Mettmann (district)
district in Düsseldorf Government Region, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Mettmann (German pronunciation: [ˈmɛtman]) is a Kreis (district) in the middle of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring are the Ennepe-Ruhr, Rhein-Kreis Neuss, Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis and the
district-free cities Cologne, Leverkusen, Wuppertal, Solingen, Düsseldorf,
Duisburg, Mülheim, Essen. It is the most densely populated rural district in Germany; it borders Düsseldorf Airport in the northwestern district borders, on the city limits of Ratingen, and is also near Cologne Bonn Airport. It was named after Mettmann, its district seat.
History
In the 12th century the area of today's district became the property of the earldom Berg. When Napoleon occupied the area in 1792 it became a canton in the arrondissement Düsseldorf.
After the Congress of Vienna the area went to Prussia in 1816 as part of the province Westphalia, and the first district Mettmann was created. This district was merged from 1820 till 1861 with the district Elberfeld, which then became a city in its own right, now it is part of Wuppertal. In 1877 the administrative seat was moved to Vohwinkel. In 1929 more of the area was given over to Wuppertal, and the district was merged with the district Düsseldorf (Landkreis, excluding the city itself), to form the district Düsseldorf-Mettmann, with administrative seat in Düsseldorf.
The public source identifies “Mettmann (district)” as district in Düsseldorf Government Region, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Mettmann, district and Düsseldorf.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Mettmann (district)”, the useful work is to connect “district in Düsseldorf Government Region, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Nov 1, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q6257. VIAF identifies the subject as 242078845. Authority coordinates are 51.250, 7.000. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1792, 1816, 1820 and 1861.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Mettmann (district)”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Mettmann (district) primary sources, Mettmann (district) archive and Mettmann research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Mettmann (district)”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Mettmann (district)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.