Frechen

Frechen
Town
Protestant church
Protestant church
Flag of Frechen
Flag
Coat of arms of Frechen
Coat of arms
Mettmann (district)Rhein-Erft-KreisNorth Rhine-WestphaliaHeinsberg (district)Rhein-Kreis NeussCologneWesselingRhein-Sieg-KreisDüren (district)Euskirchen (district)PulheimBergheimErftstadtHürthKerpenBedburgBrühlFrechenElsdorf
Location of Frechen within Rhein-Erft-Kreis district
Interactive map of Frechen
Frechen is located in Germany
Frechen
Frechen
Location within Germany
Frechen is located in North Rhine-Westphalia
Frechen
Frechen
Location within North Rhine-Westphalia
Coordinates: 50°55′N 6°49′E / 50.917°N 6.817°E / 50.917; 6.817
CountryGermany
StateNorth Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. regionCologne
DistrictRhein-Erft-Kreis
Subdivisions9
Government
 • Mayor (2025–30)Kai Uwe Tietz (SPD)
Area
 • Total
45.06 km2 (17.40 sq mi)
Elevation
58–158 m (190–518 ft)
Population
 (2025-12-31)
 • Total
51,927
 • Density1,152/km2 (2,985/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
50226
Dialling codes02234
Vehicle registrationBM
Websitewww.stadt-frechen.de

Frechen (German pronunciation: [ˈfʁɛçn̩] ⓘ; Ripuarian: Frechem) is a town in the Rhein-Erft District, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

History

Frechen was first mentioned in 877 and is situated at the western Cologne city border.

It is the site of the 1257 Battle of Frechen between Conrad von Hochstaden, Archbishop of Cologne and the people of the town. In the 16th century it became known for locally produced terra cotta products, especially the "Bartmannskrug" (beardman jug).

In the late 18th century lignite was industrially mined. Digging for lignite dominated the city's economy until the end of the 20th century, and in 1891 the first briquette factory was opened.

On 2 September 1951 Frechen received its city-rights including the villages of Bachem, Hücheln and Buschbell. On 1 January 1975 the nearby villages of Grefrath, Habbelrath, Königsdorf and Neufreimersdorf were also incorporated.

In 1971, the Keramion, a ceramics museum in a distinctive glass-enclosed modern structure designed by architect Peter Neufert, opened to display the extensive historic and contemporary collection of local collector Gottfried Cremer.

Keramion

From the 1980s onwards an increasing number of industrial, commercial and service enterprises choose Frechen as their location, so that the town changed its features considerably.

Population

Local council

Elections were held in September 2025.

Notable people

Twin towns – sister cities

Frechen is twinned with:

Frechen-Königsdorf station

The lines S12 and S19 of the Cologne S-Bahn have the station Frechen-Königsdorf located here, also the lightrail line 7 of Cologne Stadtbahn goes to Frechen. Frechen is located in the area of the fare association Rheinland-Tarif.

References

  1. ↑ "Ergebnis". Wahlen.kdvz.nrw. Retrieved October 1, 2026.
  2. ↑ "Bevölkerung der Gemeinden Nordrhein-Westfalens am 31. Dezember 2025 – Fortschreibung des Bevölkerungsstandes auf Basis des Zensus 2022" (in German). Landesbetrieb Information und Technik NRW.
  3. ↑ "Landesdatabank Nordrhein-Westfalen Tabelle 12411-01i: Bevölkerungsstand - Gemeinden - Stichtag". Landesdatenbank.nrw.de. Retrieved 26 August 2026.
  4. ↑ "Ergebnis". Wahlen.kdvz.nrw. Retrieved October 1, 2026.
  5. ↑ "Leben in Frechen". stadt-frechen.de (in German). Frechen. Archived from the original on 2023-04-18. Retrieved 2021-02-03.