Mülheim
For centuries, this former independent city on the eastern Rhine bank rivalled Cologne — until it was absorbed in 1914.
Mülheim was long an independent city in the County of Berg and gave its name to the Cologne district of Mülheim. The name itself derives from the mills that once stood along the Strunderbach stream.
Source: Wikipedia
At a Glance
- Type
- Cologne neighbourhood, formerly an independent city
- District
- Mülheim
- Population
- 43,055 (as of 31 December 2019) — Cologne's most populous neighbourhood
- Neighbours
- Höhenhaus and Buchheim (east), Buchforst and Deutz (south), Stammheim (north); the Rhine to the west
- Incorporated
- 1914 into Cologne
- City rights
- 1785
- Name origin
- Mills on the Strunderbach
The Counts of Berg genuinely hoped the Rhine would permanently shift its course near Poll toward Mülheim, cutting the rival trading city of Cologne off from its main artery – and for that reason actively resisted any reinforcement of the Poller riverbank.
History
The settlement's origins can be traced back to the 9th century; during the Middle Ages, Mülheim belonged to the Duchy of Berg. Initially overshadowed by neighbouring Buchheim — whose parish it fell under until the late 16th century — Mülheim took over the ferry crossing of Altenberg Abbey in 1268 thanks to its elevated riverbank position, a role it held until 1700. The Counts of Berg used it as an outpost against Cologne, adding fortifications in 1275 and establishing a mint. On 7 March 1322, Adolf of Berg granted the settlement the rights of a Freiheit — a status still commemorated in the street name Mülheimer Freiheit.
Cologne's Rival
Cologne watched the Counts of Berg's plans with deep suspicion. At Cologne's insistence, the ramparts and ditches facing the city were demolished several times, for the last time in 1641. The rivalry ran so deep that the Counts of Berg actually hoped the Rhine might break through its banks upstream near Poll and permanently shift its course to Mülheim — cutting Cologne off from the waterway. From 1656, Mülheim was permitted to hold a market three times a year.
Trade and Religious Tolerance
From 1609, the County of Berg guaranteed freedom of worship. Protestants built a church in Mülheim as early as 1610, and because wealthy Protestant merchants were barred from settling in Catholic Cologne, religious freedom drew them across the Rhine — among them the silk manufacturer Christoph Andreae. Mülheim also helped merchants travelling upriver circumvent Cologne's Stapelrecht, the city's monopoly on river trade.
The Flood of 1784
A devastating Rhine flood with drifting ice all but destroyed Mülheim in February 1784, claiming among its victims the first synagogue of the Mülheim Jewish community. A replacement was built around 1788–89, only to be destroyed during the November Pogroms of 1938.
Timeline
- 9. JahrhundertOrigins of the settlement at the mills on the Strunderbach
- 1151First verified documentary mention as 'Mulnehim'
- 1268Mülheim becomes ferry crossing for Altenberg Monastery (until 1700)
- 1275The settlement is fortified with walls
- 1322Adolf of Berg grants Mülheim the rights of a 'Freiheit'
- 1610Protestants build the first Protestant church in Mülheim
- 1784Rhine flood with ice drift destroys almost all of Mülheim
- 1785Mülheim is granted town charter (Stadtrecht)
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Auto-generated, last verified: 2026-06-26