Düren

view of Burgau Castle

Flag

Coat of arms

Düren

Location of Düren within Düren district

Coordinates: 50°48′N 6°29′E / 50.800°N 6.483°ECoordinates: 50°48′N 6°29′E / 50.800°N 6.483°E

Country

Germany

State

North Rhine-Westphalia

Government

• Mayor

Paul Larue (CDU)

Area

• Total

85.02 km² (32.83 sq mi)

Elevation

125 m (410 ft)

Population (2015-12-31)

• Total

90,244

• Density

1,100/km² (2,700/sq mi)

Time zone

CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)

Postal codes

52349/52351/52353/52355

Dialling codes

02421

Vehicle registration

Website

www.dueren.de

Düren is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, between Aachen and Cologne on the river Rur.

Celts inhabited the area now known as Düren before the Roman invasion. The Celts called their small settlement, Durum (meaning castle). After the Celts, other Germanic tribes settled this area. They were conquered by the Romans under Julius Caesar.

Durum became a supply area for the rapidly growing Roman city of Cologne. Furthermore, a few important Roman roads skirt Durum (including the road from Cologne to Jülich and Tongeren and the road from Cologne to Zülpich and Trier). The Romans remained in the area for about 400 years. The name "villa duria" occurred the first time in the Frankish Annals in the year 747.

After the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century, the Franks settled in Düren. The Frankish king Pippin der Kleine (Pippin the Short) often visited Düren in the 8th century and held a few important conventions there. Pippin was the father of the famous emperor Charlemagne. The Franks made of Durum a royal palace, from which the name Palatine (Pfalz in German) is derived. Charlemagne sojourned a few times there. The castle was built at the place where, in 1991, the Saint Anne Church is located today. Due to the frequent visits of Charlemagne, a few markets sprang up, such as the corn, cattle, wood, chicken, and butter markets, all of which contributed to Düren's development.

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Wikipedia