Solingen

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Coordinates: 51°10′N 7°5′E

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).

Solingen is called the "City 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 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.

[edit] History

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.

[edit] Main sights

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.

[edit] Famous people

• Solingen was the birthplace of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann.
• The original members of the German heavy metal band Accept were from Solingen.

[edit] Twin cities

• Image:Flag of Poland (bordered).svg - Złotoryja, Poland, since 1955
• Image:Flag of the Netherlands.svg - Gouda, Netherlands, since 1957
• Image:Flag of France.svg - Chalon-sur-Saône, France, since 1960
• Image:Flag of England (bordered).svg - Blyth, Northumberland, England, since 1962
• Image:Flag of Nicaragua.svg - Jinotega, Nicaragua, since 1985
• Image:Flag of Israel (bordered).svg - Ness Ziona, Israel, since 1986
• Image:Flag of Senegal.svg - Thiès, Senegal, since 1990
• Image:Flag of Germany.svg - Aue, Saxony, Germany, since 1990

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