Solingen

Geschichte

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, and with a 2009 population of 161,366 is after Wuppertal the second largest city in the Bergisches Land. It is a member of the regional authority of the Rhineland.Solingen is called the "City of Blades", since it has long been renowned for the manufacturing of fine swords, knives, scissors and razors made by famous firms such as Dreiturm, DOVO Solingen, Wüsthof, J. A. Henckels, Böker, Klauberg, Eickhorn-Solingen, and numerous other manufacturers.In Medieval times, the swordsmiths of Solingen coined the town's image, which is preserved to this 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.GeographySolingen lies southwest of Wuppertal in the Bergisches Land. The city has an area of 89.45km2, of which roughly 50% is used for agriculture, horticulture, or forestry. The city's border is 62km long, and the city's dimensions are 15.6km east to west and 11.7km north to south. The Wupper river, a right tributary of the Rhine, flows through the city for 26km. The city's highest point at 276 metres (906 ft) is in the northern borough of Gräfrath at the Light Tower, previously the water tower, and the lowest point at 53 metres (174 ft) is in the southwest.