History of the town

Date	Event
around 1150	For the first time, the place "Werenboldeskirken" was mentionned.
around 1200	Construction of a roman Church (St. Bartholomäus) with the Saint Michaels chapel.
1230	The places "Werrenbolzkirgen" and "Dabrezhusen" were mentionned in the St Andreas convent Cologne.
around 1300	"Dhünn" was mentionned in the "Liber Valoris" of the Cologne archdiocese at the forst time.
1360	Membership of the Bornefeld administration in the canton of Berg.
1559	The Reformation
1596	The annual fair (existing even today) was for the 1st time mentioned.
1630	The region suffered during the 2nd half of the 30 years war. The population decrease to 500 inhabitants.
1679	The Post office was mentionned for the first time into the "Thurn- und Taxis'schen Post".
1704	Construction of a little Catholic Church
1758	A devastating fire destroyed 77 houses and dependences.
1808	Mairie, the headquaters of the magistrates and the main place of the canton of Wermelskirchen was founded in 1806.
1815	Prussian rural village in the district of Lennep
around 1820	Progressive industrial development: manufacturing of "Lastinggewebe", stuffed toys, and ribbons.
1834	Creation of the blue artificial colouring agent ultramarine by Dr. Carl Leverkus. The manufacturing was transferred near the Rhein, later it was called Leverkusen.
1860	First manufacturing of shafts of "Lasting" for shoes
20.01.1871	Motion to the king of Prussia for elevating the status of a city
02.07.1873	Awarding of the town charter (Appointment of the order of the cities in Rhineland)
1876/1881	Construction of the railroadline Lennep - Wermelskirchen - Opladen
1886	First industrial production of shoes. The manufacturing of shoes was the most important industry up to the turn of the century. In 1975, the production of shoes was suspended. The production of castors and wheels developed in the course of the century became the most important branch of the industry.
1929	Dissolution of the district of Lennep. Wermelskirchen became a part of the new district of "Rhein-Wupper" (administrative section of Düsseldorf).
1938	Dissolution of the administrative department of Dabringhausen. Creation of the administration of Wermelskirchen with the City of Wermelskirchen and the municipalities of Dabringhausen and Dhünn.
1939	The freeway between Leverkusen and Wermelskirchen is finished.
1945	A little time before the end of the 2nd world war, the city rendered without resistance and became a military hopital for the American troops.
1960	Commissioning of the local hospital
1964	Sponsorship of the village of Querbach in Isergebirge (Niederschlesien)
1974	Twinning with the city of Loches/Touraine
1975	Dissolution of the administrative department of Wermelskirchen and grouping to form a new municipality appointed to " Rheinisch-Bergischen " region, an administrative section of Cologne.
1983	Inauguration of the new "centre of the citizens" and of the new Police station.
1988	Commissioning of the big Dhünntalsperre with 81 billions cubic meters of drinking water.
1990	Twinning with the city of Forst/Lausitz, Land Brandenburg
1991	Inauguration of the multipurpose community centre: "Kattwinkelsche Fabrik"
2000	The first stone was laid for the B 51n
2005	B51n is finished.
2008	The 25th anniversary of the "citizen centre" and of the town council.

Other informations about the History of the Town :

by the "Bergischen Geschichtsverein", department of Wermelskirchen
Interlocutor:
1. Chairman Klaus-Dieter Buse, Staelsmühle 11, Telephone Number (02196) 88 84 28

Archives of the "Bergischen Geschichtsverein" - department of Wermelskirchen - can directly be called with the telephone number (02196) 88 50 06. It is not continually available.
by the local archives of the city of Wermelskirchen
Interlocutor: Petra Blumberg - Hauptamt, Telegrafenstraße 29-33, Telephone Number (02196) 710-120
by the Internet portal "Archive in Nordrhein-Westfalen"