Bergheim, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

🇩🇪 Bergheim is a German town, some twenty km west of Cologne and the capital of the Rhein-Erft-Kreis. The town's Niederaußem district is one of the most important suppliers for energy from lignites in Europe.

Geography Bergheim is about 22 km west of Cologne, approximately 72 metres above sea level. Its highest point is the Glessener Höhe (Glessen Height) at 204 metres. The Erft River flows through Bergheim. The town lies in the Zülpicher Börde, which belongs to the Kölner Bucht. Economically and geographically Bergheim is in the Rhenish lignite coalfield.

History There is a burial hill in Niederaußem, dating from about 4000 BC. Romans settled in Bergheim around 50 BC. They constructed the major Roman road, the Via Belgica, that crossed the area where Bergheim is today. Later the Franks took control over the region. In the Middle Ages, Bergheim was granted city rights and later became part of the County of Jülich. In the 19th and 20th centuries Bergheim grew rapidly through the settlement of industry based on the local lignite coal. In World War II, the Wesseling synthetic oil plant was bombed during the Oil Campaign of World War II. Then in April 1944, a large underground plant for synthetic oil manufactured from lignite was set up outside Bergheim.

Districts • Ahe • Auenheim • Bergheim-Mitte • Büsdorf • Fliesteden • Glesch • Glessen • Kenten • Niederaußem • Oberaußem • Paffendorf • Quadrath-Ichendorf • Rheidt-Hüchelhoven • Thorr • Zieverich

Points of interest Points of interest are the Niederaussem Power Station with the world's tallest cooling tower as well as the Kottenforst-Ville Nature Park.