Odenthal: The Key to the Bergisch Countryside
Nestled in a gentle, hilly landscape, Odenthal makes up the gateway to the natural arena of the Bergisch countryside. Situated in direct proximity to the city-triangle of Cologne, Leverkusen and Bergisch Gladbach, Odenthal is a popular nearby holiday destination.
The landscape, shaped by its abundance of forests and water, has at all times exercised a strong attraction over people. Earlier they came in order to construct mills, smithies and monasteries on the bank of the River Dhünn; today visitors find the perfect place for leisure activities and recreation close to nature. With regards to culture, too, Odenthal has plenty to offer.
With the so-called Altenberg Cathedral located in the district of Altenberg, Odenthal possesses one of the most significant pieces of Gothic architecture in Germany. Distributed throughout the year, many interesting concerts take place there.
Odenthal was established by the Franks in around 950 AD. The first settlers therefore began to clear the woodland and drain the marshy floodplain.
In the 11th Century a noble family from Cologne’s Deutz region discovered the merits of the town and built their ancestral seat on a hill on the bank of the River Dhünn. This castle carried the name Berge, and subsequently the noble family named themselves the Counts of Berg, after their ancestral seat.
And so Odenthal became the birthplace of the Bergisch Country. After moving into the current Castle Burg down the River Wupper, the Counts endowed the old Castle Berge to the Cistercian Order.
In the year 1133 the first monks came from Burgundian Morimond in order to found a monastery. After a short time they relocated the convent from the small castle to the valley which offered more space. According to legend a donkey, laden with the Abbot’s insignia and the construction money, selected the building site for the new monastery. When the Counts of Berg desired a sacred burial ground, the construction of a high-gothic cathedral was begun in 1259, which was able to be consecrated after a building period of only 120 years.
After the dissolution of the monastery in 1803, the construction was sold and a chemical factory moved into the Abbey building. A fire broke out there in 1815 in whose wake large parts of the church collapsed.
The church, now reduced to ruins, was finally bought by the Prussian king and, between 1836 and 1848, was built up once again. Frederick William IV, a devout Protestant, finally decreed that the church was, in future, to be used by both Christian denominations. After a twelve-year renovation Altenberg Cathedral appears once more a masterpiece of gothic architecture.