Weeze
| Weeze | ||
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Kalbeck Castle
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 Weeze
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Location of Weeze within Kleve district
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| Coordinates: 51°37′36″N 6°11′48″E / 51.62667°N 6.19667°ECoordinates: 51°37′36″N 6°11′48″E / 51.62667°N 6.19667°E | ||
| Country | Germany | |
| State | North Rhine-Westphalia | |
| Admin. region | Düsseldorf | |
| District | Kleve | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor | Ulrich Francken (CDU) | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 79.49 km2 (30.69 sq mi) | |
| Population (2015-12-31) | ||
| • Total | 10,611 | |
| • Density | 130/km2 (350/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) | |
| Postal codes | 47652 4179 1793 | |
| Dialling codes | 0 28 37 | |
| Vehicle registration | KLE | |
| Website | www.weeze.de | |
Weeze (German pronunciation: [ˈveːt͡sə]) is a municipality in the Lower Rhine (Niederrhein) region, in the north-western part of North Rhine-Westphalia in the district of Kleve in the region of Düsseldorf.
The municipality consists of the town of Weeze and the village of Wemb and has approximately 10,500 inhabitants. It is situated in the district of Kleve, embedded in the north-western part of the Lower Rhine Region, and lies between Goch to the north and Kevelaer to the south. The Netherlands lie directly to the west.
Individual artefacts from the earliest settlement of the area date back to the early/middle Stone Age. In the following periods a burial site with 1,000 hills in the area of Kalbeck, settlement remains on the Hees, remnants of the Roman road between Cologne and Nijmegen in the Netherlands and a significant discovery of Roman silver coins have all been found on municipal soil. Franconian burial sites from around 700 and 800 AD have also been unearthed in the close vicinity of the town centre.
Examples of Weeze's history are the restored Catholic church of St. Cyriakus, excavations from the Stone and Bronze Ages, Wissen Castle complete with moat, Kalbeck Castle and the ruins of Hertefeld Castle.
An area in and around today’s Weeze was first-mentioned in a document from King Lothar II in 855 a.d. when the King presented Count Ansfried with a piece of estate to the east of the River Niers, known as Villa Geizefurt and situated mainly in the farmstead area of Kalbeck.
The area was populated before the name Weeze was officially mentioned for the first time in a document in 1226 when the Earl to Alpen, Henry III, presented the Zisterzienserkloster Kamp with an estate in the farmstead of Vornick.
The municipal development suffered a major setback during the Second World War when eighty percent of the town was destroyed. Through commitment, hard work and craft skills the citizens of Weeze managed to rebuild the town. Destroyed houses and buildings were rebuilt in the fifties and sixties. The town development was continuously pursued and culminated in the redevelopment of the town centre. Today, the town centre is the forum for activities such as the Kirmes (carnival fair), Christmas markets, street parties and more.
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Wikipedia