 city info Geilenkirchen
 City statistical:
- city rights 14th century
- was county capital in 19th century
- belonging to county Heinsberg since 1972
- located within the most western of Germany
- has 28700 inhibitants
|
 
 
|
 History:
The city Geilenkirchen located in the western part of North Rhine-Westphalia, was emerged at the left bank of the creek 'Wurm' in a ford used already in the Roman time. The ford was secured by a water castle owned by the counts of Heinsberg. The name Geilinkirchen has reference originally to a wooden church, that probably had been erected by a Franc named Geilo.
 address city hall
|
|
Stadtverwaltung
Markt 9
52511 Geilenkirchen
|
 02451-629-0
 02451-629-200
|
 partnership:
Quimperlé, France (since 1966)
|
|
political parties in the city council:
CDU = christian, SPD = social, FDP = liberal,
Grüne = green, Bürgerliste = independent
(voting on September 26th 2004)
|
|
 Comments: "Geilenkirchen"
You will see a grin on some Germans faces as they hear "Geilenkirchen". To understand this, you have to know the other meaning of "geil" in the German language: "GEIL" will be understood either as "randy / horny" or "brilliant / groovy". The city got it's name after "Otto von Geylo" in earlier days. "Thousands" of tourists and VIPs had their picture taken at the city boarder signs. Some, since the drove faster than 50 km/h , others just for the fun of it.
Not just students at the university Aachen, 30 km away, probably humanistically (ver-)educated, were exited hearing the name of our city and named it "Ecclesia erotica". As i heard, some friends got a route descriptions, so they had to take a little detour through our aerea, just to pass E.E. (alias Geilenkirchen) on their way to Aachen.
... and another hint for insiders: Just 8 km besides Geilenkirchen you will find another funny named Village (at least for Germans): Puffendorf. Puff is a (slang) therm for house of pleasure.
 NATO air base
The is hosted at a previous royal air force base next to GK. All these international families changed the picture of the city and it's economy within the last years.
Up to the middle of the 20th century it wasn't like this. The "only" strangers, which came into the city were horse-dealers from Köln (cologne) or herring-dealers from the cost (all of them have been cheating if I can believe what my grandfather sad) . So don't be worried if we control the time as soon as you say "good morning". We are distrustful by experience, but learning!
The city of Geilenkirchen including the surrounding villages has a surface of 83 km²; our Mayor counted more than 27500 heads, just by himself as people say.
 these villages belong to Geilenkirchen
| Apweiler | Bauchem | Beeck | Bocket |
click the map
|
| Flahstraß | Gillrath | Grotenrath | Hatterath |
| Hünshoven | Hochheid | Hoven | Immendorf |
| Kleinsiersdorf | Kraudorf | Kogenbroich | Leiffarth |
| Lindern | Neuteveren | Nirm | Niederheid |
| Nierstraß | Prummern | Rischden | Süggerath |
| Teveren | Tripsrath | Teveren |  Waurichen | Würm |
zip codes for Geilenkirchen
- 52511 Geilenkirchen and all villages
- 52501 for po box 1101 - 1193
- 52502 for po box 1201 - 1293
- 52503 for po box 1301 - 1393
- 52504 for po box 1401 - 1434
- 52505 for po box 1501 - 1540
search for a ZIP-Code - (web-site Deutsche Post)
|
www.clickstart.de)
)
)
)
)
){kind=link}