Apartment Cologne presents: Merkenich

The district Merkenich is on the left bank of the Rhine. It is a northern part of Cologne.

Merkenich's location

Merkenich encloses the areas of three Rhine villages, each from south to north. These are Merkenich , Rheinkassel and Langel . The industrial and commercial areas are in the west. The small village of Feldkassel was completely demolished in the 1970s.

The Fühlinger See forms the border to these areas. Kasselberg is located in the southeast of Rheinkassel. The place consists only of an inn, a campsite and a few houses. Even with the smallest flood, Kasselberg is affected by floods. Dam stabilization has been protecting Merkenich very well against flooding for several years. There is still the place Langel. This is not to be confused with the Langel district, which is located on the right bank of the Rhine.

History

The villages of Langel, Kasselberg and Rheinkassel were located along a Roman road that ran from Cologne via Neuss and Xanten to Nijmegen. Watchtowers were on the banks of the Rhine. The Rhine formed the border of the empire of Rome. It is therefore assumed that a watchtower also formed the basis of the parish church in Merkenich. A consecrated stone from Roman times was found in the church of St. Brictius in 1885 when the old church was demolished. There is also the Romanesque church of St. Amandus in Rheinkassel. The church may also have been built on a watchtower. But it can be strongly accepted. Because the church lies on a Wupp estuary. These estuaries were specially guarded. The village of Feldkassel was demolished. In Roman times there were many brick factories in the area. Roof tiles were also produced in Feldkassel in the 19th century. The church in Merkenich must have been of Franconian origin.

In 1047 the name Lachem was first mentioned in a document. Large and small Lachem had derived their court names from it. The homesteads are in the west of Merkenich. The name Merkenich was first mentioned in 1236. The name appears in a sales certificate. A knight von Merkenich was also mentioned here. Merkenich had large courtyards in the Middle Ages. The monasteries and monasteries were mostly the owners. In 1794 Merkenich was occupied by the French. Merkenich was incorporated into Mairie Worringen in the canton of Dormagen. The British military confiscated the Groß-Lachem Hof ​​near Merkenich after the First World War. Merkenich was incorporated on April 1, 1922. The Ford factories were built in Cologne in the 1930s- Niehl . This interrupted the road connection to Cologne-Niehl . A new school was built in Merkenich in 1938. A heating and power plant was built in the south in the late 1950s. The Esso port was also added. An Esso refinery was built directly on the floor of the Klein-Lachem and Groß-Lachem courtyards. The plant then became a Exxon Chemicals plant.

Churches in Merkenich

The following churches can be found in the village:

1. The Catholic Church of St. Brictius
2. The Catholic Church of St. Amandus in Rheinkassel
3. The Catholic Cohnenhof Chapel in Langel
4. The Evangelische Andreaskirche

 

The St. Brictius Catholic Church has a tower from the 12th century. The upper floor and the articulated helmet were only built in 1886. The tower has been free since 1964. The neuromanic church was demolished and made room for a new building. An inscription on the Kaplanshof says that it was built in 1784. The Kaplanshof is a square courtyard with an associated gate entrance. The half-timbering of the farm buildings is still partially preserved.

Industry

Rheinkassel and Langel are popular residential areas in Cologne. They are surrounded by fields, the green and the quieter location are preferred areas for families with children. In contrast, Merkenich is surrounded by industry. The Merkenich thermal power station is in the south. The chimney can be seen all over Merkenich. It is 250 meters high. The chemical companies Wacker and ExxonMobil are in the west. The Ford plants can be found in the north.

Traffic

In terms of transport technology, Merkenich has a connection to the federal motorway 1. The A 57 can also be reached quickly. The north motorway junction is located here.
The Rhine ferries to Wiesdorf and Hitdorf are very old. Only the Langel ferry to Hitdorf is still operational. There is also a passenger ferry here. In the north it transports people from Merkenich to the Bayer plants in Leverkusen.

1. Merkenich is connected to the Cologne light rail network
2. The light rail line 12 of the Cologne transport company with the stops: Merkenich - Fordwerke - Wilhelm-Sollmann-Straße - Nippes - Ebertplatz - Friesenplatz - Barbarossaplatz - Eifelstraße - Zollstock
3. Bus line 121 runs in Rheinkassel, Langel and Feldkassel with the stops: Langel - Rheinkassel - Merkenich - Feldkassel - Chorweiler - Lindweiler - Longerich - Bilderstöckchen - Neusser Straße / Belt