Solingen: Guide, Hotels, Map & Photos
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EUR 41 - 329 Kempe Komfort plus Hotel
 This hotel offers apartments with a kitchenette, free Wi-Fi and free underground parking. It is a 10-minute walk from Solingen Station and a 15-minute… MoreEUR 49 - 108 Treff Hotel Solingen City Centre
 This 3-star hotel is a 5-minute drive from Solingen city centre and 500 metres from Solingen Town Hall, and offers free on-site parking.
The modern r… MoreEUR 62 - 240 Hotel Solinger Hof
 This family-run hotel features 3 bowling alleys and a restaurant serving seasonal dishes. It offers free parking in the centre of Solingen, 400 metres… MoreEUR 60 - 115 Hotel Niggemann
 Just 300 metres from Grafenschloß Burg Castle, this quietly located hotel in Solingen offers a garden with sun terrace, a traditional-style restauran… MoreEUR 60 - 285 Hotel Hölscher
 This hotel and restaurant is located in the centre of Solingen-Wald, just a few walking minutes to the municipal park of Wald. Solingen train station … MoreEUR 70 - 595 Hotel Gräfrather Hof
 Our exclusive four star business hotel is located in the heart of the historical market place at Solingen Graefrath. Surrounded by idyllic timbered an… More | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Solingen: Guide
Solingen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the northern edge of the region called Berg (German region)|Bergisches Land, south of the Ruhr area. Population: 163,923 (2005).
Solingen is called the "City of blades", since it has long been renowned for the manufacturing of fine swords, knives, scissors, and other cutlery made by famous firms such as Wüsthof, Zwilling (J.A. Henckels), and numerous other manufacturers.
In Medieval times, the swordsmiths of Solingen coined the town's image, which is preserved to date. In the latter part of the 17th century, a group of swordsmiths from Solingen broke their guild oaths by taking their sword-making secrets with them to Shotley Bridge, County Durham in England, an ideal area, due to its iron reserves and the proximity of the River Derwent. Some 90% of German knives are produced in Solingen.
History
Solingen was first mentioned in 1067 by an editor. He called the area "Solonchon". It was a tiny village for centuries, but became a fortified town in the 15th century. In World War II the Old Town was completely destroyed by an air raid in 1944 and 1,040 people died, so there are few sights in the center.
In 1929 Ohligs, located in the Prussian Rhine Province, 17 miles by rail north of Cologne became part of Solingen. Its chief manufactures were cutlery and hardware, and there were iron-foundries and flour-mills. Other industries are brewing, dyeing, weaving and brick-making. Before 1891 it was known as Merscheid.
More recently, the city has been well known because of a May 29, 1993 fire in which two women and three girls died in an arson attack on the house of a Turkish family in Solingen. Seven more people were severely injured. Followers of Neo-Nazism were believed to have set the fire. The incident ignited further controversy when the German Chancellor, Helmut Kohl, refused to attend the funeral for the Solingen victims.
Main sights
Remaining edifices in the city center include:
Schloss Burg, the Castle of the counts of Berg
This "Travel Guide" section is drawn from the Wikipedia article "Solingen". We hope you will edit and improve it. It is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.
Klosterkirche, church (1690)
Deutsches Klingenmuseum, German Blade Museum, presenting swords and cutlery of all epochs
Müngstener Brücke, a railroad bridge connecting Solingen with the neighbour town of Remscheid. Standing at 107 m above the ground, it is the highest railroad bridge of Germany.Famous people
Solingen was the birthplace of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann.
The original members of the German heavy metal band Accept were from Solingen.Twin cities
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