Did you know Alkenrath was last to be mentioned of all today’s Leverkusen districts? It happened in 1458. Let me tell you about Alkenrath. This district is part of Leverkusen. It lies within Stadtbezirk III. This district also contains Schlebusch. Steinbüchel and Lützenkirchen are part of it too. Alkenrath is not just a place on the map. It is part of Leverkusen’s story.
Leverkusen itself has a fascinating past. The city we know today was formed in 1930. Wiesdorf, Schlebusch, Steinbüchel and Rheindorf joined together. But the name Leverkusen comes from Carl Leverkus. He was an apothecary and started a chemical factory in the area. His family came from a place called Leverkusen near Remscheid. So he named the settlement for his workers Leverkusen.
Later in 1975 Leverkusen grew even bigger. Opladen, Bergisch Neukirchen and Hitdorf became part of the city. Leverkusen was then divided into three districts. Opladen was split between two of them. Leverkusen now has three main centers. These are in Wiesdorf, Schlebusch and Opladen. Opladen is often called the gateway to the Bergisches Land. Bergisch Neukirchen lies on the western edge of this region.
The area around Alkenrath slopes towards the Bergisches Land. The rest of Leverkusen is in the Rhine plain. The dialect here is mostly Ripuarian. This is similar to the “Kölsche Mundart” from Cologne.
Leverkusen sits on the right bank of the Rhine River. The Wupper River flows into the Rhine here. Cologne is about 10 km to the south. The Bergisches Land starts to the east. The highest point in Leverkusen is near Burscheid. It is about 199 meters above sea level. The lowest point is near the Hitdorf harbor at 35 meters.
The area that is now Leverkusen has been settled since the 10th century. Alkenrath though was not mentioned until later. It was part of the County of Berg.
Grab stones from Roman times have been found in Leverkusen. These graves included soldiers’ equipment. There were also Roman-style settlements. These finds show that Romans lived here. Later the Franks took over in the 4th century. Under Charlemagne, Leverkusen was part of the Deutzgau area.
Much of the land east of the Rhine belonged to the powerful Archbishopric of Cologne. This included Leverkusen. In the 11th century a Rheindorf estate was linked to Cologne’s Apostle Church. Hitdorf was mentioned in 1151 with its St. Pantaleon abbey.
From about 1150 the Counts of Berg ruled the area. The church in Bürrig was first mentioned in 1147. Churches in Lützenkirchen and Wiesdorf followed. The Schlebusch church was mentioned in 1235. By the 14th century churches in Wiesdorf Rheindorf Bürrig Opladen Lützenkirchen and Neukirchen were listed in tax records.
Farmers in Leverkusen were fairly independent early on. They did not have to do forced labor. This allowed them to rise in society. Most people lived off farming and forestry in the early modern period. Wiesdorf Schlebusch and Lützenkirchen were likely the largest towns with under 1000 people.
Today Alkenrath contributes to Leverkusen’s identity. It is a part of a city shaped by industry and history. Leverkusen known for Bayer. It is also known for its location between the Rhine plain and the Bergisches Land. Alkenrath shares in this identity being part of Leverkusen since 1975. The people here speak a dialect connected to Cologne. They live in a city with Roman roots. A city that grew thanks to its location on the Rhine.