Elberfeld

Municipality in Germany From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Elberfeldmap

Elberfeld is a municipal subdivision of the German city of Wuppertal; it was an independent town until 1929.

Quick Facts
Elberfeld
View of Wuppertal Hauptbahnhof located in the Elberfeld district
View of Wuppertal Hauptbahnhof located in the Elberfeld district
Coat of arms of Elberfeld
Etymology: Elverfelde
Historic extent of Elberfeld within Wuppertal
Historic extent of Elberfeld within Wuppertal
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History

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Perspective
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The suspension railway of Elberfeld was built over the river in order to keep the streets unobstructed.
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Elberfeld ca. 1899
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Bond of the former town Elberfeld, issued 1. March 1922

The first official mentioning of the geographic area on the banks of today's Wupper River as "elverfelde" was in a document of 1161. Etymologically, elver is derived from the old Low German word for "river." (See etymology of the name of the German Elbe River; cf. North Germanic älv.) Therefore, the original meaning of "elverfelde" can be understood as "field on the river." Elverfelde received its town charter in 1610.

In 1726, Elias Eller and a pastor, Daniel Schleyermacher, founded a Philadelphian Society. They later moved to Ronsdorf in the Duchy of Berg, becoming the Zionites, a fringe sect.

In 1826 Friedrich Harkort, a famous German industrialist and politician, had a type of suspension railway built as a trial and ran it on the grounds of what is today the tax office at Elberfeld. In fact the railway, the Schwebebahn Wuppertal, was eventually built between Oberbarmen and Vohwinkel and runs through Elberfeld.

In 1888 the district of Sonnborn was incorporated into Elberfeld. In 1929 the towns of Barmen, Elberfeld, Vohwinkel, Cronenberg and Ronsdorf became a municipal entity officially called "Barmen-Elberfeld;" in the same year, the unified city administration through a vote of its council members decided to rename the newly incorporated city "Wuppertal." This took place in 1930. Today Elberfeld is the largest municipal subdivision of Wuppertal.

During World War II, forced laborers of the 3rd SS construction brigade were dispatched by the Nazis in Barmen-Elberfeld in 1943.[1]

Notable people

See also

51°16′N 7°08′E

References

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