Rheindahlen

Rheindahlen
Stadtteil of Mönchengladbach
Coat of arms
Rheindahlen
Location of Rheindahlen within Mönchengladbach West
Coordinates: 51°09′01″N 06°21′42″E / 51.15028°N 6.36167°E / 51.15028; 6.36167Coordinates: 51°09′01″N 06°21′42″E / 51.15028°N 6.36167°E / 51.15028; 6.36167
Country	Germany
State	North Rhine-Westphalia
City	Mönchengladbach
Area
• Total	3,237 km2 (1,250 sq mi)
Elevation	70 m (230 ft)
Population (2008-12-31)
• Total	27,363
• Density	8.5/km2 (22/sq mi)
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes	41179
Dialling codes	02161

Rheindahlen (called Dahlen until 1878 and, from the Early Middle Ages to the Early Modern Period around 1700, Dalen) is a town in the western and largest borough of the city of Mönchengladbach in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Since the reorganisation of Monchengladbach's boroughs (Stadtbezirke) on 22 October 2009 Rheindahlen has been part of Mönchengladbach West. From the granting of Nideggen town rights in 1354 until the incorporation of the mayoralty of Rheindahlen into M.-Gladbach on 30 June 1921, the place was an independent town.

In 1878, the town was renamed from its original name of Dahlen to Rheindahlen in the Prussian Province of Düsseldorf by order of Emperor William I. Its renaming was primarily for postal reasons in order to avoid confusing the Dahlen in the Rhine Province with the municipality of Dahlen in Saxony within the North German Postal Zone. Its old name linguistically meant Delle or "hollow", which refers to the location of the village in a depression.

Rheindahlen is located in Mönchengladbach West, the largest urban district in the city of Mönchengladbach. It lies to the south-west of the main urban area and borders on the municipality of Schwalmtal to the west and the county of Heinsberg to the southwest. Its neighbouring communities within the borough of Mönchengladbach are Hardt to the north, Rheydt to the east and Wickrath to the south. The centre of Rheindahlen is about 7.5 kilometres southwest of the city centre of Mönchengladbach.

Around Rheindahlen, the landscape is dominated by the western foothills of Jülich-Zülpich Börde. It is situated on the southern edge of the Lower Rhine Plain on the Schwalm-Nette Plateau which, in the western part of the borough is characterised by wetlands and woods. To the south is the source region of the Niers. The Rheindahlen landscape lies on the southern edge of the Mönchengladbach Loam Plain and rises towards the south. Its lowest point measures 65 m above NN, its highest point is 80 m above NN. The village itself is 70–73 m above NN.