Admin. region Köln Elevation 58 - 158 m (−500 ft) Area 45.11 km² Local time Thursday 8:56 PM Dialling code 02234 | District Rhein-Erft-Kreis Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) Population 49,939 (31 Dec 2010) Postal code 50226 | |
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Weather 12°C, Wind S at 6 km/h, 62% Humidity |
Frechen is a town in the Rhein-Erft-Kreis, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Frechen was first mentioned in 877. It is situated at the western Cologne city border.
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Map of Frechen, Germany
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 acquired a name for its terra cotta artifacts, 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. 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.
Population
As of December 31, 2015 there were 51,999 inhabitants registered.
Local council (Stadtrat)
Elections were held in May 2014.