Euskirchen

Euskirchen is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, capital of the district Euskirchen. While Euskirchen resembles a modern shopping town, it also has a history dating back over 700 years, having been granted town status in 1302. As of December 2007, it had a population of 55,446.CultureParts of the ancient town wall, and three of its defensive towers, are still standing. Tourists are also attracted to Euskirchen due to the proximity of two large cities, Cologne and Bonn, to the northeast, and the hills of the Eifel region to the south. It is also the birthplace of Emil Fischer, born 1852, who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1902. The local theatre in The Emil Fischer Gymnasium offers a wide variety of cultural events. The City Forum and the Parkhotel Euskirchen also contribute to the town's cultural offerings.The word Euskirchen means Kirche auf der Aue (“church on riverside lowland”). The Martinskirche is the oldest church in Euskirchen.Biggest local sports clubs in Euskirchen are the Turn- und Sportclub Euskirchen (ETSC), Leichtathletik-Gemeinschaft Olympia Euskirchen/Erftstadt (LGO) and Laufclub Euskirchen. Sports facilities are the Erftstadion, gym Ohm-Mirgel, Jahnhalle, gym Emil-Fischer-Gymnasium, Im Auel and gym Marienschule.