Niederbergisches Land
The northern part of the Bergisches Land in North Rhine-Westphalia is called Niederbergisches Land or Niederberg .
Geography and historical spread
From the Deilbach in Velbert - Langenberg , which marks the historical border to Westphalia , it extends over sloping terraces to the west.
In terms of landscape, the Ruhr forms the border in the north ; Since this northernmost part today belongs to the industrial region of the Ruhr area , it is only included in the landscape of the Niederbergisches Land. In the west the Rhine and in the south the Wupper form the border of the Niederbergisches Land.
Historically, the city of Düsseldorf (for centuries the capital of the Bergisches Land), parts of the city of Oberhausen ( Alstaden and Dümpten ), Mülheim an der Ruhr , Kettwig vor der Brücke and the south of Duisburg belong to the Niederbergisches Land, as they belonged to the Duchy of Berg until its dissolution belonged to. Wuppertal , geographically located on the border between the Upper and Lower Bergisches Land, is no longer included in either of the two parts. Under this assumption, the highest point in Niederberg, at 303.4 m above sea level, is the Fettenberg, on the border with Wuppertal.
Change in geographical allocation
The term “Niederberg” was historically used to delimit the north-western parts of the Bergisches Land from the higher parts (“Oberberg”). As can be seen from the area of responsibility of the Niederberg gymnastics association founded in 1877 (cities of Erkrath, Haan, Hilden, Langenfeld, Monheim, Leverkusen, Leichlingen and Solingen), the name referred to a much larger area than it is today. The towns of Heiligenhaus , Velbert and Wülfrath , which belong to the Mettmann district, are located in the northern part of the Niederbergisches Land . Efforts in the 1970s failed, these cities - along with the then independent municipalities Langenberg and Neviges - a metropolis Niederberghaus summarize . In Wülfrath, Velbert and Heiligenhaus, identification with Niederberg is still great, so that the residents there often refer to themselves as Niederberger.
tourism
In the marketing strategy of the Mettmann district , the terms “Niederberg” or “Niederbergisches Land” are replaced by the newly created word Neanderland . In this context, the Neanderlandsteig was also created , a circular hiking trail that was opened in 2013 and connects many sights . A cycle path was set up on the route of the disused Niederbergbahn and called the “ Panoramaradweg Niederbergbahn ” due to the wide views .