Düren had provided shelter to the Celts who lived here before Christ’s birth. Other Germanic tribes made it their resting place after the Celts and they were subjugated by the Romans under the leadership of Julius Caesar.
Düren got city rights in the late 12th century. The city trapped in the Thirty Years’ War in 1642 and faced grave consequences. A serious plague broke out in the city after the war in 1648 which claimed many lives.
It witnessed a series of earthquakes in the end of 17th century and was taken over by the French revolutionary troops at the same time.
The city turned its fortune in 19th century and being recognized among Germany’s richest cities. Like other German cities, it also faced the rages of the World War II.
It was positioned on the central fighting front throughout the Allied incursion of Germany in World War II. The city was utterly shattered by Allied air bombings on November 16, 1944, claiming the lives of nearly 22,000. The rest were vacated to central Germany.
U.S. troops got hold of it on February 25, 1945 and the people started to come back. They rebuild their damaged home against the wishes of the U.S. troops.
Düren is prominent as a transportation and industrial center. Its manufactures comprises paper, textiles, food products, plastics, chemicals and transportation equipments.
It has some old historical buildings which, again, were destroyed utterly during the wars period. Only their remains are to be seen at the moment. Its famous city wall, a construction which started around 1200, does not really exist anymore today. You will get to see only ruins of it.
The city has some old buildings in the form of churches. One of them is the Church of Saint Martin which had its historical significance.
The same church was renamed in the 19th century and was provided the name of church of Saint Anne. The debate is still on over the dates of its renaming and some suggest that it took place in the 18th century while other assert it as the19th century or even much later.
The saint’s day of Saint Anne is one of the biggest folk festivals of Germany which is celebrated every year on July 26. Düren’s Christmas market is very charming and very well-liked to far-off places outside the country. This market is lit up beneath a glittery sky, where people flock to have the experience of the performance at the living Nativity scene.
