Wuppertal
Wuppertal is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the Wupper river south of the Ruhr area. Population 376,700 (1999).
It is a major industrial centre including such industries as: textiles, metallurgy, chemicals, rubber, vehicles, printing equipment, and beer.
One of the city's greatest attractions is the suspended monorail ("Wuppertaler Schwebebahn", which was established in 1901. The tracks are 8 m above the streets resp. 12 m above the Wupper river. It is reported to be the world's safest transport system. On April 12, 1999, pictures of a derailed train made their way across the world's news. However, this has been the only grave accident that ever happened.
The city was formed in 1929 by merging Barmen, Elberfeld, Vohwinkel, and several smaller towns. The name was initially Barmen-Elberfeld, and after 1930 Wuppertal. During World War II it was heavily bombed by the Allies as were many other industrial centres at the time.
The Tanztheater Pina Bausch is world-famous and regularly playing at theatres in New York, Tokyo, Paris, London etc.
Noted Wuppertal people
- Johannes Rau, Federal President of Germany
- Alice Schwarzer, one of the leading persons in the German feminist movement
- Rita Süssmuth, former President of the German Parliament
- Else Laske-Schüler, expressionist poet