A young municipality with a long history. That may sound paradoxical, but in Niederzier it is true: the town in its current form has only existed since 1972, when the municipal reorganisation of the Aachen area came into effect. However, archaeological finds have shown that Niederzier's settlement history dates back to the Stone Age.
Photo above: Maximilian Schönherr / CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo on the right: Municipality of Niederzier
Via Belgica gives way to open-cast lignite mining
Since the end of the 1970s, open-cast lignite mining has shaped the landscape around Niederzier. This is hardly surprising, as this is one of the largest lignite deposits in the whole of Germany.
However, before mining began, archaeologists investigated the local section of the Via Belgica. With success: on the approximately nine-kilometre-long section of the former Roman road between Niederzier, Elsdorf and Jülich, they gained a unique insight into what was once a densely populated area: on both sides of the Via Belgica, the remains of Roman settlements with a wide variety of functions stretched out, often only a few hundred metres apart.
The location of today's Niederzier is characterised by the course of the Rur river in the west of the municipality and the course of the Ellebach stream through the town. One of Niederzier's most impressive buildings – and, as it were, the face of the town – is the Niederzier moated castle, which today houses the municipal administration.
