Rheydt () is a borough of the German city Mönchengladbach, located in the west of North Rhine-Westphalia. Until 1918 and then again from 1933 (due to a split from Mönchengladbach arranged by Joseph Goebbels, who was born there) through 1975 it was an independent city. After merging with Mönchengladbach, the central station (Rheydt Hauptbahnhof) kept its original name, making Mönchengladbach the only city in Germany to have two stations called Hauptbahnhof.
Schloss Rheydt, one of the best-preserved palaces of the Renaissance period, is located in Rheydt.
Mayors 1808–1974
1808–1823: Dietrich Lenßen
1823–1857: Johann David Büschgens
1857–1877: Carl Theodorf von Velsen
1877–1893: Emil Pahlke
1893–1901: Dr. Wilhelm Strauß
1901–1905: Dr. Karl August Tettenborn
1906–1920: Paul Lehwald
1920–1929: Dr. Oskar Graemer
1929–1930: Franz Gielen
1930–1933: Dr. Johannes Handschumacher
1933: Wilhelm Pelzer
1934–1936: Edwin Renatus Robert August Hasenjaeger
1936–1940: Heinz Gebauer
1940–1945: Dr. Alexander Doemens
1945: August Brocher
1945–1948: Dr. Carl Marcus
1948–1950: Heinrich Pesch
1950–1956: Johannes Scheulen
1956–1961: Wilhelm Schiffer
1961–1963: Dr. Friedrich Hinnah
1963–1964: Fritz Rahmen
1964–1969: Wilhelm Schiffer
1969–1974: Fritz Rahmen
Demographic development
Note: ¹ - census
Notable residents
1815, May 15, Friedrich Beckenbach, renamed Brookland + Jan 28 1892 in Rheydt, textile entrepreneur in Prussia, Holland and Yorkshire England, son of Johann Heinrich Beckenbach of Lenssen & Beckenbach, Rheydt 1859, February 3, Hugo Junkers, † February 3, 1935 in Gauting, engineer 1863, May 30, Klara Hechtenberg Collitz, † November 22, 1944 in Baltimore, German philologist 1876, September 4, Ernst Jakob Christoffel, † April 23, 1955 in Isfahan, founder of the Christoffel-Blindenmission 1894, August 29, Werner Gilles, † June 22, 1961 in Essen, artist 1894, February 24, Josef Arndgen, † September 20, 1966 in Wiesbaden, German politician (CDU) 1897, October 29, Joseph Goebbels, † May 1, 1945 in Berlin, Minister for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda during the Nazi regime 1898, July 24, Peter Erkens, † October 22, 1972 in Mönchengladbach, politician 1910, Emil Vorster, † 1976, race driver 1913, December 18, Wilhelm Schmitter, † November 8, 1943 in action over London, World War II Luftwaffe bomber pilot 1917, June 2, Heinz Sielmann, † October 6, 2006 in Munich, film maker 1918, May 6, Ruth Lommel,† 22 June 2012, actress 1919, June 3, Herbert Huppertz † June 8, 1944 Caen, Killed in Airbattle with American fighters. German Ace on FW 190 with 78 kills 1925, A. Edward Nussbaum, † 31 October 2009 in St. Louis, Missouri, theoretical mathematician 1928, April 1, Hermin Esser, tenor, † 2009 in Wiesbaden, 1930, May 16, Karl Heinz Beckurts, † July 9, 1986 in Straßlach, Munich, physicist, killed by Red Army Faction 1932, August 25, Alexander Arnz, † September 30, 2004 in Cologne, director 1936, August 9, Uwe Erichsen, author 1949, November 24, Christa Muth, systems scientist 1967, May 18, Heinz-Harald Frentzen, race driver 1973, February 24, Sonja Oberem, marathon runner 1977, May 10, Nick Heidfeld, race driver