Richterich


Richterich is a district and northwestern suburb of Aachen, Germany. The towns of Horbach and Huf belong to the district, which borders the other Aachen district of Laurensberg, as well as the Kohlscheid district of Herzogenrath. It is assumed that the histories of Richerich and Horbach go back a long time, since the name is suggestive of a Celtic settlement. In Roman times, the attested name of the area was recteriacum.

Buildings and history

The most historically important buildings in the district are the St. Martin Church, the Schönau Castle, and the water fortress Heyden House, in Horbach. St. Martin Church contains the Maaß Organ, which was built in 1836 and is the oldest organ in Aachen. Schönau Castle is today home to a restaurant and is available to residents as a cultural center and host to various events. Heyden House is now used for residential purposes. Besides a few houses from the 18th Century in the old village, there are several well-preserved old estates, such as the Gut Bau and the Zehnthof, which is where farmers tithed what they owed during the Middle Ages. From 1911 until 1927 the Carl Friedrich mine was the most southerly mine of Aachen’s Wurmrevier coal region. The workforce consisted of about 500 people, but the mine was shut down after only 16 years, due to unfavorable tectonic conditions and poor coal quality.

Incorporation

On 1 January 1972, Richterich was incorporated into Aachen. A section of the community was split off and merged with Herzogenrath.

Transportation

Richterich formerly had its own train station on the Aachen–Mönchengladbach line, with a branch line to Vetschau. Passenger traffic at this station was discontinued in 1966. In 1992, the track to Simpelveld shut down entirely, and several hundred meters of track were removed in Vetschau.

Schools

There are two elementary schools in the district of Richterich: the GGS Richterich and the KGS Horbach. Also in Richterich are four preschools: the city-run preschools of Park Street, Richterich Street, and Green Valley Street, as well as the Catholic preschool at St. Martin, which has had a cooperative agreement with RWTH Aachen University since 2005.

Sports and leisure

In Richterich, there are several sports clubs, including Rhenania Richterich, the Sports Club Horbach 1919, the Gymnastics Club Richterich 1885, the Fishing Club Richterich and the Fishing Club Horbach. There are also two Carnival Clubs, a shooting club, and the Instrumental Club Richterich 1887. A voluntary Fire Company—the Löschzug Richterich—has also existed since 1901.

Notable people