Bergheim, North Rhine-Westphalia

Bergheim
Town
Aachen Gate
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Bergheim within Rhein-Erft-Kreis district
Bergheim Show map of Germany Bergheim Show map of North Rhine-Westphalia
Coordinates: 50°58′N 6°39′E / 50.967°N 6.650°E / 50.967; 6.650
Country	Germany
State	North Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. region	Köln
District	Rhein-Erft-Kreis
Subdivisions	15
Government
• Mayor (2017–25)	Volker Mießeler[1] (CDU)
Area
• Total	96.33 km2 (37.19 sq mi)
Elevation	72 m (236 ft)
Population  (2023-12-31)[2]
• Total	62,172
• Density	650/km2 (1,700/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	50126, 50127, 50129
Dialling codes	02271
Vehicle registration	BM
Website	Kreisstadt Bergheim (in German)

Bergheim (German pronunciation: [ˈbɛʁkˌhaɪ̯m] ^ⓘ; Ripuarian: Berchem) is a German town, 22 km west of Cologne and the capital of the Rhein-Erft-Kreis (district). The town's Niederaußem district is one of the most important suppliers for energy from lignites in Europe.

Bergheim is about 22 km west of Cologne, approximately 72 metres above sea level. Its highest point is the Glessener Höhe (Glessen Height) at 204 metres. The Erft River flows through Bergheim. The town lies in the Zülpicher Börde, which belongs to the Kölner Bucht. Economically and geographically Bergheim is in the Rhenish lignite coalfield.

There is a burial hill in Niederaußem, dating from about 4000 BC. Romans settled in Bergheim around 50 BC. They constructed the major Roman road, the Via Belgica, that crossed the area where Bergheim is today. Later the Franks took control over the region. In the Middle Ages, Bergheim was granted city rights and later became part of the County of Jülich. In the 19th and 20th centuries Bergheim grew rapidly through the settlement of industry based on the local lignite coal. In World War II, the Wesseling synthetic oil plant was bombed during the Oil Campaign of World War II. Then in April 1944, a large underground plant for synthetic oil manufactured from lignite was set up outside Bergheim.^[3]

Points of interest are the Niederaussem Power Station with the world's tallest cooling tower as well as the Kottenforst-Ville Nature Park.

• Gerhard Fieseler (1896–1987), fighter pilot in the First World War and aircraft constructor (Gerhard-Fieseler-Werke)
• Günter Grass (1927–2015), writer, Nobel Prize 1999, lived in Bergheim-Oberaussem for several years after the end of the World War II
• Sarah Kreuz (born 1989), singer, second place with DSDS
• The footballer Lukas Podolski grew up in Bergheim, played in the youth team of FC Jugend 07 Bergheim from 1991 onwards. In 1995 he changed to the D-youth of the 1. FC Köln
• Michael Schumacher (born 1969), Formula 1 racing driver and seven-time world champion, attended the Geschwister-Scholl-Realschule in Bergheim
• Lukas Sinkiewicz (born 1985), footballer
• Victoria Ulbrich (born 1992), singer and former band member of Queensberry

Datteln is twinned with:^[4]

• Andenne, Belgium
• Chauny, France

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bergheim.

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