Neuwied

Neuwied
Neuwied
Neuwied
Coordinates	50°25′43″N 7°27′41″E / 50.42861°N 7.46139°E / 50.42861; 7.46139
Administration
Country	Germany
State	Rhineland-Palatinate
District	Neuwied
Town subdivisions	13 Stadtteile
Lord Mayor	Nikolaus Roth (SPD)
Basic statistics
Area	86.50 km2 (33.40 sq mi)
Elevation	60 m  (197 ft)
Population	65,750  (31 December 2006)
- Density	760 /km2 (1,969 /sq mi)
Other information
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Licence plate	NR
Postal codes	56501–56567
Area codes	02631 und 02622
Website	www.neuwied.de

Neuwied (German pronunciation: [nɔʏˈviːt]) is a town in the north of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, capital of the District of Neuwied. Neuwied lies on the right bank of the Rhine, 12 km northwest of Koblenz, on the railway from Frankfurt am Main to Cologne. The town has 13 suburban administrative districts: Heimbach-Weis, Gladbach, Engers, Oberbieber, Niederbieber, Torney, Segendorf, Altwied, Block, Irlich, Feldkirchen, Heddesdorf, and Rodenbach. The largest is Heimbach-Weis, with approximately 8000 inhabitants.

Neuwied was founded by Count Frederick of Wied in 1653, near the village of Langendorf, which was destroyed during the Thirty Years' War, and it rapidly grew owing to the toleration accorded to all religious sects. Among those who sought refuge here was a colony of Moravian Brethren.

Near Neuwied one of the largest Roman castra on the Rhine has been excavated.

In April 1797 the French, under General Louis Lazare Hoche, defeated the Austrians near Neuwied, this being their first decisive success in the French Revolutionary Wars. Neuwied was the birth town of William of Wied, who briefly held the title of King of Albania in 1914.

Geography

Parts of the 86,5 square kilometre area are divided into the suburban districts of:

• Altwied
• Block
• Engers
• Feldkirchen
• Gladbach
• Heimbach-Weis
• Irlich
• Niederbieber
• Oberbieber
• Rodenbach
• Segendorf
• Torney

The core of Neuwied and the former village of Heddesdorf, which belonged to the municipality before these districts were added, are not listed as districts themselves.

Since the inner city of Neuwied is situated on a former bed of the river Rhine, it is at great risk of flooding. It is one of very few towns in the region protected by anti-flood levees, a source of friction with communities downstream.

Neuwied is twinned with the London Borough of Bromley.

Politics

The June 2004 municipal council elections led to the following distribution of seats: CDU (22), SPD (17), FWG (4), Grüne (3), FDP (2). The mayor of Neuwied is the social democrat Nicolaus Roth.

Population

Originally there were only a few thousand people living in Neuwied with the number not growing significantly because of wars and famines. With the industrialization in the 19th century the number of inhabitants increased from 5,600 in 1831 to 18,000 in 1905.

By 1970 the figure had grown to 31,400 and following a major realignment incorporating several communities within the town, it jumped to 63,000.

As of June 30, 2005 there were officially 66,455 people living in Neuwied.

Infrastructure

Raiffeisenbrücke between Neuwied and Weißenthurm

Neuwied is connected to the German network of Bundesstraßen (national routes) (here: B9, B42 and B256). The Autobahnen (motorways) A3, A48 and A61 are quickly reachable from Neuwied.

Within the bounds of Neuwied are two railway stations, Neuwied and Engers, and a third station is under consideration by the state agency for northern commuter railway services (SPNV Nord), which is responsible for the service on the railway lines connecting to Koblenz central station in the south and Cologne central station in the north. Via either of those stations, the German highspeed rail network and the InterCity network are accessible. Daytime service includes

• an hourly semi-fast train Koblenz-Engers-Neuwied-Cologne-Mönchengladbach and back,
• and an hourly all-stops service Koblenz-Neuwied-Cologne-Stommeln(-Mönchengladbach) and back, which is also available in the evening hours.

Travel time to Koblenz is ca. 15 to 20 minutes, to Cologne ca. 70 to 80 minutes.

Public transport within Neuwied relies on a bus network, offering (depending on line) 20, 30 or 60 minute schedules.

International relations

Twin towns — sister cities

Neuwied is twinned with:

• Bromley, United Kingdom

References

• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica, Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.

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