Frechen

Frechen
Town
Protestant church
Coat of arms
Location of Frechen within Rhein-Erft-Kreis district
Frechen Show map of Germany Frechen Show map of North Rhine-Westphalia
Coordinates: 50°55′N 6°49′E / 50.917°N 6.817°E / 50.917; 6.817
Country	Germany
State	North Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. region	Cologne
District	Rhein-Erft-Kreis
Subdivisions	9
Government
• Mayor (2020–25)	Susanne Stupp^[1] (CDU)
Area
• Total	45.11 km² (17.42 sq mi)
Highest elevation	158 m (518 ft)
Lowest elevation	58 m (190 ft)
Population (2021-12-31)^[2]
• Total	52,155
• Density	1,200/km² (3,000/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	50226
Dialling codes	02234
Vehicle registration	BM
Website	www.stadt-frechen.de

Frechen (German pronunciation: [ˈfʁɛçn̩]; Ripuarian: Frechem) is a town in the Rhein-Erft District, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Frechen was first mentioned in 877. It is situated at the western Cologne city border.

It is the site of the 1257 Battle of Frechen between Conrad von Hochstaden, Archbishop of Cologne and the people of the town. In the 16th century it became known for locally produced terra cotta products, especially the "Bartmannskrug" (beardman jug).

In the late 18th century lignite was industrially mined. Digging for lignite dominated the city's economy until the end of the 20th century, and in 1891 the first briquette factory was opened.

On 2 September 1951 Frechen received its city-rights including the villages of Bachem, Hücheln and Buschbell. On 1 January 1975 the nearby villages of Grefrath, Habbelrath, Königsdorf and Neufreimersdorf were also incorporated.

In 1971, the Keramion, a ceramics museum in a distinctive glass-enclosed modern structure designed by architect Peter Neufert, opened to display the extensive historic and contemporary collection of local collector Gottfried Cremer.

From the 1980s onwards an increasing number of industrial, commercial and service enterprises choose Frechen as their location, so that the town changed its features considerably.