Frechen

Frechen
Town
Protestant church
Coat of arms
Location of Frechen within Rhein-Erft-Kreis district
Frechen Show map of Germany Frechen Show map of North Rhine-Westphalia
Coordinates: 50°55′N 6°49′E
Country	Germany
State	North Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. region	Cologne
District	Rhein-Erft-Kreis
Subdivisions	9
Government
• Mayor (2020–25)	Susanne Stupp[1] (CDU)
Area
• Total	45.11 km^2 (17.42 sq mi)
Highest elevation	158 m (518 ft)
Lowest elevation	58 m (190 ft)
Population  (2023-12-31)[2]
• Total	53,128
• Density	1,200/km^2 (3,100/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	50226
Dialling codes	02234
Vehicle registration	BM
Website	www.stadt-frechen.de

Frechen (German pronunciation: [ˈfʁɛçn̩]; Ripuarian: Frechem) is a town in the Rhein-Erft District, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Frechen was first mentioned in 877. It is situated at the western Cologne city border.

It is the site of the 1257 Battle of Frechen between Conrad von Hochstaden, Archbishop of Cologne and the people of the town. In the 16th century it became known for locally produced terra cotta products, especially the "Bartmannskrug" (beardman jug).

In the late 18th century lignite was industrially mined. Digging for lignite dominated the city's economy until the end of the 20th century, and in 1891 the first briquette factory was opened.

On 2 September 1951 Frechen received its city-rights including the villages of Bachem, Hücheln and Buschbell. On 1 January 1975 the nearby villages of Grefrath, Habbelrath, Königsdorf and Neufreimersdorf were also incorporated.

In 1971, the Keramion, a ceramics museum in a distinctive glass-enclosed modern structure designed by architect Peter Neufert, opened to display the extensive historic and contemporary collection of local collector Gottfried Cremer.

Keramion

From the 1980s onwards an increasing number of industrial, commercial and service enterprises choose Frechen as their location, so that the town changed its features considerably.

Population

As of December 31, 2021 there were 52,155 inhabitants registered.

Local council

Elections were held in September 2020.

• CDU: 19 seats
• SPD: 11 seats
• Alliance 90/The Greens: 9 seats
• Perspektive für Frechen: 4 seats
• FDP: 3 seats
• The Left: 2 seats
• Alternative für Deutschland: 2 seats

Notable people

• Kirsten Bolm (born 1975), athlete
• Wayne Carpendale (born 1977), actor and presenter
• Pierre Vogel (born 1978), Islamist preacher
• Ayọ (born 1980), soul singer
• Sonja Bertram (born 1984), actress
• Marcel Heller (born 1986), footballer
• Lennart Thy (born 1992), footballer
• Hannah Meul (born 2001, Professional Climber

Twin towns – sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany

Frechen is twinned with:^[3]

• Kapfenberg, Austria

References

1. Wahlergebnisse in NRW Kommunalwahlen 2020, Land Nordrhein-Westfalen, accessed 29 June 2021.
2. "Bevölkerung der Gemeinden Nordrhein-Westfalens am 31. Dezember 2023 – Fortschreibung des Bevölkerungsstandes auf Basis des Zensus vom 9. Mai 2011" (in German). Landesbetrieb Information und Technik NRW. Retrieved 2024-06-20.
3. "Leben in Frechen". stadt-frechen.de (in German). Frechen. Retrieved 2021-02-03.

External links

• Official website
• Website of the Keramion ceramics museum