Grefrath (Solingen)

Grefrat is located in the north of Solingen, on the border with the city of Khan . For the most part, this border runs along the Itter River, originating from the "Holy Spring" (Heiligen Born) in Grefrath and flowing into the Rhine in Düsseldorf Benrath . Several more small waterways flow through Grefrath territory, among which are the Nümmener and the Holzer Bach streams.

In the north and east, Grefrat borders the city of Wuppertal along the Wupper River. In the south, Grefrath borders on the central (Mitte) district of Solingen, and in the west it adjoins the Solingen district of Wald.

In Grefrath, near the former water tower, now transformed into a landmark called the “Tower of Light” ( Lichtturm ), is the topographically highest point of Solingen (276 meters above sea level ).

In addition to the compact historical center, the Grefrat urban district includes farm villages located around, in which several families live. By the level of provision with domestic and other living conditions, these settlements do not differ from urban areas (there is water supply , sewage , electricity , telephone , mobile and Internet connection, excellent roads and sidewalks, with the exception of public transport , since each family has several cars) . In terms of environmental conditions (clean air, the absence of city noise), accommodation on farms is more attractive, so wealthy citizens of historical Grefrat move here.

Grefrat's farm villages include: Altenfeld, Central, Flachsberg, Flockertsholz, Focher Dahl, Fürkeltrath, Heidez, Holide, Ketzberg), Külf, Nümmen, Rathland, Schieten, Stockdum, Vogelsang, Zum Holz.

For a long time, the Bergish country remained uninhabited due to its inaccessible forests and mountainous rocky terrain. Celts and Germans avoided settling here , and the Romans confined themselves to the left bank of the Rhine ( Cologne , Neuss ). Grefrath was first documented only in the High Middle Ages under 1135 , as Villa Greverode. Translated into Russian, this means “Count Rooting” within the Catholic Church District Wald ( Archdiocese of Cologne ). It has been historically proven that the founder of the female pin in Grefrat is Mother Superior Elizabeth von Vilich. This event took place in 1185-1187. Until these years, the reason for the foundation of the monastery was the chapel that stood here with the image of the Mother of God (now known as the icon of the Mother of God "Grefratskaya" ^[2] ), famous for many miracles and to which crowds of pilgrims marched. In 1195, the first monastery church was consecrated in Grefrath.

When at the beginning of the XIV century a particle of the relics of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine of Alexandria was brought to the monastery, there were even more pilgrims. On the basis of this high place value for the inhabitants of the Bergish country, Duke William I in 1402 granted Grefrat the status of a free self-governing settlement (Freiheit).

In 1686, fire destroyed the central part of the village. 90% of buildings burned down. The reason for this significant disaster is the dense building (wall to wall) of wooden houses ( half-timbered houses ) and the lack of a fire brigade. This fire was the most devastating in the history of Grefrath. In the following decades, a completely new center was formed. Little has been preserved from the old layout, and narrow spaces began to be left between the houses. The modern old town of Grefrath has been preserved since the beginning of the 18th century and only minor modern reconstructions took place in it.

In 1717, a new fire broke out, destroying several buildings, including the monastery church. It was again restored, but the irreparable happened in 1803 : the new authorities liquidated the monastery, confiscated its property, and the church turned from a monastery into a parish .

Since 1823 , when the optometrist Friedrich Hermann de Leuw opened his medical office in Grefrat, the city gains worldwide fame. It is declared a medical resort. Patients come to the luminary of medicine from all over the world and this, in turn, leads to the heyday of the hotel and restaurant business. From 1843 until his death in 1861, Dr. Löw lives in the Haus Grünewald manor. Shortly after his death, the tourist flow to Grefrat begins to weaken.

In 1929, the Grefrat community merged with the city of Solingen. At the same time, the neighboring cities Wald, Oliggs and Hochsheid joined the association. Thus Grefrath became an integral part of the enlarged city of Solingen.

• Grefrat Monastery

• Stadtteilinfos - Solingen Gräfrath (NRW)
• Solingen-gräfrath interaktiv