Wuppertal
Wuppertal is a district city of North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany, belonging to the regency of Düsseldorf. It is located south of the Rhura Basin in the vicinity of Düsseldorf, Cologne, and Essen. It is the biggest city of the Bergisches Land. Its population numbers about 360000 inhabitants.
Wuppertal was established on 1 August 1929 as a result of the connection of seven towns: Elberfeld, Barmen, Cronenberg, Ronsdorf, Vohwinkel, Beyenburg, and Lüttringhausen (now Remscheid). The name of the city comes from its location in the valley of the river Wupper (Tal in German means a valley).
The city is famous for its over-head railway called Schwebebahn (constructed in 1901) being the main means of transport there. Wuppertal is a seat of the well-known dance theatre Piny Bausch.
The following persons were born in Wuppertal:
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Frederic Engels (1820 – 1895), associate, friend and patron of Charles Marks
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Else Lasker-Schüler (1869-1945), Jewish poetess of the expressionism
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Steffen Möller (* 1969), actor and author of a book titled: “Poland is likeable”
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Johannes Rau (1931 – 2006), President of the Federal Republic of Germany in the years 1999 -2004
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Erich Ribbeck (*1937), football coach of the German representation in the years 1998-2000,
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Ferdinand Sauerbruch (1875-1951), doctor and pioneer in thoracosurgery,
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Alice Schwarzer (*1924) feminist ,
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Tom Tykwer (*1965), firm director and producer (like: “Run Lola, run”)
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Hans Gunter Winkler (*1926), equestrian, gold medalist in the Stockholm Olympic Games in 1959.
Partner towns: South Tyneside in Great Britain; Saint Etienne in France; Berlin-Schöneberg in Germany; Beer Szewa in Israel; Košice in Slovakia; Schwerin in Germany; Matagalpa in Nicaragua; Legnica in Poland.
