Stolberg is first mentioned in documents from the 12th century. It became an important centre of
brass production when Protestant brass producers resettled to Stolberg from
Aachen around 1600 to escape religious persecution and economic restrictions. The
nickname of Stolberg,
Die Kupferstadt (the
Copper City), thus derives not from copper but from brass, "yellow copper". The
Kupferhöfe (copper yards) where brass was originally produced and the brass manufacturers built their mansions remain as reminders of the brass manufacturers that dominated Stolberg and its economy. Stolberg lost its importance as a brass producer when pure
zinc became available in the middle of the 19th century. Many brass producers moved into other industries, especially the glass and
textile industries, or specialized in the
mass production of
haberdashery. Stolberg belonged to the
Duchy of Jülich until 1794, when it became occupied by France and part of the
Canton of Eschweiler in the
Département de la Roer. After the
Congress of Vienna in 1815, Stolberg became part of the
Kingdom of Prussia. Stolberg acquired notoriety in the 1960s as the residence of
Contergan producer
Grünenthal. Because of its heavy industry, Stolberg has become associated with diseases of metal poisoning, literally "Gressenich cadmium cattle-dying" disease and "Stolberg lead children" disease. Stolberg has a significant
ultra-right history, e.g., as the headquarters of the
Wiking-Jugend from 1967 to 1991 and as a place of
NPD activities. Large parts of the central axis of the valley and the villages of Zweifall, Vicht and Atsch were severely affected by the
2021 European floods. One of the buildings affected by the destruction was the town hall, which is getting demolished and will replaced by a new building. ==Main sights==