Reichshof

For other uses, see Reichshof (disambiguation).

Reichshof is a North Rhine-Westphalian municipality in the Oberbergischer Kreis in Germany, about 40 km east of Cologne. It is a health resort, known for its good climate. The municipality consists of 106 villages and hamlets. The most important villages are Denklingen (population about 2000), Eckenhagen (1900), Brüchermühle (1700) and Wildbergerhütte (1600).

Reichshof
Municipality
Coat of arms
Location of Reichshof within Oberbergischer Kreis district
Reichshof Show map of Germany Reichshof Show map of North Rhine-Westphalia
Coordinates: 50°58′N 7°42′E
Country	Germany
State	North Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. region	Köln
District	Oberbergischer Kreis
Government
• Mayor (2020–25)	Rüdiger Gennies[1] (CDU)
Area
• Total	114.67 km2 (44.27 sq mi)
Highest elevation	342 m (1,122 ft)
Lowest elevation	289 m (948 ft)
Population  (2023-12-31)[2]
• Total	18,663
• Density	160/km2 (420/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	51580
Dialling codes	02296, 02297, 02265, 02261
Vehicle registration	GM
Website	reichshof-online.de

History

While sources on the early history of the area are scarce, the name of the city^{[clarification needed]} suggests it was first founded during the reign of Charlemagne. It was first officially mentioned on August 1, 1167, when it was granted as a gift by Friedrich I (Barbarossa) to Archbishop Rainald of Cologne.

As a consequence of the municipal reorganization of 1969, the formerly independent municipalities Denklingen and Eckenhagen were consolidated into the municipality of Reichshof. The management of the municipality of Reichshof takes place in Denklingen.

Demographics

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1991 17,394 —     1992 17,641 +1.42% 1993 18,277 +3.61% 1994 18,521 +1.34% 1995 18,860 +1.83% 1996 19,109 +1.32% 1997 19,366 +1.34% 1998 19,587 +1.14%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1999 19,805 +1.11% 2000 20,019 +1.08% 2001 20,242 +1.11% 2008 20,185 −0.04% 2019 18,600 −0.74% 2020 19,025 +2.28% 2021 18,993 −0.17% 2022 19,128 +0.71%

Features of interest

The area has swimming pools and various sporting facilities (tennis, horse racing, shooting galleries, a gymnasium and a bicycle park). There are also several elementary schools.

The Denklingen Railway Bridge is a protected heritage site, part of the Wiehl Valley Railway (Wiehltalbahn). Various museums, churches and parks are open to visitors, along with historic mills and Denklingen Castle.

Companies in the new industrial area of Wehnrat include Ralf Bohle GmbH, producers of Schwalbe bicycle tires, SCEMTEC Transponder Technology GmbH, and Stahlbau GmbH (textiles).

Twin towns

• Roden (since 2001 Noordenveld), Netherlands (since 1963)