Solingen

Solingen
Solich (Limburgish)
Solingen-Mitte
Solingen-Mitte
Flag of Solingen
Coat of arms of Solingen
Location of Solingen
Map
Solingen is located in Germany
Solingen
Solingen
Solingen is located in North Rhine-Westphalia
Solingen
Solingen
Coordinates: 51°10′19″N 7°5′5″E / 51.17194°N 7.08472°E / 51.17194; 7.08472
CountryGermany
StateNorth Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. regionDüsseldorf
DistrictUrban district
Government
 • Lord mayor (2020–25) Tim Kurzbach[1] (SPD)
Area
 • Total89.45 km2 (34.54 sq mi)
Highest elevation
276 m (906 ft)
Lowest elevation
53 m (174 ft)
Population
 (2023-12-31)[2]
 • Total161,545
 • Density1,800/km2 (4,700/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
42601-42719
Dialling codes0212
Vehicle registrationSG
Websitewww.solingen.de

Solingen (German pronunciation: [ˈzoːlɪŋən] ; Limburgish: Solich) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, 25 km east of Düsseldorf along the northern edge of the Bergisches Land, south of the Ruhr. After Wuppertal, it is the second-largest city in the Bergisches Land, and a member of the regional authority of the Rhineland.

Solingen is called the "City of Blades", and has long been renowned for the manufacturing of fine swords, knives, scissors and razors made by firms such as WKC, DOVO, Wüsthof, Zwilling J. A. Henckels, Böker, Güde, Hubertus, Diefenthal, Puma, Clauberg/Klauberg, Eickhorn, Linder, Carl Schmidt Sohn, Dreiturm, Herder, Martor Safety Knives, Wolfertz and numerous other manufacturers.

The medieval swordsmiths of Solingen designed the town's coat of arms. In the late 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.

  1. ^ Wahlergebnisse in NRW Kommunalwahlen 2020 Archived 2022-05-17 at the Wayback Machine, Land Nordrhein-Westfalen, accessed 19 June 2021.
  2. ^ "Bevölkerung der Gemeinden Nordrhein-Westfalens am 31. Dezember 2023 – Fortschreibung des Bevölkerungsstandes auf Basis des Zensus vom 9. Mai 2011" (in German). Landesbetrieb Information und Technik NRW. Retrieved 2024-06-20.