As the largest city on the left side of the Lower Rhine, Mönchengladbach is home to more than 272,000 people with different languages, cultures and religions. With 44 city quarters, which are individual in their own way, diversity is reflected in a mix of big-city flair and Lower Rhenish natural landscape. With two large city centres – Mönchengladbach with its uphill shopping mile on Hindenburgstraße and historic old town on Abteiberg and Rheydt with its popular weekly market on a large market square, the city is uniquely bipolar, combining shopping, gastronomy and socio-cultural togetherness.
Many visitors to Mönchengladbach visit its museums year-round, such as Abteiberg Museum, which was opened in 1982 by Joseph Beuys with its special architecture and changing exhibitions, Rheydt Castle Museum, and the ‘Fohlenwelt’ Borussia Museum in Borussia Park. Structural highlights like one of the most beautiful art nouveau water towers in Germany and the Baroque-style Wickrath Castle on Niers Plains are other must-sees. For nature lovers, the Bunter Garten (Colourful Garden) at Kaiser Friedrich Hall in the middle of the city satisfies a need for both sightseeing and relaxation, or you can explore Lower Rhenish culture on the many cycle paths in and around Mönchengladbach.
In addition to all its history, Mönchengladbach is in the process of structural transformation in order to deal with future challenges. As the former ‘Rhenish Manchester’ of the textile industry, the present-day Textile City relies above all on innovative research and development concepts with the Lower Rhine College and Textile Academy based at the location.
