Name and origins The original name of the city was , by which it is still often known today. To distinguish it from another town of the same name (the present ), it took the name ("Monks' Gladbach", in reference to the abbey) in 1888. Between 1933 and 1950, it was written (short: ), without a hyphen. This spelling was seen as potentially misleading, as it could imply that Gladbach was a borough of
Munich (), so consequently the name was changed to in 1950 (and subsequently in 1960) to avoid confusion. The town was founded around
Gladbach Abbey in 974. It was named after the
Gladbach, a narrow brook which mostly runs underground today. The abbey and adjoining villages became a town in the 14th century. The town of is located nearby and is incorporated into today.
Early history The first settlements in the area of Mönchengladbach are approximately 300,000–400,000 years old and show remains of
Homo erectus and
Neanderthal. There are numerous
cairns from the
Neolithic and
Bronze Ages. The history of Mönchengladbach began with the construction of the Gladbach Minster and the founding of an abbey in the year 974 by
Gero, Archbishop of Cologne, and his companion, the monk Sandrad of
Trier. To improve the settlement, the monks created a market north of the church in the 12th century. Craftsmen settled near the market. Gladbach received its
town charter in 1364–1366. The "town" erected a town wall made of stone, which had to be maintained by the citizens. Remains of the wall can be found at the Geroweiher, as can remains of the "Thick Tower", an old fortified tower at the Waldhausener hill. Until the end of the 18th century, the city belonged to the department of
Grevenbroich within the
Duchy of Jülich. On 4 October 1794, the armed forces of the
French Revolution marched into the town, one day before the fortress Jülich had been handed over. When the Holy Roman Emperor
Francis II ceded the left bank of the river
Rhine to France with the
Treaty of Lunéville in 1801, Gladbach fell under French laws suppressing
clericalism. This was the end of the abbey; the monastery was closed. On 31 October 1802, the last 31 monks left the monastery. The contents of the tremendous abbey library, well known outside Germany, were scattered or destroyed. From 1798 until 1814, the
Mairie Gladbach was part of
Canton Odenkirchen, of the
Arrondissement Krefeld, of the
Roer Département.
Recent history In 1815, Gladbach became part of the
Kingdom of Prussia and seat of the
Landkreis Gladbach, which was dissolved in 1929. In 1815 Gladbach became seat of the Bürgermeisterei (Office of mayor), which was split in 1859 into two parts: the City of Gladbach and Office of Mayor Obergeburth. The latter was renamed to München-Gladbach-Land in 1907. From 1933 through 1975, the neighborhood of
Rheydt was an independent city; the split from München-Gladbach was arranged by
Joseph Goebbels, who was born locally. After reuniting with Mönchengladbach, the central station (
Rheydt Hauptbahnhof) kept its original name, making Mönchengladbach the only city in Germany to have two rail stations each called Hauptbahnhof. In response to the 10 May 1940
German invasion of Belgium, Mönchengladbach was bombed by
RAF Bomber Command on the evening of 11 May. The bomber crews were attempting to interdict German troop movements on roads, intersections and rail lines in the area, especially the city's railyards. About half of the approximately 36 twin-engine
Royal Air Force (RAF) bombers reportedly hit their targets, and three were shot down. Four people were killed on the ground, including a British woman living in Germany.
Forced laborers of the 3rd
SS construction brigade were sent to work in the city in 1943. The Prussian
Rhine Province was dissolved after
World War II, with the city becoming part of the new state of
North Rhine-Westphalia, which was formed in 1946. ==Demographics==