Brühl (Rhineland)

Brühl (pronounced [bʁyːl] ^ⓘ) is a town in the Rhineland, Germany. It is located in the district of Rhine-Erft, 20 km south of the Cologne city center and at the edge of the Rhineland Nature Park, a famous nature reserve.

Brühl
Town
Augustusburg Palace
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Brühl within Rhein-Erft-Kreis district
Brühl Show map of Germany Brühl Show map of North Rhine-Westphalia
Coordinates: 50°50′N 6°54′E
Country	Germany
State	North Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. region	Köln
District	Rhein-Erft-Kreis
Subdivisions	7
Government
• Mayor (2020–25)	Dieter Freytag[1] (SPD)
Area
• Total	36.12 km2 (13.95 sq mi)
Elevation	65 m (213 ft)
Population  (2023-12-31)[2]
• Total	45,515
• Density	1,300/km2 (3,300/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	50321
Dialling codes	02232
Vehicle registration	BM
Website	bruehl.de

History

Brühl market place, c. 1900

Brühl received its town privileges in 1285. From 1567 on, the city of Brühl was the official residence of the Prince Bishops of Cologne. In the 18th century the Prince Bishop Clemens August replaced a former ruined castle and built the Augustusburg and Falkenlust palaces near the city center. Today, both are listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites because of their outstanding rococo architecture. Until 1990 Augustusburg Palace was used by the federal government to receive foreign heads of states visiting West Germany.

Main sights

The Max Ernst Museum of modern art

• The amusement park Phantasialand
• The Max Ernst Museum, opened in 2005. It displays sculptures and paintings of the surrealistic artist Max Ernst (who was born in Brühl) and other modern art.
• Local history and pottery are shown in two small museums in the city centre

Infrastructure

Brühl station is on the Left Rhine line and the nearby Kierberg station is on the Eifel railway. Brühl also has several stops on line 18 of the Cologne tram line.

Notable people

• Else Schmitt (1921–1995), politician (SPD) and a district mayor in Cologne
• Erika Reihlen (born 1936), theologian and former president of the German Protestant Church Day
• Hans Leyendecker (born 1949), journalist
• Heinz-Josef Kehr (1950–2014), footballer
• Helmut Müller-Brühl (1933–2012), conductor and initiator of the Brühler Schlosskonzerte at the Augustusburg Palace
• Joel Sturm (born 2001), racing driver
• Josef Engel (1922–1978), historian
• Max Ernst (1891–1976), painter and sculptor
• Patric Hemgesberg (born 1973), lyricist
• Reiner Calmund (born 1948), football coach and former manager of Bayer 04 Leverkusen
• Wolfgang Streeck (born 1946), sociologist

Twin towns – sister cities

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

Brühl is twinned with:^[3]

• Chalcis, Greece
• Kaş, Turkey
• Kunice, Poland
• Royal Leamington Spa, England, United Kingdom
• Sceaux, France
• Weißwasser, Germany

Gallery

Panoramic view of Brühl as seen from the 1959-built Stelzenhaus skyscraper

References

1. Wahlergebnisse in NRW Kommunalwahlen 2020, Land Nordrhein-Westfalen, accessed 29 June 2021.
2. "Bevölkerung der Gemeinden Nordrhein-Westfalens am 31. Dezember 2023 – Fortschreibung des Bevölkerungsstandes auf Basis des Zensus vom 9. Mai 2011" (in German). Landesbetrieb Information und Technik NRW. Retrieved 2024-06-20.
3. "Städtepartnerschaften". bruehl.de (in German). Brühl. Retrieved 2021-02-10.

External links

Media related to Brühl (Rheinland) at Wikimedia Commons

• Official website (in German)
• Max Ernst Museum
• Brühler Museumsinsel
• Phantasialand theme park