Nideggen
town in the Düren district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Nideggen (German: [ˈniːdɛɡn̩] ) is a town in the district of Düren in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the river Rur, in the Eifel hills, approx. 15 km south of Düren.
Nideggen is known for its ruined, but partly restored castle (Burg Nideggen) and the sandstone rocks along the Rur. It is twinned with Thatcham in Berkshire, England. The first mention in history was in 1184.
The town was created in 1972 by amalgamation of eight until then independent communities: Abenden (782 inhabitants), Berg-Thuir (709), Brück (301), Embken (734), Muldenau (161), Nideggen (2,983), Rath (757), Schmidt (2,974), Wollersheim (637) (December 2014). It is situated between 250 and 450 metres above sea level.
Geographical position
Nideggen lies on the river Rur and at the banks of the Rurtalsperre, the second largest dam in Germany. The region is famous for its precipitous Early Triassic rocks of Buntsandstein in the valley of Rur and is situated between 250 and 450 metres over sea level.
The public source identifies “Nideggen” as town in the Düren district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Nideggen, town and Düren.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Nideggen”, the useful work is to connect “town in the Düren district, in 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 Sep 1, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q200105. VIAF identifies the subject as 159850684. The Library of Congress control number is n93009732. Authority coordinates are 50.700, 6.483. 3 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1184, 1972 and 2014.
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 “Nideggen”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Nideggen primary sources, Nideggen archive and Nideggen 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 “Nideggen”?
- 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 “Nideggen” 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.