Rösrath

Rösrath (German pronunciation: [ˈʁøːsʁaːt] ^ⓘ; Kölsch: Röhsroth [ˈʁœ́sʁɔt]) is a town in the Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis (district) in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The earliest known documents mentioning the settlement Rösrath can be found in documents dated to 1356. There have been findings of Paleolithic and Mesolithic tools in the town area Forsbach. The community was elevated to the town status in 2001.

Rösrath
Town
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Rösrath within Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis district
Rösrath Show map of Germany Rösrath Show map of North Rhine-Westphalia
Coordinates: 50°54′N 7°11′E
Country	Germany
State	North Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. region	Cologne
District	Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis
Government
• Mayor (2020–25)	Bondina Schulze[1] (Greens)
Area
• Total	38.8 km2 (15.0 sq mi)
Highest elevation	260 m (850 ft)
Lowest elevation	71 m (233 ft)
Population  (2023-12-31)[2]
• Total	28,640
• Density	740/km2 (1,900/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	51503
Dialling codes	02205
Vehicle registration	GL
Website	www.roesrath.de

Geography

Rösrath is located in the immediate vicinity of Cologne. The municipal area of Rösrath is bordering on the south-eastern city limits of Cologne. Therefore, from Cologne's point of view Rösrath is called a Gateway to the Berg region (Bergisches Land). The municipal area partly extends over the nature reserves of the Wahner Heide and Königsforst.

Local government

Council, elections in May 2014:

• CDU 17 seats
• SPD 12 seats
• Alliance 90/The greens 6 seats
• FDP 4 seats
• Alternative für Deutschland / AfD 2 seats
• The Left 2 seats
• BfR (Bürger für Rösrath-Citizens for Rösrath) 1 seat
• Dieter von Niessen 1 seat
• Kacem Bitich (independent),^[3][4] 1 seat

Mayors

Mayors	Start of office	End of office	Party	comments
Franz Leyhausen	August 1878	June 1905
Max Haumann	October 1905	March 1931
Max Steinsträßer	April 1931	April 1945
Gottfried Fuhrmann	May 1945	February 1946	CDU
Robert Vierkötter	March 1946	October 1946	SPD
Josef Arens	November 1946	March 1947	CDU
Wilhelm Beinhoff	April 1947	October 1948	CDU
Paul Leibner	November 1948	December 1950	SPD
Günther Runkel	February 1951	November 1951	FDP
Kurt Adenauer	December 1951	December 1954	CDU
Erwin Schiffbauer	January 1955	April 1963	SPD
Matthias Großmann	May 1963	October 1964	CDU
Erwin Schiffbauer	November 1964	February 1972	SPD
Siegfried Tews	March 1972	April 1975	SPD
Karlheinz Krakau	May 1975	September 1989	CDU
Dieter Happ	October 1989	November 2008	SPD	First full-time mayor since October 1, 1999
Marcus Mombauer	December 2008	September 2020	CDU
Bondina Schulze	September 2020	in office	Grüne

Coat of Arms

The coat of arms of Rösrath consists of two areas:

• The upper area shows the red lion of Berg with blue crown, tongue and claws. The lion appears in most of the coats of arms in the district of the Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis.
• The lower area shows a hunting horn with a green background. It symbolizes the Königsforst, in former times a popular hunting district of the earls of Berg.

Culture

Eulenbroich Castle in the carnival parade

Rösrath is known for the Rose Monday Parade, organized every year.

Landmarks

Gateway of Eulenbroich Castle

The gateway of Eulenbroich Castle is virtually the landmark of Rösrath. This "gateway to the Berg region" (Bergisches Land) is used as logo on the letterheads and internet pages of the town council.

Twin towns – sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany

Rösrath is twinned with:^[5]

• Veurne, Belgium (1974)
• Chavenay, France (1998)
• Crespières, France (1998)
• Feucherolles, France (1998)
• Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche, France (1998)

Notable people

• Chris Howland (1928–2013), entertainer, actor and author, lived in Rosrath
• Wolfgang Bochow (1944–2017), badminton player
• Rainer Brüninghaus (born 1949), jazz pianist and composer, has been living in Rösrath since 1976
• Anke Engelke (born 1965), actor and comedian, graduated from the Freiherr-vom-Stein-Schule in Rösrath in 1984