the monks created a market north of the church in the 12th century. Craftsmen settled near the market. Gladbach received its [[German town law|town charter]] in 1364–1366. The "town" erected a town wall made of stone, which had to be maintained by the citizens. Remains of the wall can be found at the Geroweiher, as can remains of the "Thick Tower", an old fortified tower at the Waldhausener hill. Until the end of the 18th century, the city belonged to the department of [[Grevenbroich]] within the [[duchy of Jülich]].

On 4 October 1794, the armed forces of the [[French Revolution]] marched into the town, one day before the fortress Jülich had been handed over. When the Holy Roman Emperor [[Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor|Francis II]] ceded the left bank of the river [[Rhine]] to France with the [[Treaty of Lunéville]] in 1801, Gladbach fell under French laws suppressing religion. This was the end for the abbey, and the monastery was closed. On 31 October 1802, the last 31 monks left the monastery. The contents of the tremendous abbey library, well known outside Germany, were scattered or destroyed.

From 1798 until 1814, the ''[[Mairie]]'' Gladbach was part of ''[[Canton (country subdivision)|Canton]]'' Odenkirchen, of the ''[[Arrondissement]]'' Krefeld, of the [[Roer (department)|Roer]] ''[[Département]]''.

===Recent history===
In 1815, Gladbach became part of the [[Kingdom of Prussia]] and seat of the [[Gladbach (district)|Landkreis Gladbach]], which was dissolved in 1929. In 1815 Gladbach became seat of the Bürgermeisterei (Office of mayor), which was split in 1859 into two parts: the City of Gladbach and Office of Mayor Obergeburth. The latter was renamed to München-Gladbach-Land in 1907.

From 1933 through 1975, the neighborhood of [[Rheydt]] was an independent city; the split from München-Gladbach was arranged by [[Joseph Goebbels]], who was born locally. After reuniting with Mönchengladbach, the central station ([[Rheydt Hauptbahnhof]]) kept its original name, making Mönchengladbach the only city in Germany to have two rail stations each called Hauptbahnhof.

In response to the 10 May 1940 [[German invasion of Belgium (1940)|German invasion of Belgium]], Mönchengladbach was bombed by [[RAF Bomber Command]] on the evening of 11 May. The bomber crews were attempting to interdict German troop movements on roads, intersections and rail lines in the area, especially the city's railyards. About half of the approximately 36 twin-engine [[Royal Air Force]] (RAF) bombers reportedly hit their targets, and three were shot down.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NZePSUx1FsgC&pg=PT27 |page=27 |title=Among the Dead Cities: Is the Targeting of Civilians in War Ever Justified? |last=Grayling |first=A. C. |publisher=A&C Black |year=2011 |isbn=9781408827901}}</ref><ref name=Diefendorf1993>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nCPX9ZLlGzgC&pg=PA5 |page=5 |title=In the Wake of War : The Reconstruction of German Cities after World War II: The Reconstruction of German Cities after World War II |first=Jeffry M. |last=Diefendorf |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1993 |isbn=9780195361094}}</ref> Four people were killed on the ground, including a British woman living in Germany.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BSFMCCCJUysC&pg=PA42 |pages=41–2 |title=Bomber Command: Reflections of War |last=Bowman |first=Martin |publisher=Casemate |year=2011 |isbn=9781848844926}}</ref>

[[Forced labour under German rule during World War II|Forced laborers]] of the 3rd [[SS construction brigade]] were dispatched in the city in 1943.<ref>{{cite book|last=Megargee|first=Geoffrey P.|year=2009|title=The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos 1933–1945. Volume I|publisher=Indiana University Press, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum|page=1385|isbn=978-0-253-35328-3}}</ref>

Eventually, the Prussian [[Rhine Province]] was dissolved after [[World War II]], and the city became part of the new state of [[North Rhine-Westphalia]] which was formed in 1946.

{| class="wikitable" style="float:right;"
|+Largest groups of foreign residents
|-\
!Nationality || Population (31.12 2022)
|-
|[[Turkey]] || 6,614
|-
|[[Poland]] || 4,538
|-
|[[Syria]] || 4,027
|-
|[[Romania]] ||  3,266
|-
|[[Bulgaria]] || 2,872
|-
|[[Ukraine]] ||2,643
|-
|[[Spain]] ||2,326
|-
|[[Italy]] ||1,860
|-
|[[Greece]] ||1,651
|-
|[[Netherlands]]||1,437
|}