City facts Schleiden – Eifel region

Schleiden – city facts

Things worth knowing about Schleiden – only content from the city facts database.

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Founding and age

Below the castle of Schleiden, first mentioned in a document in 1198, the settlement of the same name grew up. Schleiden has been referred to as a town since 1360; according to its own account the town does not possess a medieval town-charter document. Today’s town with eighteen districts was formed by the municipal reorganisation on 1 January 1972. The eighteen places (Berescheid, Broich, Bronsfeld, Dreiborn, Ettelscheid, Gemünd, Harperscheid, Herhahn, Kerperscheid, Morsbach, Nierfeld, Oberhausen, Olef, Scheuren, Schleiden, Schöneseiffen, Wintzen and Wolfgarten) did not, according to the town history, arise before the high medieval clearance period and therefore bear purely German names. A charter of 1309 permitting the noble lord of Schleiden to admit Jews within his castle precinct is taken by the town history to suggest that Schleiden was already a trading place at that time.

According to the official town history, Schleiden does not possess a document granting town rights already in the Middle Ages. Since 1360, however, the place has repeatedly been referred to as a town; in 1575 Schleiden received an imperial market privilege. Prussia recognised Schleiden as a town in 1843 and in 1856 finally conferred the Rhenish municipal code. Today’s town was formed on 1 January 1972 from the former towns of Gemünd and Schleiden and the administrative units of Dreiborn and Harperscheid (with further incorporations). As early as 1271 Konrad II of Schleiden became a Luxembourg vassal; in 1360 the “Statt” of Schleiden became a fief of Jülich. After the House of Schleiden died out in the male line (1434), the lordship passed via Nassau to the counts of Manderscheid (1451). Louis XIV annexed the Schleiden lands as well in 1682 as part of his reunion policy; after the destruction of the castle an unfortified château was built in the 18th century, including the Couven wing around 1744.

Schleiden was the centre of a lordship or county and for a long time a Luxembourg fief; in 1829 the district seat was moved to Schleiden (Schleiden district). From the 15th to the 19th century the Schleiden valley was a centre of a significant iron industry. With a rail connection, the Eifelverein and the construction of the Urft dam, tourism gained importance. In 1972 Schleiden lost its status as district town but was considerably enlarged in area. In parallel, within today’s municipal area, the sub-lordship of Dreiborn (castle first mentioned in 1334) and Gemünd (first mention 1213) developed with their own territorial history until the French Revolution. In 1795 the County of Schleiden as Luxembourg territory was incorporated into the French state; Gemünd came to France in 1798 (finally in 1801). In the winter of 1944/45 Schleiden and its surroundings, according to the Volksbund, came under heavy artillery fire; the castle and numerous buildings were destroyed in the Second World War. From 1951 the castle was reconstructed according to old plans; in 1978 the town was recognised by the state as a Kneipp spa.

Year Title Description
1198 First mention of Schleiden Castle The castle is documented as “castrum Sleyda”; the settlement of Schleiden arose beneath it.
1360 Designation as a town From 1360 Schleiden is repeatedly referred to as a town; the “Statt” of Schleiden also became a fief of Jülich.
1418 Mention of the town wall A town wall is already mentioned for Schleiden in 1418.
1575 Imperial market privilege Schleiden received an imperial market privilege that had been requested for “his town” and granted to the “town”.
1829 District town of Schleiden The seat of the district was moved to Schleiden; thereafter the district was called Kreis Schleiden. Schleiden remained the district town until 1971.
1856 Rhenish Municipal Ordinance Schleiden was granted the Rhenish Municipal Ordinance after already being represented in 1843 in the towns’ body of the provincial assembly.
1901–1905 Construction of the Urft Dam According to the Rhenish Town Atlas, tourism increased more strongly with the construction of the Urft Dam; the town history gives the period as 1901–1905. Nordeifel Tourism places the construction between 1900 and 1905 and describes the Urft Dam at the time of completion as then the largest dam in Europe.
1972 Municipal reorganization On 1 January 1972 the present-day town of Schleiden was formed from GemĂĽnd, Schleiden, Dreiborn and Harperscheid; at the same time its role as district town ended.
1145 Oldest document of the municipal area King Conrad III donated the cleared land of Walberhof (“Walebure”) in Überruhr to Steinfeld Abbey; the town history describes this as the oldest document of the municipal area.
1213 First mention of Gemünd Gemünd (“Gemunde”) is first mentioned in a document when Hermann of Jünkerath bequeathed to Steinfeld Abbey, among other things, a forest as far as the bridge at the confluence of the Urft and the Olef.
1252 First mention of the place Olef The place name Olef is documented with “Silmannus de Olefe”, a ministerial of Schleiden; the river name already appears in 1130.
1334 First mention of Dreiborn Castle The castle “Troys Fontainez” (Dreiborn) is mentioned for the first time; Count William V of Jülich took it as a fief from King John of Bohemia of the House of Luxembourg.
1451 Manderscheid-Schleiden After the House of Schleiden died out in the male line (1434), the lordship passed via heiresses to Nassau and in 1451 to the Counts of Manderscheid; the Manderscheid-Schleiden line gained high standing.
1603 Town fire of Schleiden On 15 July 1603 a fire destroyed all of Schleiden below the outer bailey; within three hours 92 dwellings as well as more than 30 barns and stables burned down.
1884 Railway connection With the railway connection (1884) as well as the later founding of the Eifelverein (1888) and the construction of the Urft Dam, tourism became an important livelihood. The civic foundation names the opening of the Kall–Gemünd–Hellenthal railway line, the so-called “Flitsch”, for 1884.
1978 Town twinning with Pont-l’Abbé According to the Bürgerstiftung Schleiden, the former district town entered into a European town friendship with the French coastal town of Pont-l’Abbé in Brittany.
2004 Founding of Eifel National Park The roughly 110-square-kilometre Eifel National Park was founded in 2004; according to Nordeifel Tourism, nearly 50 percent of Schleiden’s municipal area lies within the large protected area.
2006 Opening of Vogelsang Since 1 January 2006 Vogelsang has again been accessible to the public; the former military training area was handed over to nature as part of the national park.
1230 Chapel outside the castle According to the town history, from 1230 a chapel stood outside the castle on the site of the later castle church; the noble lord needed the Steinfeld monks for worship in the castle and chapel.
1309 Admission of Jews in the castle area A document of 1309 permits the noble lord of Schleiden to admit Jews in his castle area; the town history interprets this as an indication that Schleiden was already a trading place at that time.
1682 Annexation by Louis XIV In 1682, as part of his Reunion policy, Louis XIV also annexed the Schleiden lands; previously Luxembourg had increasingly developed territorial sovereignty out of feudal overlordship.
1744 Couven building at the castle Around 1744, according to baukunst-nrw, the so-called Couven building was created as a connecting structure between the east and south wings of the castle to plans by Johann Joseph Couven.
1951 Reconstruction of the castle and Gemünd war cemetery After wartime destruction, Schleiden Castle was reconstructed from 1951 according to old plans. On 16 September 1951 the Gemünd war cemetery on the Burghövel was inaugurated.
1955–1959 Construction of the Olef Dam The Wasserverband Eifel-Rur names the initial construction of the Olef Dam in the Olef valley, eight kilometres upstream of the town of Schleiden, for the years 1955–1959; the drinking-water reservoir also serves flood protection, among other purposes.
1958 Kammerwall war cemetery On 16 November 1958 the Kammerwall war cemetery in Schleiden was inaugurated by the Volksbund together with the town; according to the Volksbund, 436 war dead of the Second World War rest there.
1978 State-recognised Kneipp spa town By decree of 10 May 1978 the Minister for Labour, Health and Social Affairs of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia recognised the town of Schleiden as a Kneipp spa town and conferred the designation “Staatlich anerkannter Kneipp-Kurort”.

Important information

Schleiden markets itself as the national park capital with the Kneipp spa Gemünd. According to the town website the core town is a school town with several secondary schools and, in term time, counts more pupils than inhabitants. Landscape, the Eifel National Park, historic places and tourism shape the townscape. According to Nordeifel-Tourismus nearly 50 percent of the town’s area lies in the national park; the castle and castle church are regarded as landmarks. Since the decree of 10 May 1978 the town has held the designation “state-recognised Kneipp spa”. According to tourist town information Gemünd, with over 4,000 inhabitants, is the largest district and tourist centre.

The national park capital Schleiden lies in the northern Eifel on the western edge of the district of Euskirchen. The municipal area comprises eighteen districts – Berescheid, Broich, Bronsfeld, Dreiborn, Ettelscheid, Gemünd, Harperscheid, Herhahn, Kerperscheid, Morsbach, Nierfeld, Oberhausen, Olef, Scheuren, Schöneseiffen, Wintzen and Wolfgarten – and is shaped above all by the Olef and Urft valleys with the Urft reservoir, the Dreiborn plateau and the Kermeter of the Eifel National Park. The Rhenish Town Atlas locates Schleiden in the eastern Rur Eifel on both sides of the Olef. Nearly 50 percent of the town’s area, according to Nordeifel-Tourismus GmbH, lies in the Eifel National Park. IT.NRW records as of 31 December 2024 a total area of 12,167 hectares, of which 10,868 hectares are vegetation and water area (89.3 percent).

According to the town website, the Olef and Urft valleys with the Urft reservoir, the Dreiborn plateau and the Kermeter of the Eifel National Park shape the rural municipal area. In spring, according to the town, a yellow sea of gorse blossom invites walks across the Dreiborn plateau; in autumn the town describes an “Indian Summer” with colour plays in red, ochre, yellow, brown and green. The town history describes today’s municipal area in Roman times as largely forested and traversed by the Roman road from Cologne to Reims; traces from the Roman period have been found in Gemünd, Ettelscheid and at the Heilstein spring. The national park administration highlights panoramic views of lake landscapes and the open grassland of the Dreiborn plateau. According to the town’s area figures, 7,737.55 hectares are forest and 2,910.66 hectares agricultural land; IT.NRW cites as of 31 December 2024 6,693 hectares of forest and woodland (55.0 percent) and 3,165 hectares of agricultural land (26.0 percent).

Historically, from the 15th to the 19th century the Schleiden valley was a centre of the iron industry with numerous hammer mills and ironworks; Schleiden ironmasters such as the Poensgen and Schoeller families became founding figures of major industrial dynasties. Of the seven cooperatively run Manderscheid works, according to the town history four (Müllershammer, Oberhausen, Wiesgen and Gangfort) lay in today’s municipal area. After the decline of the iron industry and the rail connection, tourism became an important livelihood. A census of 1688 recorded only 360 inhabitants for the town excluding monastery members, who lived mainly from cloth making; 11 residents were ironmasters. The citizens’ foundation names the Mauel rolling mill as the last iron-processing works in Gemünd, which closed only in 1967.

With a rail connection (1884), the founding of the Eifelverein (1888) and the construction of the Urft Dam, tourism developed. GemĂĽnd was recognised as a Kneipp spa in 1970/1978; since 10 May 1978 the town of Schleiden has been a state-recognised Kneipp spa and levies a spa tax. Schleiden offers access to the Urft dam wall, the International Place Vogelsang, the deserted village of Wollseifen and hiking trails including the Eifelsteig through GemĂĽnd and Olef. Nordeifel-Tourismus also cites the Rur-Olef Route, EifelRadSchleifen and the Eifel Heights Route as well as the tourist information with the National Park info point GemĂĽnd near Marienplatz; cycle and hiking stations exist in GemĂĽnd, Olef and Schleiden. Guided ranger tours through the Eifel National Park are highlighted by the town. Tourist town information cites in GemĂĽnd the spa park with music pavilion, Kurhaus, KunstForumEifel, Rosenbad and the GemĂĽnd-Vogelsang youth hostel.

Cultural institutions according to the town website include the town archive, the town library and the KunstForum Eifel. Events such as harvest festivals, spa park concerts in Gemünd, Rose Monday parades, fairs, shooting festivals as well as the Sleidanus farmers’ market and the craft market in Olef shape the year’s calendar. Decommissioned telephone boxes, according to the town, serve as book swaps in Gemünd, Harperscheid and Schleiden. Numerous associations – including sports, angling, bachelors’, carnival and shooting clubs, bands, choirs, the Schleiden history forum and the volunteer fire brigades – shape club life. In Gemünd, according to tourist town information, Sunday spa concerts take place from May to September as well as Friday Concerts.

The castle and castle church in Schleiden as well as access to the Urft dam wall, the International Place Vogelsang and the deserted village of Wollseifen are central points of orientation. The town history also names the hospital church in the historic town and the Protestant church in Gemünd. Nordeifel-Tourismus describes the castle and castle church as landmarks and points to the Gemünd spa park with Kneipp facilities as well as the exhibitions “Bestimmung: Herrenmensch” and “Wildnis(t)räume” at Vogelsang IP. According to baukunst-nrw, Schleiden Castle includes among other parts the south wing of the early 18th century and the Couven wing of about 1744; the castle church of St Philip and James stands immediately beside it.

In the municipal area the federal roads B 265, B 266 and B 258 intersect. Via the neighbouring place Kall there is a connection to the Eifel line Cologne–Trier. The nearest airport, Cologne/Bonn, is according to the town about an hour’s drive away. In 1913/14 the district administrator’s office and residence was built on the Ruppenberg (today an administrative building); after the reorganisation of 1972 the former district office, according to the citizens’ foundation, became the town hall. According to baukunst-nrw, Schleiden Castle is today used as a restaurant and care home. The town cites under land-use shares among other figures 687.00 hectares of settlement land and 360.31 hectares of transport land.

Tourist town information highlights in Gemünd the five pillars of Kneipp teaching – water, exercise, nutrition, medicinal plants and lifestyle – as well as natural water treading on the steps of the Urft. The town levies a spa tax for spa and recreation facilities of generally 2.50 euros per guest per day.

  • National Park capital on the Eifel National Park
  • Kneipp spa town GemĂĽnd
  • Schleiden Castle and castle church
  • Olef and Urft valleys with Urft reservoir
  • Dreiborn plateau and Kermeter
  • International Place Vogelsang
  • Abandoned village of Wollseifen
  • Historic iron industry of the Schleiden Valley
  • School town with several secondary schools
  • Eifelsteig stages through GemĂĽnd and Olef
  • Almost 50 percent of the city area in the national park
  • KunstForum Eifel in GemĂĽnd
  • Town twinning with Pont-l’AbbĂ©
  • Eighteen districts in the municipal area
  • State-recognized Kneipp spa town since 1978
  • Couven building at Schleiden Castle
  • War cemetery GemĂĽnd on the Burghövel
  • War cemetery Kammerwall
  • High forest share of the city area
  • GemĂĽnd as the largest district and tourist center
  • Kall
  • Hellenthal
  • Heimbach
  • Monschau
  • Euskirchen
  • ZĂĽlpich
  • DĂĽren
  • Blankenheim
  • Nettersheim
  • Mechernich
  • Aachen
  • PrĂĽm
  • Steinfeld
  • Hollerath

Notable events

For Schleiden, besides the first mention of the castle in 1198, the sources mainly document town fires and plunderings in the early modern period, fires in Olef and GemĂĽnd, the Prussian district-town period, the decline of the iron industry, wartime and post-war consequences around Vogelsang and Wollseifen, the municipal reorganisation of 1972, the town twinning of 1978, state Kneipp recognition and the founding and opening of the national park area. Added to these are the reconstruction of the castle and war cemeteries after 1945 and the construction of the Olef Dam in the Olef valley upstream of the town.

Period Title Category Description Significance
15. Juli 1603 Town fire of Schleiden Disaster On a July night a fire broke out in the densely built timber-framed town; according to the town history, all of Schleiden below the outer bailey fell victim to it; within three hours 92 dwellings as well as more than 30 barns and stables burned down. The fire destroyed the core of the historic town; thanks to donations Schleiden was quickly rebuilt, and two houses from 1605 still recall the event.
Januar 1610 Plundering in the Jülich-Cleves succession dispute History The mercenary leader Ernst von Mansfeld forced his way into the walled town and plundered it; five days later Friedrich von Solms liberated the town after bloody fighting and plundered it again. The events showed Schleiden’s vulnerability in the territorial conflicts of the early modern period.
19. Februar 1542 Martin Bucer’s sermon in the castle church Culture The Strasbourg Reformer Martin Bucer preached in the castle church; officially the parish of Schleiden only converted to the new faith in 1561 under Dietrich VI. The episode stands for Schleiden’s early Reformation imprint and the later confessional development of the town.
1794/1795 French annexation of the County of Schleiden Politics In 1794 French troops occupied the left bank of the Rhine; as Luxembourg territory the County of Schleiden was incorporated into the French state in October 1795 and became part of the Ourthe department. With that the old order of rule ended; from the canton of Schleiden the later Prussian administration emerged.
1. September 1946 Evacuation of Wollseifen History Because of the establishment of the Vogelsang military training area, Wollseifen had to be evacuated by its population and became a “dead village”. The evacuation still shapes the landscape of memory in today’s national park area and is among the decisive postwar events in the town’s history.
1. Januar 2006 Opening of Vogelsang to the public Politics Since 1 January 2006 Vogelsang has again been accessible to the public; the former military training area was handed over to nature as part of Eifel National Park, while the built area serves information, recreation and education. The opening made a central historical and natural site in the town’s surroundings accessible again and strengthened national park tourism.
1689 und 1702 Destruction of Schleiden Castle by French troops History In the fighting of the age of Louis XIV, Schleiden Castle was destroyed by the French in 1689 and 1702, the second time down to the foundations. A fortified castle with shield wall and towers was reduced to ruins; in the later rebuilding an unfortified palace with open access from the north emerged.
1697 Major fire in Olef Disaster In 1697 Olef largely burned down. The present village centre took its character from the rebuilding shortly afterwards; the parish church remained as a point of reference.
1851 Town fire in GemĂĽnd Disaster A fire destroyed 38 houses in GemĂĽnd. Despite the disaster, the St. Nikolaus chapel was replaced soon afterwards by a large neo-Gothic church building.
1. Januar 1972 Municipal reorganisation into today’s town of Schleiden Politics Schleiden ceased to be a county seat and was enlarged by Gemünd, Dreiborn (without Einruhr) and Harperscheid; the Vogelsang military training area remained outside the town’s authority. The reorganisation created today’s town with eighteen districts and fundamentally changed administrative status and territorial extent.
1978 Town twinning with Pont-l’Abbé Politics According to the civic foundation, Schleiden entered into a European town friendship with Pont-l’Abbé in Brittany. The partnership remains present in the townscape and in club activities to this day and links the national park town with a Breton school and coastal town.
2004 Founding of Eifel National Park Politics The roughly 110-square-kilometre Eifel National Park was founded in 2004 and is regarded as a development national park. Since then Schleiden has positioned itself as the national park capital; nearly half of the town’s area lies within the large protected area.
10. Mai 1978 State recognition as a Kneipp spa town Politics By decree of 10 May 1978 the Minister for Labour, Health and Social Affairs of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia recognised the town of Schleiden as a Kneipp spa town and conferred the designation “state-recognised Kneipp spa town”. The recognition still underpins the spa levy and Gemünd’s orientation as a spa and health location within the national park town.
16. September 1951 Inauguration of the Gemünd war cemetery History Together with the town of Gemünd, the Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge established a war cemetery on the Burghövel; 783 war dead of the Second World War from the fighting around the Rur and Urft in the winter of 1944/45 rest there. The site was inaugurated on 16 September 1951. The site is a central place of remembrance of the war’s consequences in the town area and stands in visual relation to the towers of Vogelsang.
16. November 1958 Inauguration of the Kammerwall war cemetery History On a meadow slope in the Kammerwald, a gift of the Arenberg administration, the Kammerwall war cemetery was laid out; 436 war dead of the Second World War rest there. The inauguration took place on 16 November 1958. The site documents the heavy fighting and artillery bombardment around Schleiden in the winter of 1944/45 and secures the permanent right of rest for the dead.
1682 Annexation of the Schleiden region by Louis XIV Politics As part of his reunion policy, Louis XIV also annexed the Schleiden region in 1682, after Luxembourg had previously developed from feudal overlordship increasingly into territorial sovereignty. The annexation placed Schleiden within French power politics and preceded the later castle destructions of 1689 and 1702.
1955–1959 Construction of the Olef dam Economy In the Olef valley, eight kilometres upstream of the town of Schleiden, the Olef dam of the Eifel-Rur water association was built as a buttress cell wall; it serves flood protection, drinking water supply and energy generation. The dam shapes the Olef valley system above Schleiden and is among the central water-management facilities of the northern Eifel.

Notable people

In the official town history the lords and counts of Schleiden or Manderscheid-Schleiden and of von der Marck, scholars of the Reformation period from Schleiden and industrialists of the Poensgen family are particularly attested. Added to these are figures of the Dreiborn sub-lordship, Reformation reference figures such as Martin Bucer, the Aachen master builder Johann Joseph Couven and district administrators of the early Prussian district administration.

Name Role Lifespan Relation to place Why notable
Konrad von Schleiden Noble lord, dynast In the town’s history he is regarded as the first local dynast and founder of a cadet line of the lords of Blankenheim. With him begins the tangible history of rule in Schleiden around castle and settlement.
Dietrich IV. von Manderscheid-Schleiden Count, called “the Wise” 1501–1551 He was the builder of the castle church and in 1539 was able to detach it from the Steinfeld parish association and place it under his patronage. Under his rule many people of Schleiden turned to humanism and the Reformation; he is regarded as the most important Manderscheid figure on site.
Johannes Sleidanus Historian 1506–1556 He came from Schleiden and was a supporter of the Reformation. The town’s history describes him as a famous historian; among other things, the Sleidanus farmers’ market is named after him.
Johannes Sturmius Educator 1507–1589 He came from Schleiden and was among the adherents of the new doctrine. The town’s history names him as an important educator of the Reformation era; a grammar school in Schleiden bears his name.
Albert Poensgen Industrialist 1818–1880 After 1845 he manufactured gas pipes, boiler tubes, lead pipes, wire and nails in several works in Mauel. Because of his welded pipes, the town’s history regards him as the founder of the German tube industry.
Reinhard Poensgen Industrialist 1792–1848 At Büllenbenden he ran two rolling mills and the Mariahütte wire factory with up to 200 workers. He stands for the flourishing of the local iron and wire industry before the later relocation to Düsseldorf.
Johann I. von Schleiden Noble lord 1346–1379 He was among the lords of Schleiden in the period of urban development and feudal ties. According to the town’s history, the king entrusted him with responsibility for maintaining the public peace between the Rhine and the Meuse.
Dietrich VI. von Manderscheid-Schleiden Count Under him the parish of Schleiden officially converted to the new faith in 1561; he requested the imperial market privilege for “his town”. He stands for the confessional turn and the municipal privileging of Schleiden in the second half of the 16th century.
Martin Bucer Reformer The Strasbourg reformer preached on 19 February 1542 in the castle church of Schleiden. His sermon marks an early Reformation episode in the town’s history, years before the parish’s official change of confession.
Ernst von der Marck Count 1613–1654 In 1619 he initiated the Counter-Reformation in Schleiden and in 1642 founded a Franciscan monastery; in 1633/35 he had the church of St. Rochus built in Wollseifen. Under his rule the castle church was again furnished as Catholic and Protestant worship in the town was forbidden.
Julius Poensgen Industrialist According to the town’s history, together with his brother Albert he manufactured lead pipes among other things in Mauel. He belongs to the Poensgen entrepreneurial family, whose move to Düsseldorf helped shape the decline of Schleiden’s iron industry.
Johann Joseph Couven Master builder According to Couven’s plans, the Couvenbau was built around 1744 as a linking building between the east and south wings of Schloss Schleiden. The Couvenbau is among the architecturally highlighted parts of the castle complex and connects medieval castle fabric with Baroque palace architecture.
Konrad II. von Schleiden Noble lord As early as 1271, according to the town’s history, Konrad II of Schleiden became a Luxembourg vassal. With the early feudal bond to Luxembourg begins a long phase of Luxembourg overlordship over Schleiden.
Rabolt von Plettenberg Nobleman, ironworks founder Under Rabolt von Plettenberg an ironworks was founded in Olef in 1531; Olef belonged to the subordinate lordship of Dreiborn. The founding of the works stands for the spread of the iron industry in today’s municipal area beyond the core town of Schleiden.
Clemens August Freiherr von Syberg District administrator According to the civic foundation he was the first and only district administrator of the Gemünd district; the seat of the district office was in Gemünd’s Bäckergasse, today Am Plan 3. His term of office stands for the short phase in which Gemünd was the district seat, before the district seat was moved to Schleiden in 1829.
Richard Beissel von Gymnich District administrator As successor to district administrator von Syberg, according to the civic foundation he followed the call to Schleiden and used the ducal Arenberg castle as his official seat. With the relocation of the district office in 1829, the GemĂĽnd district was renamed the Schleiden district; Schleiden became the district town.

Sources

Source Publisher Used for
City History City of Schleiden First mention 1198, name interpretation Sleyda, urban development, lordship and religious history, iron industry, town fire 1603, Mansfeld 1610, castle destruction 1689/1702, Olef fire 1697, GemĂĽnd fire 1851, county seat, territorial reform 1972, Wollseifen, Vogelsang, persons, first mentions of districts, Roman road and Kalkeifel, chapel 1230, Jewish charter 1309, annexation 1682, Kneipp 1970/1978
Local Life City of Schleiden Location in the northern Eifel, list of districts, landscape of the Olef/Urft valley and national park, transport links, school town, tourism, festivals, character of the town, club life, book exchange cabinets, seasonal motifs
Rhenish Town Atlas Schleiden LVR Institute for Regional Studies and Regional History Geographic location on both sides of the Olef, elevation figures for castle/town centre, town designation since 1360, iron industry, municipal code 1856, tourism from the Urft reservoir onwards
Municipal Directory 05366036 Schleiden, Town Statistics Portal of the Statistical Offices of the Federation and the Länder Federal state, district of Euskirchen, municipality type town, postcode 53937, area 121.67 km², population 13,578, address
Municipal Profile Schleiden, Town Information und Technik Nordrhein-Westfalen (IT.NRW) Population figure 13,578 as of 31 Dec 2024, municipality type larger small town, population density, land use forest/agriculture/water bodies, population development 1994–2024, share of non-German residents
Schleiden Municipal Archive City of Schleiden Municipal territorial reform 1972, eighteen districts, holdings on Sleidanus, chronicles and image collection
Schleiden | Bürgerstiftung Schleiden Bürgerstiftung Schleiden / City of Schleiden Town twinning with Pont-l’Abbé 1978, Pont-l’Abbé Square and Tower, town hall in the former district administration building, note on school town and national park capital
National Park Capital Schleiden Nordeifel-Tourismus GmbH National park capital, nearly 50 percent of the municipal area in the national park, landmarks castle/castle church, Kneipp spa town GemĂĽnd, cycling and hiking trails, information point GemĂĽnd, Vogelsang exhibitions
Eifel National Park – Home Eifel National Park Administration Founding of the national park 2004, area around 110 km², developing national park, Dreiborn plateau, ranger offers
KunstForumEifel Rheinische Museen / LVR Opening of KunstForum Eifel 2007 in Gemünd, address Dreiborner Str. 22, operator Förderverein Maler der Eifel e. V., exhibition profile
Spa Visitor Tax City of Schleiden State recognition as a Kneipp spa town by decree of 10 May 1978, type designation, spa visitor tax obligation and rate of 2.50 euros per guest per day
Figures, Data, Facts City of Schleiden Elevation 281–620 m above sea level, around 13,000 inhabitants, area approx. 122 km², population density, shares of forest, agricultural and water areas
Schleiden Castle baukunst-nrw / Chamber of Architects of North Rhine-Westphalia Castle destructions 1689/1702, conversion into a palace, Couven building around 1744, reconstruction from 1951, present use as restaurant and nursing home, castle church of St Philip and St James
Schleiden-Gemünd War Cemetery German War Graves Commission 783 war dead, fighting around the Rur and Urft in winter 1944/45, site on the Burghövel, inauguration 16 September 1951, visual link to Vogelsang
Schleiden War Cemetery Kammerwall German War Graves Commission 436 war dead, artillery bombardment of Schleiden in winter 1944/45, gift from the Arenberg administration, inauguration 16 November 1958
GemĂĽnd Gesellschaft fĂĽr Wirtschaft, Tourismus und Veranstaltungen mbH, Schleiden GemĂĽnd as the largest district with over 4,000 inhabitants, Kneipp columns, spa park and spa concerts, KunstForumEifel, Rosenbad, youth hostel GemĂĽnd-Vogelsang, access to the national park
The Olef Reservoir Wasserverband Eifel-Rur (WVER) Location 8 km upstream of Schleiden, construction 1955–1959, storage volume, functions flood protection and drinking water, precipitation 1,132 mm in the catchment area, no water sports
Natural Sites Water Nordeifel-Tourismus GmbH Urft reservoir construction and storage volume 45.5 million m³, Olef 27.9 km and confluence in Gemünd at 334 m, Urft 50.2 km, Olef reservoir near Hellenthal, cycle routes Tälerroute
GemĂĽnd | BĂĽrgerstiftung Schleiden BĂĽrgerstiftung Schleiden / City of Schleiden District of GemĂĽnd and district administrators von Syberg and Beissel von Gymnich, Flitsch railway line 1884, Mauel rolling mill until 1967, wartime destruction of GemĂĽnd, Kneipp and spa history, national park idea