Sinzig

Sinzig
Sinzig Castle
Coat of arms
Sinzig
Location of Sinzig within Ahrweiler district
Coordinates: 50°32′43″N 7°15′07″E / 50.54528°N 7.25194°E / 50.54528; 7.25194Coordinates: 50°32′43″N 7°15′07″E / 50.54528°N 7.25194°E / 50.54528; 7.25194
Country	Germany
State	Rhineland-Palatinate
District	Ahrweiler
Government
• Stadtbürgermeister	Wolfgang Kroeger (CDU)
Area
• Total	41.02 km2 (15.84 sq mi)
Population (2015-12-31)
• Total	17,330
• Density	420/km2 (1,100/sq mi)
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes	53489
Dialling codes	02642, 02636 (Ortsteil Franken)
Vehicle registration	AW
Website	www.sinzig.de

Sinzig is a town in the district of Ahrweiler, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the river Rhine, about 5 km south-east of Remagen and 25 km south-east of Bonn, and it has approximately 20,000 inhabitants (2004).

Sinzig received its first official recognition in 762 A.D. On 10 July that year, King Pippin the Younger, the father of Charlemagne, presented a certificate of his decree in the Palace of Sinzig (Sentiaco Palacio), officially recognizing the town as "Sentiacum." Sinzig first received its rights as a town on 9 October 1267.

Because of the influence Emperor Frederick Barbarossa had on the town, it is nicknamed a "Barbarossa town".

Twice, the medieval town, which since 1300 has been protected by a massive wall, was almost entirely destroyed by fires, one in 1583 and another in 1758. Little of the wall now remains, as industrialization and urban development led to its nearly complete loss at the end of the 19th century. After World War II, Sinzig experienced a population explosion and soon evolved into an industrial town.

With the district reform of 1969, Bad-Bodendorf, Franken, Koisdorf, Löhndorf, and Westum became provinces of Sinzig. Today, Sinzig, together with the town of Remagen, have developed a modern consumer centre, with multiple schools and shopping centres.