Editing Solingen (section)

==History==
===Middle Ages===
[[File:Noć muzeja 2023, Čakovec - mač s pištoljem.jpg|thumb|A sword with built-in flint wheellock pistol made in Solingen in 1575]]
Solingen was first mentioned in 1067 by a chronicler who called the area "Solonchon". Early variations of the name included "Solengen", "Solungen", and "Soleggen", although the modern name seems to have been in use since the late 14th and early 15th centuries.

Blacksmiths' smelters, dating back over 2000 years, have been found around the town, adding to Solingen's fame as a Northern Europe blacksmith centre. Swords from Solingen have turned up in places such as the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms in the British Isles. Northern Europe prized the quality of Solingen's manufactured weaponry, and they were traded across the European continent. Solingen today remains the knife-centre of Germany.

It was a tiny village for centuries, but became a fortified town in the 15th century.

===Thirty Years' War===
After being ravaged by the [[Plague (disease)|plague]] with about 1,800 deaths in 1614–1619, Solingen was heavily fought over during the [[Thirty Years' War]], repeatedly attacked and plundered, and the Burg Castle was destroyed.

===Modern Age===
[[File:SOL001.JPG|thumb|150px|Coins issued in 1919 by the City of Solingen]]
[[File:Stadt Solingen 1922.jpg|thumb|150px|Bond of the City of Solingen, issued 1 July 1922]]
Early in the 20th century, Ohligs's chief manufactures were [[cutlery]] and [[household hardware|hardware]], and there were iron-foundries and [[flour mill]]s. Other industries were brewing, dyeing, weaving and brick-making.<ref>{{EB1911|inline=y|wstitle=Ohligs|volume=20|page=34 }}</ref>
In 1929, Ohligs located in the [[Prussia]]n [[Rhine Province]], {{convert|17|mi|km}} by rail north of [[Cologne]] became part of Solingen.

In [[World War II]], the Old Town was completely destroyed by a [[Strategic bombing during World War II|bombing raid]] by the [[Royal Air Force|RAF]] in 1944; 1,800 people died and over 1,500 people were injured.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://solinger-bote.de/nachrichten/2014/11/05/solingen-gedenken-an-solinger-bombenopfer-vor-70-jahren/ |title=Solingen: Gedenken an Solinger-Bombenopfer vor 70 Jahren &#124; |access-date=6 November 2014 |archive-date=6 November 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141106165734/http://solinger-bote.de/nachrichten/2014/11/05/solingen-gedenken-an-solinger-bombenopfer-vor-70-jahren/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> As such, there are few pre-war sites in the centre.

From 1945 to 1949 Solingen was part of the British occupation zone. Reconstruction of the old town began in 1949. The newly built Protestant church in Fronhof was consecrated in 1954, and the destroyed towers of the Catholic church of St. Clemens were rebuilt in a different style. By the end of the 1970s, the city's population had increased due to numerous new housing developments in all parts of the city. The city's infrastructure continued to grow, with the opening of the theatre and concert hall in 1963 and the construction of the Viehbachtalstraße motorway through the city in the late 1970s. In 1975, the city grew again with the incorporation of the previously independent town of Burg an der Wupper. In 1993, Solingen made international headlines for a [[1993 Solingen arson attack|right-wing extremist arson attack]] in which five Turkish girls and women were killed. The attack was followed by demonstrations and riots in the city.

Since the beginning of the new millennium, the ''Klingenstadt'' has undergone a massive transformation as a result of urban development projects such as Regionale 2006 and City 2013. For example, the new Korkenzieherstrasse cycle path was created and the demolition of the Turmhotel and the former Karstadt Passage made it possible to build a new shopping centre on Neumarkt in Solingen-Mitte. After the closure of the old central station in Solingen-Mitte, Ohligs station was officially named the new Solingen central station by [[Deutsche Bahn AG]] on 10 December 2006.

On 23 August 2024, a [[2024 Solingen stabbing|mass stabbing by islamic terrorist]] occurred in which three German citizens were killed during a festival for the city's 650th founding anniversary.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=23 August 2024 |title=Messer-Amok in Solingen: Mindestens drei Menschen bei Stadtfest getötet |url=https://www.bild.de/news/inland/messer-amok-in-solingen-mehrere-menschen-bei-stadtfest-getoetet-641fe8c9d020c344f0b8ee09 |access-date=23 August 2024 |website=bild.de |language=de }}</ref>