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74-628: Werfener Bach is a small river of North Rhine-Westphalia , Germany . It flows into the Else near Bünde . This article related to a river in North Rhine-Westphalia is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia or North-Rhine/Westphalia , commonly shortened to NRW , is a state ( Land ) in Western Germany . With more than 18 million inhabitants, it

148-463: A Sigamber , while referring to past barbarity: "Bow your gentle neck, Sigamber; adore what you have burned, burn what you have adored." ( Mitis depone colla, Sigamber; adora quod incendisti, incende quod adorasti. ) Another tradition which Gregory of Tours reports to have been widely believed, was that there was a migration of Franks from Pannonia to the Rhine valley. Later mediaeval authors writing in

222-444: A pile bridge across the Rhine and advanced into Sicambri territory. The Sicambri, however, did not wait for his arrival, but, on the advice of their wards, withdrew into forests and uninhabited areas where Caesar was unable to follow them. However, their villages, farms, and grain fields were systematically destroyed. Caesar withdrew after 18 days across the Rhine and destroyed the bridge on his return. In 53 BC, after Caesar defeated

296-518: A Roman literary tradition which portrayed them as archetypical warlike savages, with a resistance to higher culture. In 26 AD, some Sicambrian auxiliaries allied to Rome were involved in crushing an uprising of Thracian tribesmen. All inscriptions found mentioning the Sicambri are from the period 76-157 AD, with the exception of one uncertain example from Mauretania in North Africa, which

370-545: A border with North Rhine-Westphalia: North Rhine-Westphalia has a population of approximately 18.1 million inhabitants (more than the entire former East Germany , and slightly more than the Netherlands ) and is centred around the polycentric Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region , which includes the industrial Ruhr region with the largest city of Dortmund and the Rhenish cities of Bonn , Cologne and Düsseldorf . 30 of

444-792: A deep of 293 m below sea level. At the same time, this is the deepest human-made dip in Germany. The most important rivers flowing at least partially through North Rhine-Westphalia include: the Rhine , the Ruhr , the Ems , the Lippe , and the Weser . The Rhine is by far the most important river in North Rhine-Westphalia: it enters the state as Middle Rhine near Bad Honnef, where still being part of

518-656: A fort at present day Xanten . From 12 BC-8 BC, the Roman empire put pressure upon the Sicambri and other opponents in this region in multiple campaigns, facing the Sicambri core lands. In 12 BC the Sicambri made attacks across the Rhine. Nero Claudius Drusus (Drusus the Elder) launched an attack from Batavia, moving first through the lands of the Usipetes, and then devasted the Sicambrian country. In 11 BC he then devastated

592-562: A framework of a federal parliamentary representative democratic republic. The two main parties are, as on the federal level, the centre-right Christian Democratic Union and the centre-left Social Democratic Party . From 1966 to 2005, North Rhine-Westphalia was continuously governed by the Social Democrats or SPD-led governments. The state's legislative body is the Landtag ("state parliament house"). It may pass laws within

666-544: A general election to elect at least 181 members of the Landtag. Only parties who win at least 5% of the votes cast may be represented in parliament. The Landtag, the parliamentary parties and groups consisting of at least 7 members of parliament have the right to table legal proposals to the Landtag for deliberation. The law that is passed by the Landtag is delivered to the Minister-President, who, together with

740-626: A knot, are come the Sicambrians..." Another poet who used this trope was Horace , in his Odes . Centuries later, authors of Late Antiquity used the Sicambri name as a literate alias for the Franks who came from the same region, but had a name with less history. This was part of a bigger tendency in literature. For example, the Goths , who similarly appeared in the third century, were routinely called Getae or Scythians . Authors who referred to

814-590: A literary stereotype the Sicambri were used by some of the best-known poets of the Augustan era, setting an example for later literature. For example, in the later part of the first century AD, Martial , in his Liber De Spectaculis , a series of epigrams written to celebrate the games in the Colosseum under Titus or Domitian, noted the attendance of numerous peoples, including the Sicambri: "With locks twisted into

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888-522: A raid including Tencteri and Usipetes, which defeated a Roman army under the command of Marcus Lollius . The Sugambri had damaged the prestige of the emperor, and they were quickly willing to negotiate agreements to prevent Roman reprisals. It nevertheless sparked a reaction from the Roman Empire and helped start the series of Germanic Wars . Among actions undertaken at this time the Romans established

962-627: A relatively small part of Westphalia, consisting instead mostly of Hessian and Eastphalian regions. After the Congress of Vienna , the Kingdom of Prussia received a large amount of territory in the Westphalian region and created the province of Westphalia in 1815. The northernmost portions of the former kingdom, including the town of Osnabrück , had become part of the states of Hanover and Oldenburg . The flag of North Rhine-Westphalia

1036-518: A time, but later they amply requited the Romans for their calamity. It appears that Tiberius used a diplomatic approach where by the Sicambrian nobles were isolated as the Germanic region became more peace-seeking. More cooperative Germanic leaders took the upper hand. They accepted a Roman demand to move about 40,000 individuals people to the Xanten area west of the Rhine and elites were settled under

1110-643: Is below the national average in GRDP per capita . The state of North Rhine-Westphalia was established by the British military administration 's "Operation Marriage" on 23 August 1946 by merging the province of Westphalia and the northern parts of the Rhine Province , both being political divisions of the former state of Prussia within the German Reich . On 21 January 1947, the former state of Lippe

1184-582: Is dated to 255 AD. After this the only clear surviving records of the Sicambri are as a literary trope. There are around 20 inscriptions mentioning the cohortes Sugambrorum found mainly in the north of the Balkans, where they apparently helped defend the Lower Danube frontier regions in present day Romania , Bulgaria , and North Macedonia . Others are found in Turkey , and the city of Rome itself. As

1258-568: Is divided almost equally between Catholicism and Protestantism. After the defeat of the Prussian Army at the Battle of Jena-Auerstedt , the Treaty of Tilsit in 1807 made the Westphalian territories part of the Kingdom of Westphalia from 1807 to 1813. It was founded by Napoleon and was a French vassal state . This state only shared the name with the historical region; it contained only

1332-510: Is green-white-red with the combined coats of arms of the Rhineland (white line before green background, symbolizing the river Rhine), Westfalen (the white horse) and Lippe (the red rose). After the establishment of North Rhine-Westphalia in 1946, the tricolor was first introduced in 1948, but was not formally adopted until 1953. The plain variant of the tricolor is considered the civil flag and state ensign, while government authorities use

1406-593: Is hosted in Cologne . It is the largest video game convention in Europe. North Rhine-Westphalia has always been Germany's powerhouse with the largest economy among the German states by GDP figures . In the 1950s and 1960s, Westphalia was known as Land von Kohle und Stahl ( Land of Coal and Steel ). In the post-World War II recovery, the Ruhr was one of the most important industrial regions in Europe, and contributed to

1480-474: Is now Rhineland-Westphalia and neighbouring Belgium and the Netherlands . In spite of its dismembered condition and the sufferings it underwent at the hands of its French neighbours in various periods of warfare, the Rhenish territory prospered greatly and stood in the foremost rank of German culture and progress. Aachen was the place of coronation of the German emperors, and the ecclesiastical principalities of

1554-410: Is the most populous state in Germany. Apart from the city-states ( Berlin , Hamburg and Bremen ), it is also the most densely populated state in Germany. Covering an area of 34,084 km (13,160 sq mi), it is the fourth-largest German state by size. North Rhine-Westphalia features 30 of the 81 German municipalities with over 100,000 inhabitants, including Cologne (over 1 million),

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1628-518: Is the NRW-Nordpunkt near Rahden in the northeast of the state. The Nordpunkt has located the only 100 km to the south of the North Sea coast. The deepest natural dip is arranged in the district Zyfflich in the city of Kranenburg with 9.2 m above sea level in the northwest of the state. Though, the deepest point overground results from mining. The open-pit Hambach reaches at Niederzier

1702-500: The 80 largest cities in Germany are located within North Rhine-Westphalia. The state's capital is Düsseldorf; the state's largest city is Cologne. In 2022, there were 164,496 births and 234,176 deaths. The following table shows the ten largest cities of North Rhine-Westphalia: The following table shows the population of the state since 1930. The values until 1960 are the average of the yearly population, from 1965

1776-519: The Bructeri Minores , at the most northern part of the Rhine and south of the Frisii who inhabit the coast north of the river. However it is likely that this part of his geography was based upon earlier Roman authors. Although the Sicambri ceased to exist as an independent political entity in 8 BC, their legacy was preserved through the traditional names of three Roman auxiliary cohorts, and

1850-568: The Cugerni were later settled on the west side of the Rhine in the Roman province of Germania Inferior . Julius Caesar conquered the tribes on the left bank, and Augustus established numerous fortified posts on the Rhine, but the Romans never succeeded in gaining a firm footing on the right bank, where the Sugambri neighboured several other tribes including the Tencteri and Usipetes . North of

1924-518: The Eburones , but failed to capture their leader Ambiorix , he reported that he invited all of the peoples that were interested to destroy the remainder. Some 2,000 Sicambrian horsemen responded to Caesar's call and, crossing the Rhine in boats, advanced into the Eburones' territory. However, amid their attack, they diverted from the Eburones to the Roman garrison at Aduatuca after hearing news that

1998-637: The Mittelrhein wine region . It changes into the Lower Rhine near Bad Godesberg and leaves North Rhine-Westphalia near Emmerich at a width of 730 metres. Almost immediately after entering the Netherlands, the Rhine splits into many branches. The Pader , which flows entirely within the city of Paderborn , is considered Germany's shortest river. For many, North Rhine-Westphalia is synonymous with industrial areas and urban agglomerations. However,

2072-943: The North German Plain . A few isolated hill ranges are located within these lowlands, among them the Hohe Mark, the Beckum Hills , the Baumberge and the Stemmer Berge . The terrain rises towards the south and in the east of the state into parts of Germany's Central Uplands . These hill ranges are the Weser Uplands – including the Egge Hills , the Wiehen Hills , the Wesergebirge and

2146-898: The Randstad , the Flemish Diamond and the Frankfurt Rhine-Main Region . North Rhine-Westphalia was established in 1946 after World War II from the Prussian provinces of Westphalia and the northern part of Rhine Province ( North Rhine ), and the Free State of Lippe by the British military administration in Allied-occupied Germany and became a state of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1949. The city of Bonn served as

2220-838: The Teutoburg Forest in the east, the Sauerland , the Bergisches Land , the Siegerland and the Siebengebirge in the south, as well as the left-Rhenish Eifel in the southwest of the state. The Rothaargebirge in the border region with Hesse rises to height of about 800 m above sea level. The highest of these mountains are the Langenberg , at 843.2 m above sea level, the Kahler Asten (840.7 m) and

2294-643: The Thirty Years' War . The concept of nation-state sovereignty resulting from the treaty became known as " Westphalian sovereignty ". As a result of the Protestant Reformation , there is no dominant religion in Westphalia. Catholicism and Lutheranism are on relatively equal footing. Lutheranism is strong in the eastern and northern parts with numerous free churches. Münster and especially Paderborn are thought of as Catholic. Osnabrück

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2368-618: The state flag ( Landesdienstflagge ) which is defaced with the state's coat of arms . The state ensign can easily be mistaken for a distressed flag of Hungary , as well as the former national flag of Iran (1964–1980). The same flag was used by the Rhenish Republic (1923–1924) as a symbol of independence and freedom. The horse on the coat of arms is a reference to the Saxon Steed , a heraldic motif associated with both Westphalia and Lower Saxony . The horse first featured in

2442-641: The 15th century coat of arms of the Duchy of Westphalia, before being inherited by the Prussian province of Westphalia and finally the modern state of North Rhine-Westphalia. North Rhine-Westphalia encompasses the plains of the Lower Rhine region and parts of the Central Uplands ( die Mittelgebirge ) up to the gorge of Porta Westfalica . The state covers an area of 34,083 km (13,160 sq mi) and shares borders with Belgium ( Wallonia ) in

2516-632: The Clemensberg (839.2 m). The planimetrically determined centre of North Rhine-Westphalia is located in the south of Dortmund- Aplerbeck in the Aplerbecker Mark (51° 28' N, 7° 33' Ö). Its westernmost point is situated near Selfkant close to the Dutch border, the easternmost near Höxter on the Weser . The southernmost point lies near Hellenthal in the Eifel region. The northernmost point

2590-571: The Franks as Sicambri included Claudian , Sidonius Apollinaris , Venantius Fortunatus , the Panegyrici Latini , the Life of King Sigismund , and the Life of King Dagobert . This literary tradition had an influence lasting into the early middle ages. In the 6th century, Gregory of Tours reports that when Clovis I was baptised by Saint Remigius in 496 this bishop called Clovis

2664-425: The German Wirtschaftswunder . As of the late 1960s, repeated crises led to contractions of these industrial branches. On the other hand, producing sectors, particularly in mechanical engineering and metal and iron working industry, experienced substantial growth. Despite this structural change and an economic growth which was under national average, the 2018 GDP of 705 billion euro (1/4 of the total German GDP) made NRW

2738-476: The Menapii, "who dwell on both sides of the river Rhine near its mouth, in marshes and low thorny woods. It is opposite to these Menapii that the Sicambri are situated". Strabo describes them as Germanic, and notes that beyond them are the Suevi and other peoples. Elsewhere however, Strabo mentions that the Rhine valley Germans have mainly been displaced: "there are but few remaining, and some portion of them are Sicambri". He apparently understood their position on

2812-402: The Rhine after most had been moved from the area to join the Eburones and other cisrhenic Germans . By the time of Rome's conflict with the British Silures , Tacitus reports that the Sicambri could be mentioned as an historical example of a tribe who "had been formerly destroyed or transplanted into Gaul". Claudius Ptolemy , in the second century AD, still located the Sicambri, together with

2886-425: The Rhine bulked largely in German history. Prussia first set foot on the Rhine in 1609 by the occupation of the Duchy of Cleves and about a century later Upper Guelders and Moers also became Prussian. At the peace of Basel in 1795, the whole of the left bank of the Rhine was resigned to France, and in 1806, the Rhenish princes all joined the Confederation of the Rhine . After the Congress of Vienna, Prussia

2960-413: The Rhine in Gaul . The first mention of the Sicambri is in the fourth book, corresponding to year 55 BC, of Caesar's Commentarii de Bello Gallico . He reported, under the name Sugambri , a general location between the rivers Sieg and Lippe with a concentration between the rivers Rhine, Lippe, and Wupper . The tribe had an ancillary role in the Gallic Wars . In a series of clashes between

3034-431: The Rhine to literally be on the coast. With the German wars still on-going, he describes them as being one of the most well-known Germanic tribes in his time. In contrast to those Sicambri who were moved west of the Rhine, the main part of the Sicambri "migrated deep into the country anticipating the Romans" according to Strabo . It has been suggested that the Marsi were a part of the Sicambri who managed to stay east of

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3108-430: The Romans and two transrhenic tribes – the Tencteri and Usipetes – that had crossed into the Eburones ' territory on the western side of the Rhine, the tribes were defeated and their cavalry was forced back across the Rhine. Those cavalry forces then sought and received refuge with the Sicambri. Refusing Caesar's demand that the refugees be handed over the remark that the Rhine marked a natural Roman border, Caesar built

3182-424: The Romans built their fort at Oberaden , well east of the Rhine in Sicambrian territory. These descriptions show that the tribe was living to the south of the river Lippe , with the Usipetes now settled to their northwest. In 9 BC the Sicambri battled Drusus as part of a major alliance with the Cherusci and Suevi and lost. In 8-7 BC, after this defeat and the death of Drusus, the future emperor Tiberius forced

3256-438: The Romans had stored a large amount of plunder there. The Romans, amid foraging and thus caught off-guard by the attack, repelled it only with substantial difficulty. The Sicambrians, taking their plunder with them, then retired back across the Rhine so to escape any reprisal. Under the ensuing hegemony of the Romans in this region, the Rhine became a frontier, and the successors of Caesar helped fortify and reinforce their allies

3330-422: The Sicambri spoke a Germanic or Celtic language, or something else, is not certain. They lived in a contact zone where these two language families came into contact and were both influential. By the 3rd century, the region in which they and their neighbours had lived had become part of the territory of the Franks , which was a new name that possibly represented a new alliance of older tribes, possibly including

3404-426: The Sicambri, or a part of them, to move to the western, Roman-controlled, side of the Rhine. Modern historians speculate that they possibly merged into Romanized population immediately facing their old lands, who were known from about this time as the Cugerni . The more detailed description of this period by Cassius Dio however describes the results of the victories of Tiberius somewhat differently: Accordingly all

3478-528: The Sicambri. However, many Sicambri had been moved into the Roman empire by this time. The specific way the name is spelt differs can differ considerably across sources. The Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography gives four variant spellings under the entry Sicambri : Sycambri , Sygambri , Sugambri , and Sucambri . The earliest source, Caesar's Commentarii de Bello Gallico , calls them Sugambri but in later sources they are more commonly called Sicambri . A Germanic etymology has been proposed for

3552-449: The Sigambri and the Rhine region were the Bructeri . As the power of the Roman empire declined, many of these tribes came to be seen collectively as Ripuarian Franks and they pushed forward along both banks of the Rhine, and by the end of the fifth century had conquered all the lands that had formerly been under Roman influence. By the eighth century, the Frankish dominion was firmly established in western Germany and northern Gaul, but at

3626-440: The Ubii, to the south of the Sicambri near modern Cologne . A faction of Chatti were also able to settle in Roman-controlled Batavia , in the Rhine delta just east of the Sugambri, becoming the Batavians . The Sicambri were thus enclosed within a pincer movement by Rome's frontier policy. In 16 BC, during the reign of Augustus ( r.  27 BC – AD 14 ), the Sicambrian leader Melo, brother of Baetorix, organised

3700-404: The Usipetes' country, and built a bridge over the Lippe in order to once again enter the Sicambrian lands. There he faced little resistance because they were in a conflict with their neighbours the Chatti. He was able to cross this country and reach the Cherusci frontier near the Weser . Drusus faced stiff resistance upon his return, but he defeated the Sicambri and it was probably at this time that

3774-468: The area of Westphalia. Charlemagne is thought to have spent considerable time in Paderborn and nearby parts. His Saxon Wars also partly took place in what is thought of as Westphalia today. Popular legends link his adversary Widukind to places near Detmold , Bielefeld , Lemgo , Osnabrück, and other places in Westphalia. Widukind was buried in Enger , which is also a subject of a legend. Along with Eastphalia and Engern , Westphalia ( Westfalahi )

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3848-574: The barbarians except the Sugambri, through fear of them, made overtures of peace; but they gained nothing either at this time, — for Augustus refused to conclude a truce with them without the Sugambri, — or, indeed, later. To be sure, the Sugambri also sent envoys, 3 but so far were they from accomplishing anything that all of these envoys, who were both many and distinguished, perished into the bargain. For Augustus arrested them and placed them in various cities; and they, being greatly distressed at this, took their own lives. The Sugambri were thereupon quiet for

3922-434: The competency of the state, e.g. cultural matters, the education system, matters of internal security, i.e. the police, building supervision, health supervision and the media; as opposed to matters that are reserved to Federal law. North Rhine-Westphalia uses the same electoral system as the Federal level in Germany: " Personalized proportional representation ". Every five years the citizens of North Rhine-Westphalia vote in

3996-422: The districts and municipalities, while the Landschaftsverband has a directly elected assembly. The five government regions of North Rhine-Westphalia each belong to one of the two Landschaftsverbände : The state's area covers a maximum distance of 291 km from north to south, and 266 km from east to west. The total length of the state's borders is 1,645 km. The following countries and states have

4070-413: The early Sicambri which was a variant of the La Tène culture , which is associated with Celtic languages . Like the Cimbri , and like their neighbours across the Rhine, the Eburones , many names of Sicambrian leaders end in typical Celtic suffixes like -rix (Baetorix, Deudorix, etc.). If the Sicambri were not Celtic speakers themselves, this could also indicate intense contacts with Celtic peoples across

4144-404: The economically strongest state of Germany by GRP figures , as well as one of the most important economical areas in the world. Of Germany's top 100 corporations, 37 are based in North Rhine-Westphalia. On a per capita base, however, North Rhine-Westphalia remains one of the weaker among the Western German states. North Rhine-Westphalia attracts companies from both Germany and abroad. In 2009,

4218-400: The federal capital until the reunification of Germany in 1990 and as the seat of government until 1999. Culturally, North Rhine-Westphalia is not a uniform area; there are significant differences, especially in traditional customs, between the Rhineland region on the one hand and the regions of Westphalia and Lippe on the other. Its economy is the largest among German states by GRDP but

4292-501: The interior ministry of North Rhine-Westphalia reported that the number of mosques with a Salafist influence had risen from 3 to 9, which indicated both an actual increase and improved reporting. According to German authorities, Salafism is incompatible with the principles codified in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany , in particular: democracy , the rule of law , and political order based on human rights . The politics of North Rhine-Westphalia takes place within

4366-541: The kingdom of Lotharingia . By the time of Otto I (d. 973), both banks of the Rhine had become part of the Holy Roman Empire , and the Rhenish territory was divided between the duchies of Upper Lorraine on the Moselle and Lower Lorraine on the Meuse. The Ottonian dynasty had both Saxon and Frankish ancestry. As the central power of the Holy Roman Emperor weakened, the Rhineland split into numerous small, independent, separate vicissitudes and special chronicles. The old Lotharingian divisions became obsolete, although

4440-432: The largest part of the state is used for agriculture (almost 52%) and forests (25%). The state consists of five government regions ( Regierungsbezirke ), divided into 31 districts ( Kreise ) and 23 urban districts ( kreisfreie Städte ). In total, North Rhine-Westphalia has 396 municipalities (1997), including the urban districts, which are municipalities by themselves. The government regions have an assembly elected by

4514-658: The ministers involved, is required to sign it and announce it in the Law and Ordinance Gazette. These are the minister-presidents of North Rhine-Westphalia : For the current state government, see Wüst cabinet . The state has Aachen Cathedral , the Cologne Cathedral , the Zeche Zollverein in Essen , the Augustusburg Palace in Brühl and the Imperial Abbey of Corvey in Höxter which are all World Heritage Sites . North Rhine-Westphalia hosts film festivals in Cologne , Bonn, Dortmund , Duisburg , Münster , Oberhausen and Lünen . Other large festivals include Rhenish carnivals , Ruhrtriennale . Every year Gamescom

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4588-429: The name of the Sicambri or Sugambri. The first element su- is proposed to be a little-known Germanic version of Indo-European meaning "good", which is better attested in Celtic languages. The second part of the name is associated with the little-known Gambrivii , who are mentioned twice by Roman sources, and sometimes associated with the Sicambri by modern scholars, because of the similar names. The material culture of

4662-417: The name survives for example in Lorraine in France, and throughout the Middle Ages and even into modern times, the nobility of these areas often sought to preserve the idea of a preeminent duke within Lotharingia, something claimed by the Dukes of Limburg , and the Dukes of Brabant . Such struggles as the War of the Limburg Succession therefore continued to create military and political links between what

4736-441: The population at year end is used. Source: Statistische Ämter des Bundes Und der Länder As of 2020 , 50% of the population of the state adhered to the Roman Catholic Church , 25% to the Protestant Church in Germany , and 28% of the population is irreligious or adheres to other denominations or religions. North Rhine-Westphalia ranks first in population among German states for both Roman Catholics and Protestants. In 2016,

4810-420: The republican rule of the French. In 1920, the districts of Eupen and Malmedy were transferred to Belgium (see German-speaking Community of Belgium ). Around AD 1, numerous incursions occurred through Westphalia and perhaps even some permanent Roman or Romanized settlements. The Battle of Teutoburg Forest took place near Osnabrück and some of the Germanic tribes who fought at this battle came from

4884-406: The same time, to the north, Westphalia was being taken over by Saxons pushing south. The Merovingian and Carolingian Franks eventually built an empire which controlled first their Ripuarian kin, and then the Saxons. On the division of the Carolingian Empire at the Treaty of Verdun , the part of the province to the east of the river fell to East Francia , while that to the west remained with

4958-402: The seventh and eighth centuries reported more elaborate and fanciful versions of this Pannonia myth, which made the Franks descendants of the Trojans, a claim shared by many peoples in this time including the Romans themselves. One version mentions a city called Sicambria. These legends are rejected by most modern scholars since there is no evidence that the Franks originated anywhere other than

5032-412: The southwest and the Netherlands ( Limburg , Gelderland and Overijssel ) in the west and northwest. It has borders with the German states of Lower Saxony to the north and northeast, Rhineland-Palatinate to the south and Hesse to the southeast. Approximately half of the state is located in the relative low-lying terrain of the Westphalian Lowland and the Rhineland , both extending broadly into

5106-420: The state capital Düsseldorf (630,000), Dortmund and Essen (about 590,000 inhabitants each) and other cities predominantly located in the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan area , the largest urban area in Germany and the fourth-largest on the European continent . The location of the Rhine-Ruhr at the heart of the European Blue Banana makes it well connected to other major European cities and metropolitan areas like

5180-403: The state had the most foreign direct investments ( FDI ) anywhere in Germany. Around 13,100 foreign companies from the most important investment countries control their German or European operations from bases in North Rhine-Westphalia. Sugambri Caesar categorized them as a Germanic people ( Germani ), although he did not necessarily define ethnicity in terms of language. Whether or not

5254-485: The watchful eye of the Roman military. In 9 AD, Deudorix, son of Baetorix, joined the Germanic rebellion of Arminius , of the Cherusci , which annihilated the 3 Roman legions of Publius Quinctilius Varus . After the defeat of this alliance, Deudorix was among the captives paraded in Rome during the triumph of Germanicus . Strabo , writing around 20 AD, described the position of Sicambri using similar words to Caesar, and possibly based upon them. He placed them next to

5328-488: Was awarded the entire Rhineland , which included the Grand Duchy of Berg , the ecclesiastic electorates of Trier and Cologne , the free cities of Aachen and Cologne, and nearly a hundred small lordships and abbeys. The Prussian Rhine province was formed in 1822 and Prussia had the tact to leave the lower Rhenish districts in undisturbed possession of the liberal institutions to which they had become accustomed under

5402-527: Was merged with North Rhine-Westphalia. The constitution of North Rhine-Westphalia was then ratified through a referendum . The first written account of the area was by its conqueror, Julius Caesar , the territories west of the Rhine were occupied by the Eburones and east of the Rhine he reported the Ubii (across from Cologne) and the Sugambri to their north. The Ubii and some other Germanic tribes such as

5476-626: Was originally a district of the Duchy of Saxony . In 1180, Westphalia was elevated to the rank of a duchy by Emperor Barbarossa . The Duchy of Westphalia comprised only a small area south of the Lippe River . Parts of Westphalia came under Brandenburg-Prussian control during the 17th and 18th centuries, but most of it remained divided duchies and other feudal areas of power. The Peace of Westphalia of 1648, signed in Münster and Osnabrück, ended

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