Frechen

Town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

Coat of arms

Location of Frechen within Rhein-Erft-Kreis district

(2020–25) Susanne Stupp^[1] (CDU)Area

• Total45.11 km² (17.42 sq mi)Highest elevation

158 m (518 ft)Lowest elevation

58 m (190 ft)Population

(2022-12-31)^[2]

• Total52,811 • Density1,200/km² (3,000/sq mi)Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET) • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)Postal codes

50226

Dialling codes02234Vehicle registrationBMWebsitewww.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.

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

Frechen is twinned with:^[3]

Kapfenberg, Austria

References

^ Wahlergebnisse in NRW Kommunalwahlen 2020, Land Nordrhein-Westfalen, accessed 29 June 2021.
^ "Bevölkerung der Gemeinden Nordrhein-Westfalens am 31. Dezember 2022 – Fortschreibung des Bevölkerungsstandes auf Basis des Zensus vom 9. Mai 2011" (in German). Landesbetrieb Information und Technik NRW. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
^ "Leben in Frechen". stadt-frechen.de (in German). Frechen. Retrieved 2021-02-03.