Nideggen

Nideggen
Town
Town gate – the Zülpicher Tor
Coat of arms
Location of Nideggen within Düren district
Location of Nideggen
Nideggen Location within Germany Nideggen Location within North Rhine-Westphalia
Coordinates: 50°42′N 06°29′E
Country	Germany
State	North Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. region	Köln
District	Düren
Subdivisions	9
Government
• Mayor (2025–30)	Marco Schmunkamp (Ind.)
Area
• Total	65.04 km2 (25.11 sq mi)
Elevation	304 m (997 ft)
Population  (2025-12-31)
• Total	10,704
• Density	164.6/km2 (426.2/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	52385
Dialling codes	02425, 02427, 02474
Vehicle registration	DN, JÜL
Website	www.nideggen.de

Restored keep of Burg Nideggen

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.

Population

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1965	6,032	—
1970	6,578	+1.75%
1975	7,133	+1.63%
1980	7,626	+1.35%
1985	8,133	+1.30%
1990	8,717	+1.40%
1995	9,675	+2.11%

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
2000	10,573	+1.79%
2005	10,752	+0.34%
2010	10,625	−0.24%
2015	9,893	−1.42%
2020	10,155	+0.52%
2025	10,704	+1.06%

Source: Landesdatabank Nordrhein-Westfalen

Museums

In the municipally owned Nideggen Castle is the unique Castle Museum of the Rhineland. The Düren Gate (Dürener Tor), one of the symbols of the town, hosts regular art exhibitions.

The castle high above the Rur valley (2016)